Category Archives: Art

Gallery of Mom’s Art: Other Media

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Throughout her life, my Mother, Joan Eggleston, created a great deal of art work. She left us many beautiful paintings, but that is not all she did. She was a continual art student. I recall her taking many community education art classes, mostly at Ben Lomond High School where my Dad worked. She even taught some of those classes herself. Through the years, she at least tried most kinds of art, creating more with some than with others. Here are some of her lesser known artistic works.

Pottery and Ceramics

Many people are aware that my Dad bought a kiln and molds for porcelain figurines and other objects. They gave many of these for wedding and other gifts. Much earlier, however, Mom took community art classes and made pottery. I don’t know what has happened to all of the pots she made. When we cleaned out the house, I only saw a few things. I took one pot home because I remember the specific process involved. She was very excited about it. It is called Raku and involves taking the pot quickly out of the kiln and while still hot putting it into a bucket with something like wood chips (I don’t recall exactly what was in there, possibly water as well). The effect was different for every piece and not known until it was finished. Usually there was a metallic look with the glaze that she used.

Mom used a variety of glazes and made different kinds of objects. At one time she made many small clay tiles that she was going to put together, but I don’t recall it ever being finished.

Dried Flowers

Mom was very skilled at arranging flowers. She made beautiful arrangements of fresh flowers, silk flowers and dried flowers. I don’t think she could stand to have an empty basket, pot or vase – she always put some kind of flowers in them. Her home had floral displays everywhere.

She learned to dry flowers using sand. Not any old sand. This required sand from the Great Salt Lake. Fortunately, the lake wasn’t too far away. I left a rather large pile of sand in the yard when the house was sold. I dumped several containers and then kept finding more cardboard boxes and plastic ice cream buckets full of sand. Mom had been gone for over 20 years when Dad sold the house, but there were still flowers in boxes of sand. She arranged these dried flowers in vases and baskets and encased them in frames and glass cases. Dried flowers last much longer than fresh ones, but still over time they can get looking pretty shabby, especially if displayed in baskets or vases. They break easily and get very dusty. Not many of those arrangements have survived, and I confess I tossed a few when we cleaned.

I remember making some of these framed dried flower pictures with Mom. I took this one home, partly because I really like the wood that the frame is made of. My Dad and Grandfather made these shadow box frames.

Painting on Wood

Tole Painting was very popular in years past. It is the kind of painting I did – I got kind of addicted for a while. Mom was much better at it than I was. She painted on many everyday items, and some more artistic ones. Her father worked in wood and carved many ducks. Like the empty baskets and pots that needed flowers to be complete, Mom painted ducks so they wouldn’t be naked.

Jewelry

Mom made jewelry. She used a process using wax molds, which were filled with silver. Silver was her metal of choice and the silver sometimes came from coins that were melted down. She loved turquoise, but she also used other stones. I found rocks when we cleaned out the house – gemstones, actually. Some polished and ready to use. Others still rough. Mom really liked jewelry and often bought pieces when the traveled. She also gathered and bought stones in rock shops. In cleaning out the house, I found her jewelry making tools and brought them home. Though I did learn to make jewelry in art classes, I doubt I will be using them.

Turquoise rings

Cake Decorating

Mom was a skilled cake decorator. She made all kinds of cakes, including all of our wedding cakes. My wedding cake also made use of her floral decorating skills.

Porcelain Dolls

Her artistic skills were combined with her porcelain dolls – ceramic finishing, painting and sewing intricate clothing and accessories. She named all the dolls and designated certain ones for each of her granddaughters. Some granddaughters left their dolls at my house where the next generation has played with them.

I do remember the name of this doll – Bunny – partly because of the stuffed bunny, but also because Mom did write the name on a sticker on the base.
Mom gave me this baby doll.

Other Artistic Expressions

I remember Mom making collages and other things when she took art classes. She did calligraphy, which in the old days meant hand lettering posters, cards and things. I found her calligraphy pen tips at the house, too. Mom was an expert seamstress and quilter. She made most of our clothes and also made drapery, pillows and all kinds decorative items. Her needle arts will have to be covered in another post.

