We just watched Sue Perkins looking at art on peoples' walls, and what makes art popular.
What do you have on your walls??
We have a range of stuff from Medieval paintings (prints of course ), to originals by various artists, usually where we have been on holiday, like the Lakes or Cornwall or South Wales. Then there is the original art work in craft, like quilts, rag rugs and a Hand Made lamp shade from home made paper.
What I don't like is the folk who make out they are better/more clever/superior when they admire the Emporor's New Clothes type of stuff.
Bev

With a few exceptions, all the things I've got on my walls are items which have been created and/or given to me by people I know - a framed piece of hand-dyed silk by my sister; a framed piece of calligraphy and some paintings by St George; a line drawing by a friend's father and also an oil painting which was a birthday present from the same person; some paintings and line drawings by members of the local Parkinson's Disease Society; a print given to me as a leaving present from work many years ago; and so on. They're mostly either scenery or botanical interpretations - I'm very conservative on the art front I've also got a wonderful piece of marquetry depicting some tulips - very clever and beautiful wood. Which reminds me - I've also got a bunch of grapes on the wall, each grape made out of a different species of wood - very fascinating. Oh and I've got my music certificates on the wall as well

I've got loads of other pictures which are waiting for me to get around to framing... just as soon as I've done my music practice

What do you mean by "Emporor's New Clothes type of stuff"?

BY this I mean, a pile of cow p*o, or a few bricks thrown randomly together in a gallery, and they call it art.

We've got quite a bit or 'real' art on our walls (as opposed to prints) - this is my favourite - a portrait of my step great great great grandmother - it must be quite old as she was born in 1797. It's very water damaged and the frame is in a dreadful condition - I sometimes wonder whether it could be restored?!

David

What a lovely painting David. I expect it could be restored, but you would have to go to a specialist to find out.
Bev

Well we have the Ullswater print that she discussed. At the moment it is in a pine frame but I want to replace it with a black frame. We also have some Monet prints. I want to put up some musical prints, I think that I may take some photos myself though and get them blown up to poster size and put them in black frames.

ET

I really ought to investigate it, but heaven knows how much it would cost!

Quite Most specialist things cost a lot. It would be worth asking though. I wonder if Lottie knows about such things?

We have this print

We have paintings and prints places we have visited, ie Gibraltar, Barcelona and the Grand Canyon. it always makes me smile when I walk past them and remember the good times Also some tapestries made by my mother in law including a gorgeous panda one (I have an obsession with them)

I love tapestries and embroideries too.
This lady paints lovely pictures in the Lake District.

http://www.judyboyes.co.uk/index.shtml

They are beautiful! (one more place to visit!)

Have a look at Naomi Tydeman's website. We have an original and a print of hers.

http://www.naomitydeman.co.uk/?page_id=24

Wow gorgeous! Ican see there being a dent in my purse when we've finished decorating

Another Lake District fan me. I have a print of 'Rydal Water' by J.B.Pyne (1800-70):

A picture of Dresden cathedral constructed out of stylised musical score.
(ed - sorry - it's Cologne! was half asleep last night)

A Japanese screen with five seasonal water-colour scenes painted on fan-shaped paper.

Photos of my last five students' concerts pinned on to a cork-board.

thanks for the links btw - some really nice ones there.

Rydal is so peaceful. Lovely pictures.

Unusual artwork. Love it.

We have a rag rug on the wall made by this lady

http://www.jenni.ragrugs.freeuk.com/

We have one original painting of Hawkshead painted by an ex-nun who was learning to play the organ being taught by my OH. She gave it to us as a wedding present.

Some prints of Aarhus in Denmark.

A photo of some puffins.

