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The newest image for this blog’s header/banner is of a very small portion of the Hollyhocks watercolor (below) painted by Mother in 1954. (1954 was about two years after Cathrine Barr taught her last class for northwest Iowa’s Barr Art Association. The association* continued to meet into the 1970s.)
Hollyhocks watercolor by Marion A. Gunderson, 1954. This watercolor was framed and behind glass in this photo. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
In case you are trying to figure out exactly from where in the watercolor the much smaller banner image is taken, maybe this explanation will help. If you could take the banner that is above and rotate it 180 degrees, it would be right-side-up. It could then overlay part of the lower left hollyhock bloom in the actual painting.
Before I had this original framed. I took two frame moulding samples to Mother’s nursing home room. (This would have been within the year before she passed away.) I explained to her that I wanted her to select the moulding sample that she liked best, which she did. After the framing was complete, but before Bill and I hung this watercolor in our home, I once again took Hollyhocks to Mother (still in the nursing home) so she could bask in her painting’s beauty.
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To view images and size/cost information regarding currently available prints of Mother’s watercolors, click on the “View and Order Prints” link on this blog’s home page.
With Easter just around the corner, at present the Bunny prints are in the highest demand. In the actual Bunny prints, the tail and ears look more pink-than-orange than they do on my computer monitor.
Prints have not yet been made of the Hollyhocks painting. However, if you have an interest in having a print of this watercolor, please contact me at mariongundersonart@gmail.com.
*More information about Cathrine Barr and the Barr Art Association is in this post. Within the next year, I hope to have additional information to add about Cathrine and/or the association.
(Click here to go to Louise Shimon’s blog’s home page.)
Tags: floral, Hollyhocks, Watercolor
Marion Gunderson Art (and the Farmer's Daughter) 
March 15, 2010 at 1:21 pm |
So very beautiful! Vibrant and delicate all in one. And what priceless times you had with Mother regarding her creation. It must have meant so much to not only you, but also to her. Thank you, Louise, for *your* creation–for those very intentional gifts to her at such an important time. One of the reasons I love you so!
March 15, 2010 at 1:23 pm |
What an intriguing banner idea. When I was first looking at it and the rest of the page (but before reading the text), I thought (really!): “Hey, look, the colors in the flowers match the colors in the banner.” I just figured you found a sample somewhere and were really good at color-matching! WELL . . . come to find out! Cool. 🙂
March 15, 2010 at 5:56 pm |
I noticed the banner yesterday or early this morning. That was before you wrote about it. I noticed it was different and I liked the colors. What fun for you to select that small palette for the border!
March 15, 2010 at 6:04 pm |
Peggy and Clara: What fun to have you both like the comment, including about the colors.
Peggy: Actually, the moulding that Mother picked was Bill’s (and the framer’s son’s) second choice. I was on the fence and was so pleased that Mother entered into the selection.
I didn’t include the frame in the blog photo because it seemed to distracting without being in it’s surroundings. But, it is an off white sculpted (sort of antique/old-fashioned looking) frame. (No mat, but just recently I had spacers put between the painting and the glass. The glass is now conservation clear glass instead of just regular clear glass.)
March 20, 2010 at 12:45 pm |
I noticed the banner before going further to read any articles – and thought it looked like it was a close up of some portion of a watercolor – and probably one of Mother’s. Then I was so happy to see the photo of the hollyhocks – so beautiful.