Mom left a legacy of art to her children and grandchildren, as well as passing on degrees of her talent. (I got much less talent than others did). Some have carried on with art forms she used, while others have expressed their artistic talents in other media.

I probably have missed some types of Mom’s art as I have written about these. Feel free to share anything I may have missed in the comments. I can always edit the post.

Steps at the End of the Line

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Remnants of Lives Lived

When my mother-in-law passed away, we had the unpleasant task of the dispersal of all her stuff (and she kept everything). There were of course, items like her journal, letters and photographs which chronicle her life. The decision there was how to preserve and share them. This experience, however, also included a totally unanticipated dilemma. For it to make sense, I might need to share some complicated family history.

Step-Relationships

My mother-in-law was married four times. The first very brief marriage produced my husband. The second marriage produced two other children. Both of these marriages ended in divorce and both husbands married others. The third marriage was to the love of her life. He also had been married previously and had a daughter. He passed away rather young and then my Mother-in-law married number four.

Husband number four had been married twice before. The first marriage produced two sons, the second no children. His second wife had one son from her previous marriage. They passed away in this order: First, the 2nd wife of husband #4 (before his marriage to my Mother-in-law); second, the only son of husband #4’s 2nd wife ; third the 4th husband; and then lastly my mother-in-law. The only daughter of husband number three passed away a few years before my mother-in-law. (Husband #1 passed away earlier but that is another complicated story)

There was stuff left behind by both husband number three and four, as well as additional stuff of the wife and son of husband number four. All this remained at the house which had been the home of husband #4 and his second wife, which my mother-in-law moved into after their marriage. Now that I have you totally confused, we will move on to the stuff.

Remnants and Traces

There was no issue with the stuff left behind that had monetary but no sentimental value, other than maybe bringing out the greed in people. Selling their things was unemotional. Some items were taken just because someone liked them – no feeling attached there either.

It is the stuff that chronicles lives that had me in a quandary. It has no personal significance to me. But to toss it seems too much like dismissing their lives as disposable and forgotten.

The personal stuff of husband number four was given to his sons. A few things belonging to husband number three were meaningful to those of us who had known him as step-father and grandfather. The stuff belonging to the deceased wife of husband number four and her only son left us with no one to give them to – no living descendants or other family members that we knew.

The son was a playwright and among the stuff left at the house were copies of plays he had written, sheet music, cassette tapes, and 45 records of songs from the plays. Attempts to find a local playhouse to take them were not successful. I did post some pictures as memories on FamilySearch, but the son’s journal seemed way to personal for that. I read it and felt somewhat like a voyeur. The journal was from his College days. We had both attended the same College at the same time and I knew him, though not as well as I knew some of the people he mentioned in the journal. I remembered some of the events he wrote about. I also remember attending a play that he had written which had been performed on campus. There were programs and memorabilia from that play, including a scrapbook. A name in the scrapbook indicated who had created it, and I learned that she was the sister of a friend. So, I passed that scrapbook on to him to send back to his sister in another state. I am not sure how she felt about having her gift returned, but I felt relief having something so personal off my hands.

Sadness of Traces Unsaved

“You can’t take it with you” people say of all the stuff we accumulate throughout our lives. For the stuff that is just stuff, temporarily used and disposable, that seems no great loss to the deceased or any great gain to anyone else. Perhaps it will be sold or given to someone to be useful for another lifetime.

But you also can’t take the meaningful stuff with you. You might hope that by its remaining here, it might leave some trace of you to perpetuate your memory to those who knew you. But that may depend upon leaving behind significant others to whom your significant stuff would seem meaningful enough for them to save. Without anyone to keep the stuff or at least to hold on to some memories, what does that leave of a life?