Several paintings on silk from Kazakhstan (brought home in suitcase, rolled up inside several drinking water bottles cut up and squished into each other to make a protective tube - this was in the early days when the K's were a bit suspicious of stuff you could bring out through customs)

A poster of Vindolanda

My grandfather collected the work of a friend of his - oil paintings in a fairly impressionistic style - and we have one or two of these. The frames are works of art as much as the pictures - they have been individually decorated with silver leaf and gesso, as well as paint, to match the pictures within, but they are special to me because my grandfather knew the painter - when I was three, I was taken to the studios and can remember the experience of meeting both the artist and the frame-maker, distinguished and rather austere German gentlemen both, rather as my grandfather was too. There is also one my mum painted under the tutelage of Grandfather's artist friend, also framed by the same framemaker.
We also have: photos I took on honeymoon in the south of France, and some from Iceland on a holiday there, some pictures by my children, one of St Michael's Mount in Cornwall, bought when we were on holiday in St Ives, and....errr....(well, I am proud of it).....a recorder recital diploma .

I have framed prints of 3 incredibly detailed black and white line drawings / cartoons of the jazz musicians Charles Mingus, Miles Davis and John Coltrane from www.jazzfolio.com .

We're lucky enough that my other half's dad is a renowned artist in France (médaille d'or des artistes de France, Peintre de la marine française etc) and so our house is filled with original oil paintings.

He particularly loves broken down old buildings in old Paris - faded, crumbling glory I suppose - and the Breton coast-line. I'm really in love with the sea ones - we have a huge oil (3 metres wide by two high) on the wall opposite the bed which shows the waves crashing into the rocks off the Breton coast - I could lie and look at it for hours!

In the music room we have mostly musical themed picutures - most of which are originals too - presents from friends of artist-dad!

We're quite lucky that we've never had to pay for any of these works of art - I was very shocked to find out what they needed to be insured for - especially after one of the artists from the music room sadly passed on. Very sobering!

I too prefer art that appears to be something - I don't like art that thinks it's cleverer than you and I don't think one should be made to feel bad if something fashionable doesn't please (rather like the fact that I don't particularly like Jazz - and everyone always looks at me as if I've got two heads when I say that - although I suspect many of them don't like it either but pretend they do to appear intellectual...)

At the same time, I try to avoid saying 'that's not very good' when I see a painting I don't like - I prefer to say something like 'It's not to my taste' or 'I don't really like it' - that's what having an artist for a father in law will do for you!

I've trained my children to say that when they don't like the food I've cooked for them - it's less crushing than 'Mum, this is disgusting'!

Muffinmonster - that made me do a big snorty laugh ! Superb.

Well Lake District here again. A splendid photo of the Langdale Pikes.
Some big mountain posters - Everest Western Cwm and K2.
A Strad poster - Strad "Gibson" viola. A Halle poster.
A rather splendid slightly saucy print by Bob Carlos Clark.
Waiting to go up (one day) is a lovely print by Andrea Hunter (who works in felt) - see http://www.focusonfelt.co.uk/limited.htm

Oh and in the corner a pile of ###### on bricks.

Yes I agree with some of the views about modern art but if money were no object, I could quite fancy a Rothko on the wall or a Henry Moore in the garden. A Grayson Perry milk jug perhaps, to contemplate whilst listening to Berio Sequenzas.

I like animation art and have these:

In this room we have quite a few small pieces. Some silk paintings I did before my hands got too shaky, a water colour of some trees, a map of what this area would have looked like 200 years ago, and a portrait of my mum and brother (the other one done at the same time lives upstairs), and some text (can't read it from here, and really should know what text it is, but I don't! ). And there are a few pictures that my mum did, that are not on the walls, but leaning against the fire place.
Not on the walls either, but we have a Papier-mâché penguin, who is wearing sunglasses, in the corner!
We should be getting a larger piece of art for one wall soon, as it is currently quite bare.

In the music room, we have a painting of some roses that a friend did, and above the piano there is a picture of a 'cello that my sister painted for me!

Nothing I don't have a TV and uses a projector for watching DVDs so it's necessary to leave one wall in the living room blank. (The other wall has a book case from floor to ceiling.)

What a lovely topic.

But having looked at all the writers in here, I have to admit I seem to tick completely different from the rest of you. I prefer original art. Very modern. My sleeping room is hanged with 2 ink drawings by Jozef Werner, 3 etchings by Paul Flora, 2 etchings by Jozef Werner (my first one, which I got when I was 16 and another one called - how else could it be - "fluteplayer", one gypsum head of my face (unframed) when I was 18 - somewhat funny, that head comming out of the wall, one etching by Hans Moser and more to come. All in small black frames. I guess, I will even look for more marble statues or something like that. Just an idea.

