Thursday, March 11, 2010

The Painting

When my parents got married in 1952, an attorney friend of theirs named Foster Clarke painted a picture for them as a wedding gift. The painting hung prominently in my living room for my entire childhood. Through the years, I used to lay on the floor in front of the painting and study it. I was mesmerized by all of the detail and the way he painted each item. I know absolutely that the painting was the single biggest reason I excelled in art in school. I always got A's in art and won many awards in contests for oil paintings and drawings. I owe it all to Foster Clarke.

Well, you know my obsession for all of the things from my childhood by now and this painting is no exception. I treasure it and it has been in my living room for years, ever since my mom tried to get rid of it. My husband thinks it looks like a hillbilly house and no one else appreciates it like I do, imagine that! When we moved, my daughter tried to talk me out of putting it up (knowing full well how primitive it really is) but I held my ground.

It was a bit worn so Sarah thought she'd take it to Hobby Lobby for a freshen up job on the frame. Her only problem was, as she walked through the store, she slipped on a wet spot and fell right on the painting. Devastated, bruised and bleeding, she ran back to the framing counter and begged them to fix the painting, knowing how much it meant to me.

It's clean and so fresh that I almost didn't recognize it. It has a new lighter color than when I saw it last thanks to some careful cleaning from Hobby Lobby. She didn't tell me the story until today.

So, I now have a brand new, very old painting that I will treasure for my lifetime and they can sell it at a garage sale once I'm gone. So there you have it!

3 comments:

  1. that is a very beautiful painting indeed !

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  2. Oooh! I like it! I have a similar painting that my husband doesn't really care for - a cardinal that my mother painted back in high school. I love it and so does my middle son - so it will go to him one day!

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  3. What a lovely story - and something that even thoug your family does not see the significance - certainly means a lot to you. Could you perhaps print out the story of the painting and attach it to the back of the picture? That way, it gains a special significance to others in later years.

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