Gallery of Mom’s Art: Drawings and Etchings

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Though my Mom, Joan Eggleston, was a prolific painter, she did work with a variety of mediums during her lifetime. Drawing is an essential element of any art, yet it was not something Mom usually did as a finished project. Drawing is also basic to any art education. I can relate somewhat, because that is about as far as my own art developed. Mom’s art education of course included drawing and most of what she did there has not survived.

Drawings

We found only a couple of drawings in the house when we cleaned it out. These first two were folded and in a box with other papers. These were probably done when she was studying at Weber College.

This one is signed Joan Wheelwright
This drawing may have been done in High School

Etchings

For those not familiar with the process, etchings are created by scratching a design into a metal plate which is then covered with ink and the image pressed onto paper. This process makes it possible to produce multiple copies of the same design, even using different colors of ink. Usually artists will number the prints.

I eventually found the actual etching plates for these etchings. So, we could print more.

These are the etching plates. It was hard to get a good photo because they reflect light like mirrors

Framed Etchings

These three etchings were framed. There were some unframed prints of the same ones.

Unframed Etchings

I found copies of this one printed in different colors.

Gallery of Mom’s Art: Paintings

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I don’t know when my mother’s interest in art began, though I suspect it was pretty early in her life. I just remember it filling her life from the time I can first remember. Twenty years after her death, we cleaned out the house and moved my father in with my brother. In that process we distributed much of her art work. This post will focus on paintings, with others to follow for other mediums.

This is by no means a complete gallery of Mom’s art. During her life she gave many paintings away. I hope they are still being enjoyed as much as we enjoy these.

Childhood Paintings

In the drawer of the cedar chest we found some small canvases with what appear to be very early, even childhood paintings.

College Art Student

My mother, Joan Wheelwright, attended Weber College in Ogden, Utah as an Art Major. At that time Weber was a Two Year Junior College. Her education refined her natural talent. She created a number of works at Weber College and had some exhibited.

This painting hung in my Grandparents’ house from my earliest memories until after Grandpa’s death. It is signed Joan Wheelwright. It was probably painted when she was in College.

This painting is also signed Joan Wheelwright, so is an early work. It had been given to a neighbor when Mom was still living at home. This neighbor’s grandson found it when he moved into the house and felt it should be returned to family. He gave it to my cousin who had bought our Grandparents’ home after Grandpa died. She then gave it to me. It It was not in very good shape – some warping and water damage. I had it reframed and now it hangs in my home.

Though no signature is visible, this also appears to be an early painting.
This is one of several unframed water colors we found in the drawer of the cedar chest. This one is signed Joan Wheelwright, so likely done in College.
This one also appears to be signed John Wheelwright

Early Paintings

These other unsigned and unframed water colors appear to be early paintings. They were found in the cedar chest and other places around the house.

Portraits were something that Mom didn’t really paint, so finding this was kind of a surprise. Possibly it was done as an assignment in College?
This one has a smudge in the corner which may be a signature, though it doesn’t resemble hers. It might be someone else’s work, but I have no idea why she would have kept it if it wasn’t hers.

Other Early Paintings

Mom and Dad married in 1951, just before Mom turned 20 years old. These paintings are signed Joan W. Eggleston, so done after their marriage, but probably when she was still young.

I remember this painting hanging in the house forever. My siblings and I still wonder what the dark thing on the right is supposed to be.

Landscapes in Oil and Acrylic

Through the years, Mom painted many landscapes. I remember camping trips where we kids would be running around exploring while Mom sat and painted the scenery. At some point she started using a pallet knife to get more texture. Earlier landscapes were desert scenes or ones with fall colors.

This one was given to my sister. It has been newly reframed after the frame fell apart.

This is a really small painting in a frame that Mom covered with gold leaf.
This one is also small.

These were probably the last acrylic paintings Mom did. In her later years she went back to water colors. The three small paintings hung over Mom and Dad’s King size bed.

Seascapes

Mom gave this painting to her brother Bob for his birthday in 1967.
This large seascape was painted to hang over the fireplace.