I recently decided that one of the next things I probably will do, is to paint that room in a light mud color. With all that dark antique furniture and the many green plants, it probably will be a stunner when finished.

Roobarb and Custard! Ace

I have various pictures, mostly of Ancient Egyptian deities.

I'm not really sure about valuations. I think you'd have to approach an auction house or specialist art dealer for that period. One thing would be to research the artist - any members of society (such as the Royal Academy, or the Royal Society of Watercolour painters) usually means a more valuable painting.

I'm not so bothered about the value, it's the condition and whether it could be restored. I have no idea of the artist.

David- I recently had an oil restored (well, the painting was cleaned and the frame restored) - it wasn't hugely expensive and the frame work cost more than the cleaning did.

I went through a local doreur (I don't know the English word - someone who make stuff out of wood and covers it with gold leaf... a bit wordy for a translation perhaps... but you get the idea) - they were very helpful and did the frame themselves and put me in touch with a specialist artist for the cleaning.

Perhaps you could contact a similar company in the UK?

The story of the Emperor's New Clothes is that all the sycophantic courtiers told the Emperor that his new suit was wonderful because that was what they had been told to say.. in fact he was wearing nothing and it took an uncorrupted child to point it out.

Sadly much of today's contemporary art is like this - many times I come out of a seminar, or a gallery, literally slapping my forehead and wondering who these people are trying to kid! I've even been told that the only people qualified to 'value' contemporary art are those with PhDs in the subject... subsequently dismissing the opinion of 99.9% of the general public - and I don't agree with that.

Poor skills and poor judgement are clearly open to criticism but otherwise Art is a subjective (and emotive) phenomenon and each individual is very entitled to their own opinion. (In my humble opinion anyway.) Much of modern Art really is rubbish... and it's sickening to see others flock to the slaughter in terms of mass opinion.




Yes, Alan's right - a reputable framer should be able to give you a contact for restoration. Or you could even try the directories. Make sure you get an estimate first though. I do know that oil paintings are more open to restoration than watercolours.


p.s. As for the art on my walls. Well, I do use my own walls to hang my own paintings - not for egotistical reasons but because I can then see the progression of my work away from my easel and how it would look when hung. Often I will then take it down and work on it again with fresh eyes. It is terribly gratifying though when visitors buy my work straight off my own walls

However, we do have a couple of Limited edition prints, bought because we like them rather than for value, and also one or two other bits. Just recently I commissioned a piece of sculpture to be completed next year which I'm very excited about and will be an investment piece (I'll never sell it though so my heirs might be better off if they care to take an interest in it!) I'm kicking myself this year though for missing the opportunity to buy two other original oils which would also have been major investments.. yes, really kicking myself.

My aims for the future are to invest some of the money I make from my paintings back into really good quality original pieces... a sort of natural cycle

May I add that I don't dislike all modern art, just some of it isn't to my taste. Especially piles of p*o passed off as art. Or a pile of house bricks. If the bricks have been made into a beautiful canal bridge with the rounded edges, then I might relent.

Photos taken by my other half, who is a professional photographer. I am not too much into paintings I'm afraid (neither is he, so at least no arguments ).

You still wouldn't be able to put it on your walls, though...

True, but one could paint it and then put it on the wall.

noodle and I went round the Tate Modern fairly recently. Generally, we were unimpressed with most of the art on offer...

The best thing they had there in recent memory was the "Maman" spider sculpture IMO.

Did you go to the 'Pop Life' exhibition?

I've got this on my wall - signed by both the artist Roy Lichtenstein and the composer Steve Reich:

We didn't. I may have a look myself before it closes though.

The architecture is fantastic though. My favourite place in London, architecturally speaking, is the refurbished St Pancras station which blows me away with its beauty every time I go in.




That's really lovely - I'd be very happy to have that on my wall.

One of these days I'm expecting some originals, probably pretty modern too, although the artist hasn't yet got around to it... (and I'm hoping he never will, either...!)
















yup, I'm talking about cd junior and the possibility of him deciding to try the walls instead of his drawing pad.......