Book of Leakes

 I am going to write about my Love/Hate relationship with art.  I love art!  I love the stories behind the art!  I love the feel of art.  It takes me to another place and time.  To a creator's heart and soul,  to the ability to put your heart and soul out there for others to see.  Ahh here is my trouble.  I do not have the ability to put my heart on wood, canvas, glass or ceramics like other people do.  I don't know how.  That's what I hate.  My inability to create.  To think of a masterpiece, to see it in my mind and be able to recreate it.

So, I surround myself with the art of others and fill my house with how I feel by the work of others.  Here are a few of our collections.

This is my bed headboard.  It was painted by Laura Lyon, friend and neighbor who has moved to Michigan.  From left to right is Zoe and Morgan, BlueEyes and Tiffany, Rusty and Kevin, Chester and Jamie, Raven and an elk, Skittles and Me (Shauna).  The bed is log and created by Kevin.

My sister-in-law Geri, is an artist.  She does beautiful work with all kinds of mediums.  A few Christmas's ago she created this stain glass window for me.  Her vision is of water.

I saw a mirror with cowboy boots for the frame at a deli one day and have not been able to get it out of my head, so I found an artist who put it together for me.  Ever since I saw the mirror, I have saved our old cowboy boots.  This has a pair of Grandpa Frogs boots and a couple pair from the DI that I bought because of the stitching.  I love the finish product.

This picture was commissioned by Ray for Monica for their wedding anniversay.  The artist is Andres Copinas. He lives in California and paints beautiful pictures of children on piers.  Unfortunately my camera does not do the colors justice.  It is a beautiful picture full of color of the Salt Lake Temple.

And then my Grandpa, Richard Larsen, painted with watercolors.  I have memories of him sitting in his spare bedroom with the window to his back, creating his pictures.  This is a picture of Albion Basin.

Recreating nature, and nobility of animals is truly an art.  Edd Morgan does a fabulous job.

Cheri Onars, (I hope I have her name right), painted this scene on one of our buffulo heads.  She did a great job with the Indian and Coyotes!

Grandma Leake has spent hours and hours creating counted cross stitch pictures, crocheting and knitting, and generously giving them to all members of the family. 

Kevin found and purchased this Moose for me at an Outdoor show one year.  Cranky looking isn't he!

This is some of Grandma Opal Hancock's work.  She painted ceramics and china and taught classes on painting.

I love metal art! 

Well, I have a few ceramics that I have given a try at.  It is fun!  And I enjoy painting, as long as I have a picture in front of me to follow.  I do change the colors some, but that is about as far as my creative mind will let me venture off the well traveled path.

I have other art decorations around the house.  These are just a few!