Almost There

While sitting at the desk.

the view as I turn to my left

the view behind 

and to my right

All my toys near at hand

I have some touching up to do, new curtains are being sewn, the bookshelves are completed and I've done all I'm going to for this room until next week.

Toad

The Reluctant Painter

My plate is already plenty full. If I wanted I could spend all day, every day, preparing for the holidays, but I'm too easily distracted and won't leave well enough alone.

I prefer my world, especially my playroom orderly, albeit scruffy. So long as I know where my toys are, I'm a happy boy. Everything in it is neat, tidy, in very good order, meets all my needs, and is comfortable. Something isn't right though. I don't care for the color.

Since converting this rarely used guest bedroom to my personal toy store, I've tried all kinds of tricks to liven it up. I've tried cork, I've tried a single bold colored accent wall (with and without cork), Although I learned the hard way about writing on walls, I even tried greenboard paint. I was uncertain what to do.

Then Little Augury came to my rescue. In a post long ago she wrote "Why not make a small room mysterious by wrapping it in a dark color.."

little augury photo

With many black walled room photos percolating in my head, yesterday I decided to paint the walls chalkboard black. It was a horrible use of my time, but I love how it has changed the room.

The top photo is a this wall before shot


Before, this wall is behind the desktop

Apres

Remaining 2 walls are Sunday's project

Bookshelves are on order to replace the bakers rack

Fearing the room would become oppressive all black, I'm taking it one wall it at a time, finding it looks great, then doing the next.

Toad

Churchill's paintings

When I was but a lad in Kansas City, I remember being taken to an art exhibit held in a local shopping mall. In many respects I remember the day perfectly. Indoor malls at the time were something of a novelty, and this, while certainly not the Burlington Arcade, was one of my favorite places.

On display were a series of paintings by the patron saint of salesmen, Sir Winston Churchill.

In the early days of television, the first family of KC, The Halls of Hallmark Card fame produced a television series, Hallmark Presents Sarah Churchill, hosted by Churchill's daughter. Over time, in gratitude for the kindness shown their daughter, Sir Winston presented the Hall family one of his paintings.

A friendship developed amongst the families and eventually Hall asked to reproduce several Churchill paintings as Christmas Cards, to which after an extended dance of the seven veils Churchill agreed.

In 1958, long before my time, 35 of his oils were displayed at the Nelson Adkins Museum of Art in KC. It was Sir Winston's first one man show. Eventually, the show toured the country.

From what I can gather the exhibit I saw in 1963 was a display of reproductions taken from the original show and those later used by Hallmark. It was still a pretty big deal.

Even local boy Harry Truman was there.

Toad