Flower Paintings

Mom painted many flowers – some oil or acrylic, and in her later years all water colors, including the one at the beginning of this post.

This one hung in my room when I lived at home.
This is an unframed one that we found in the house.
This was the first painting that I specifically asked for. The photograph doesn’t do it justice. It is in an amazing antique frame that appears to need some repair.
This is the one that there was almost a fight over. The colors look better in person.

Water Color Landscapes

Besides flowers, Mom did several water color landscapes. After she redecorated with blue, she painted and matted most of these to match the color scheme.

A Few Small Still Life Paintings

This small simple still life is unframed

To Be Continued

We found this unfinished painting and wondered what to do with it. Fortunately, there are several artists among Mom’s posterity. One grandson stepped up and offered to take and finish it. We will have to see how it turns out.

Note: Most of these photographs were taken to send to family members so they could choose which painting they wanted. Unfortunately, I didn’t think ahead to doing something like this, so the quality of the photos is not great.

Shift to Blue – The Story of Mom’s Art Journey

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My Mom was an artist. She had a gift, one which some of her posterity have inherited to some degree or another – I much less than others. Part of her gift was an eye for color. Where I might see merely brown, she could distinguish the subtle variations and hues, and blend to make new shades. Her art went through many phases and multiple mediums through the years. She liked to take art classes through community education and even taught some herself. I remember her painting, making pottery and jewelry, drying and arranging flowers, and making porcelain dolls with intricate clothing. She was also an expert seamstress and quilter, her eye for matching and combining colors evident there as well.

My early childhood memories seem to be in black and white, perhaps because all the photos were. I do have early memories of turquoise, popular in appliances of the day which were in our kitchen, but also used in glazes and the real turquoise jewelry Mom created.

New House

When I was 12, we moved to a new house which gave Mom the opportunity to decorate from scratch. The “quality industrial grade” carpet picked out for the whole house, which remained in two upstairs bedrooms until the house was sold because it never wore out, was a blend of browns and orange. Those are the colors I remember for years filling our home and Mom’s art. Mom’s earliest paintings were with oils and then acrylic, some of those being fall or desert scenes typical of southern Utah. Her paintings, along with some from other artists, covered our walls like a gallery.

I remember this painting hanging in our house for years, then Mom donated it to be hung in the new Church. After many years it was found in a closet at the Church and returned to Dad. It has now made its way to my home.

The first painting to break the color mold, was a large seascape that was placed over the fireplace. Even it had a good deal of brown in the rocks on the shore, but the look was the first of the blue.

The Shift from Orange to Blue

Because it happened after I was married and immersed in my own life and family, I do not recall exactly when or how came the shift from orange to blue. With more money for remodeling and redecorating, Mom and Dad replaced the tan wood siding on the exterior with blue vinyl. With new off-white carpeting in the living room, Mom stenciled a blue design as a border on the walls. They put blue carpet in the master bedroom and Mom made curtains and a beautiful blue quilt to cover the bed. Blue wallpaper replaced the orange in the kitchen and bathrooms. When the younger children moved out, the largest bedroom downstairs became Mom’s Blue Room. It was intended to be a TV room, but after Mom passed away, Dad didn’t spend much time there. It was always Mom’s room, and always blue. A curio cabinet housed her dolls, those she had collected for years and the many porcelain dolls she had made. A collage of prints she acquired on trips covered the wall.

The shift to blue was accompanied by a change of medium as well. Mom turned to water colors, painting delicate flowers and winter scenes to replace the autumn ones. One of the now empty upstairs bedrooms became her studio. As her health worsened and became an excuse for not doing many things, she still found energy to paint.

Blue painting sitting on the old orange and brown carpet in the bedroom that became her studio.

Blue to the End

When we met with funeral directors after Mom’s death, they offered to get a nice casket spray of red roses. No! Though red roses are beautiful and this was a nice gesture, that was not right. We went to a florist and ordered one of delicate blue and white flowers. The shift to blue complete.