You know, this quarantine stuff really got me to thinking today. I was in the midst of a bake-fest, when it occurred to me that not everyone has the knowledge of how to even bake a loaf of bread if needed. Although it is not a hard thing at all, it does require a wee bit of good old-fashioned "know how". That "know how" is merely the hints and tips that have been passed down from generation to generation. Most of these tips are not written but were taught by hands on experience. Most baked goods follow a general recipe and have "add ins" for flavor. Because of this, die-hard bakers can whip up a loaf of bread without ever cracking a cookbook or, nowadays, looking for a recipe on the Internet. It just comes natural.
Thinking back on it, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and neighbors all had a hand in making sure I had a good solid background when it came to survival. One of the utmost lessons was to be able to grow, cook and preserve food. It seemed to be the thing to do. Teach kids to have a smattering of knowledge about everything. Fix a broken pipe? Got it! Tune a carburetor? No problem! Bake a loaf of bread? Sure thing! Fillet a fish? Hand me the knife! Mend a shirt? I can do this! The list goes on and on. We were a generation of kids that COULD! What happened along the way? I am sure glad my three adult kids have that "smattering" and are not afraid to try anything! They know how to survive when the going gets tough.
Last evening, I reminisced about two ladies that were prominent figures in instilling the love of art in me during my early years...well, throughout my life. The watercolor paintings were done by a Helen Vignes and are a favorite acquisition of mine. They were acquired by hook and crook and will remain in the Little Bayou House for as long as I am here. I enjoy the paintings and the friendship behind them. Tonight, I share fond memories of Ms. Helen's dear sister, Ms. Ida. Although both ladies worked together during their most productive years, you can often see vast difference in their styles. While Ms. Helen dabbled in mainly watercolors on paper, her sister leaned more toward acrylics on canvas. Ms. Helen often added a much more whimsical touch to her pieces than her sister. Ms. Ida tended to lean toward portraying the detail of her subjects. This is perhaps why watercolors were the medium of choice for Ms. Helen. Things needed to be done quickly and smoothly. Ms. Ida could spend more time poking in the fine detail work.
Ms. Ida (Ida Lapp) was much like her sister, yet, oh, so different. I have two of her art pieces hanging in the Little Bayou House. These were acquired much like the ones of Helen Vignes! One came from a church rummage sale and I was fortunate enough to snag the painting for mere pennies on the dollar! No one realized that original art could be priceless, if even only to the buyer. This piece is a tall vase of zinnias. It appealed to me, not only because of Pop's vast gardens of the flowers, but simply because of the style and colors used. Deep, rich hues in the background make the blooms really pop! The piece goes well with the heavy Victorian furniture that fills the living room! The other canvas is of a blissful, mountain cabin with tendrils of smoke wisping from the chimney. The idyllic setting brings a certain sensation of fresh air, mountain streams and peace. This piece hung in the old farmhouse where I spent my childhood years. Mom gave me the painting a few years before her passing.
Ms. Ida was also a family friend for as far back as I can remember. She would often visit my grandparents who (at one time lived next door to where the Little Bayou House now stands). Later, she came to the old farm to visit with Mom and, then, years later to our place. Ms. Ida was not only an exceptional painter, she was also quite the crafter. One of the fondest memories of Darling Daughter is of Ms. Ida teaching her to make greeting cards. