Vintage English COTTAGE Garden Print--1st Giveaway

Circa 1920-30's Anne Hathaway's Cottage print

I have never done a giveaway on my blog, I have never won a giveaway off anyone's blog...so I decided it would be more fun to give something than get...so here it is. Since I have no idea exactly what you do normally in giveaways, and I want to make it as simple as possible on the people entering, I am not going to require that you do anything too difficult , or time-consuming.

 First let me show you this print. I have many old prints of English cottages, Anne Hathaway's is a famous, popular cottage series from England. Here is a link from Wikipedia about her:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Hathaway_%28Shakespeare%29 

This original  vintage print is under glass, in good condition, measures almost 8 x 10 ins. , image only, the entire framed piece measures 10 x 12 1/2 ins.approx. It is a bit loose in the frame , but I wanted to give the winner the chance to have their framer put acid-free board behind it to help preserve it, or the other option is for me to ship it without the frame or the glass, just the print itself. That will be the winner's choice.

I have vintage cottage garden prints all around my kitchen.

Here are my rules for the contest :


1. Write in the comment section what you always wanted to be when you grew up.

That's it.

I'll go first...but I can't win, so it is Ok. I always wanted to be a writer.

Now your turn.

This contest will end on December 15th around 3 PM. I will then get my 9 year old associate to draw the name out of a hat, once I write them down and shake them up. 
ANYWHERE in the world qualifies for this contest. I will ship to you free.

Good luck to all bloggers , ( I wish I could give each of you something really ),
Gina

ART Deco GARDEN Prints at Home-- Part 2

The Enchanted Fountain

For the continuation of my Art deco garden prints, we will now move to the bathroom, where I do not follow the advice of the art curator I heard a lecture from, and I do hang artwork in our baths. I would tell you it is not a smart idea to hand very valuable artwork in baths or kitchens, water and moisture are enemies of art...but I have to have absolutely EVERY wall in my house have some type of artwork on it, baths and kitchens included. I am always drawn to old deco prints with gardens and especially fountains.

One of my smallest deco prints.

 I also like to occasionally mix up a nude painting with some of my prints. In the bath it is very appropriate and I do not buy any nudes that I think are tacky or tasteless. That ruins the art if that happens.

Atkins Fox original , the Italian villa view.

 This is one of those copy-cat Atkinson or Parrish artists who try to mimic the ' look ' of the more famous ones, back in the 1920-30's time frame. I buy many copy-cat prints, I simply want the ' look ' and atmosphere these bring to my home.

I also like to buy anything that has overflowing flowers in the print. I bought the old print separate and framed it myself in a vintage deco frame.

I have three sizes of this Atkinson Fox print, this one is the largest in it's original frame. Look at that garden would you ? Makes me want to jump in the picture.

 Women in gardens.

 This is one of my newer ( not in age ) favorite ones I bought, I transport myself into the picture again and imagine I am the woman in the right corner...not a worry in the world but sitting in lush flowers.

 More Fox gardens.

 I bought this one in a more unusual frame, but it is original to the print and has some damage on the corners. Ok by me still...I figure we all have some damage anyway.

More women and swans,The Swan holds a multitude of representations including love, grace, purity, beauty and sincerity.

~ As an attribute of Aphrodite (Goddess of Love), the Swan also symbolized chastity.

~ The Swan is also associated with Zeus, the god who transformed himself into a Swan in order to seduce Leda, the beautiful mortal queen. Swans are said to have flown overhead on the day Zeus and Leda's son (Apollo) was born and are often pictured pulling his chariot.

~ In Celtic tradition, the Swan is associated with music, love, purity and the soul . They are shape-shifters, can take human form, and have mastered the elements of water, earth and air. They can always be recognized by the gold or silver chain that hangs around their neck.
from:
http://www.squidoo.com/love_symbols

Great frame isn't it ?

 Another print I have two of. 

I have already moved two of these to different spots since I took this picture. That is always neat to be able to do with similar artwork in your home.

 I will stop this 2nd entry and finish tomorrow or Sunday with my last look at my art deco garden prints. I am guessing you can surmise I love these, I do not sell many, as I usually keep most of them. About 98 % of what I buy of these I keep.


Hope you have a very peaceful day or night , wherever you are ,
Gina


' I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life..." Deuteronomy 30:19

My Art DECO Garden PRINTS at Home: Part 1

I decided for a change of pace to show you some of my favorite prints that I buy, and those are my original Art Deco garden prints of lush cottage gardens. Some of these are by the famous illustrator/ artist Atkinson Fox, some are copy-cats of that time period, and some are by a few other famous artists back in the 1920-30's time frame. 

Here I am last Summer on my stairs ( below ) , I get my son to help me take some pictures for my eBay site here, and in the background are one of  my walls of deco prints. I have collected, and sold a few, of these old original prints for about 22+ years.

They really have made me smile, when I walk up the stairs and look at them. I envision having a garden like the ones in the prints, and I also enjoy how when the seasons start to change, like they are doing now..

 I can still have that  atmosphere, through Art, of a full Springtime or Summer flower garden...all year long.

I will just start at this wall, and show you some of my old prints. I do not care if the frames match, most deco frames are angular, so they blend. They do not have to be perfect...but I try to buy them in fairly good condition. The prints, the original old lithographs I try to get in the best condition that I can. No big tears, or foxing, or water damage if I can help it. I usually pass on old prints that have that type of damage.

 Look at these flowers ! Hollyhocks, draping roses, snapdragons, cabbage roses, and peonies , and more. Another Fox print. I do not buy reproduction prints, only old originals.

Another Fox print, with a gorgeous old deco frame. I also try not to buy any old prints that have too much fading of their colors from the sun. Which happens with old prints, try to buy them with their colors fairly vibrant still.

This one is one of the few I bought that is a bit more faded and yellowed with age. I liked the frame, so I bought it anyway.

 I just buy what I really like, and since the theme is basically the same, they blend nicely together.

 Another Atkinson Fox print. I like Fox better than Maxfield Parrish, whose prints are more fantasy oriented, I do like Parrish, but Fox has more garden prints, so I like his better. Not that I would turn down a Parrish print if I got a great deal on it, as original Parrish prints sell for more than Fox prints.
But I have bought these, not for their worth in money,
but their worth in aesthetics and inspiration for me. 

Love-a-ly.

This may have been my first deco garden print I bought about 20 years ago. I have three sizes of this print.

If I had more energy I would look up all these prints titles and artists for you, but my energy level is at it's lowest point of my life, so I will simply just show you these.

This is one of a pair I bought by the artist C.K. Van Nortwick. soon as I tell you I won't tell you names, then I go and tell you.
Here's the other:

 These are in excellent condition. I have many with women in gardens, half-nudes, Grecian or Roman style. This was a very popular theme in these prints and the Art deco period of 1920-30's time frame.

The smaller version of the one I have three of. I buy multiple size versions occasionally of these prints.

This is an Atkinson Fox landscape  ( The Good Luck Line ) I bought, I do not usually keep these, I strictly stay with the garden prints, so this one I will probably list on eBay. I loved the frame though.

So hard to photograph these all together as the stairway gets in the way.

I occasionally move the prints around, then I get to see a different one in a new way when I pass by. I get many compliments on these prints , which I like, but I am truly an old oil painting nut...these are secondary , but a close second in my heart to my paintings.

You could find many of these style on eBay or in some antique malls for sale. 
I have many more, I will show you the rest in one or two more posts.


I had a lady stop by and give me a card and a grief book today. She called me,  she knows my children, and was thinking of me. I do not know her very well at all. I know it is brave to confront a person who is grieving...I would say so far half the people avoid me , or never say anything about Sarah, the other half do...and often say some of the wrong things...but they mean well, and they speak.
I would rather no one speak to me, but I know that is not a healthy way to be..just how I feel . Since my stomach/rib problems, I have kept my grief in a ' box' inside me, not wanting to open it, not wanting to look at my unbearable loss close up for awhile. Keeping it closed until I get myself physically better. Even considering what has happened , just the thought of it...crushes me.

I sometimes think that I am one of those parents I never wanted to be, the one whose child was killed in an accident. Never wanted to think it could be me. I always felt so sorry for those parents, usually would not speak to them ,as I did not know them very well. I only remember two, one I spoke to, one I did not.
The one I did not, came to see me three or four days after Sarah died , and cried with me.


Back to my prints, more later for you, I hope you like them,
Gina