A Grandmother’s Art

Hi there and good morning! Today I’m going to share some art pieces I have in my home that are really special to me, because they were created by my Grandma Bee. She was my dad’s mom, and a junior high art teacher. I can remember going to her home as a child and making pottery with her potting wheel in the art studio behind her house— you had to kick the wheel at your feet to make the table top rotate. When it was our turn to get on the wheel she’d sit behind my brothers and sister and me, put her moistened hands over ours, and help us shape lumps of clay into cups or bowls or vases. It was so much fun and I miss Grandma Bee and that potting wheel!

Grandma Bee died in 2009. Before she passed away she had my siblings and I put our names on the back of any art we wanted to claim. I inherited a few paintings and pottery that way. Let me show you!

First up, some roses she painted:

 Isn’t this lovely? Here’s what it looks like on the wall:

Here is another painting of flowers that I have in my master bedroom. I love the colors, don’t you?

Here’s what that one looks like on the wall: 

The painting below is of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse in San Diego:

The lighthouse is adjacent to the Fort Rosecrans cemetery, a federal military cemetery with over 101,000 gravesites. My maternal grandfather Clyde Norman is buried there, as is my Grandma Helen, Uncle Jimmy, and mother Carol. All four share one plot and there is a headstone listing all of them.

After the memorial for my Grandma Helen in 2012 I made prints of this lighthouse painting, framed them, and gave them to my family members for Christmas. So now everyone in the family has this lighthouse picture in their home!!

Here is what the lighthouse looks like in real life today:

The next piece I want to share with you is a clay pitcher. I fill this with cream when we have guests— it’s a medium sized pitcher. I love the dark glaze.

Here’s Grandma Bee’s signature on the bottom of the coaster:

 

This next painting is a still life, and I believe it’s one of the first paintings my Grandma Bee painted while in art school. (Unfortunately she did not put the dates on the back of her art— which is a bummer because I’d like to know how old these pieces are.)

As you can see I have the ukulele, pitcher, and maracas she painted in this piece. The only thing missing is the Chianti bottle!! I love how she painted the reflections of the items.

For many years this piece hung over my fireplace mantel in the family room, which you can see below. I think it showcases my grandmother’s talent quite well!!

Lastly, I’d like to share with you a portrait of me. I was 13, it was 1974, and I actually sat for this: 

I remember being extremely bored sitting for this portrait. Grandma Bee did portraits of most of her grandchildren— I have three younger brothers and two younger sisters —but I’m not sure what happened to all those paintings. It’s too bad that some of her work was lost.

I have the portrait hanging above the fireplace mantel in my bathroom.

Do you think it looks like me? (I’m a few decades older, now!)

 

I hope you enjoyed this little exhibition of my grandmother’s art. She was talented, right? Let me know what you think in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!!

Until next week!

xoxo

Cheri