Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Under the Sea Part 2








I mentioned that I had the perfect painting for Illustration Friday's "Under the Sea" and it occurred to me that instead of finding someone to scan my 2 1/4 film, I could call the people that I did the painting for and ask them if I could come over and shoot the painting with my digital camera. They live in Malibu Colony. If you ever have a chance to go to the colony you must accept, as it is a little slice of Paradise. It's also a gated community and you have to be invited to get in. www.seeing-stars.com/Live/Malibu.shtml
Movie stars have lived there since 1929 when the widow Rindge allowed celebrities to build houses and rent the land. The Rindge family owned all of Malibu from the 1800's to 1938. The family that I did the painting for are the Fishers, they live in a house that has probably been featured in Architectural Digest. I have never seen a house like this and I am honored that I have a painting hanging in this home as every single element of and in this house is a work of art. I called the Fishers and asked if I could come over and shoot the painting and they kindly invited me last Friday. I drove down and took a few photos of their house so that you can get an idea of how unique it is. It was at 10:30 am so it looked like a cave inside the main part of the house. The entire bottom floor is like a cave, all stone and it is so wonderful, they don't have a back wall like most houses, instead they have a glass wall that features the ocean so they get to watch the beauty of nature all the time without a wall obscuring the view! My painting was for a guest bedroom and all of the colours in the room are very compatible. They wanted a piece that included their fish (they have the most amazing built in aquariums) their dog (a Maltese) and possibly themselves (see their fanciful gate). Obviously I needed to have a water based theme and they live at the ocean, so it is a big part of their life. I decided to do them as children and created "Fishing with the Fishers". It had been over a year or more since I hung the painting, seeing it again with fresh eyes was nice! I felt proud that I made it and it looked great in the room. So many times I ship off a painting that I spend a lot of time on, never to see it hang in it's new home. Of course I had to make a little coral house where the mermaid lives...

Tomorrow I will post some more closeups of this painting because blogger won't let me upload any more pictures.

Fishing with the Fishers is a layered dimensional painting with resin.

7 comments:

LDahl said...

Wow, what a cool day for you!
You do the neatest things, always a treat to see what my pal is up to!

Cream said...

What a full life, Val!
Lovely to see that people appreciate your art and live among it!
Great!

Majeak Ann said...

a beautiful 'under the sea' illustration.love you kids, your colors always draw a smile in my face Valerie.

Brian the Mennonite said...

Fantastic memory that will always be with you. It's interesting that you will now always be a part of a community which will remain closed to your person, but not to your creation. Things that make you say Hmmmm.

Anonymous said...

WOW! Whadda CoOoOoL story! I'm so happy you took pictures! Now I know what it feels like to be a fly on the wall in Malibu Colony. Those homes are so interesting, because from the street out in front, they seem so boring and "apartment-ish". I guess that's the point! So very non-assuming. Thanks for posting it!

Your painting is so adorable hanging there on the wall.

I wonder who's eyes have gazed upon it....

Andrea said...

Nice! Can anyone say dream home?

The Unknown said...

Holy Moly! What a cool pad and your painting fits perfectly.
love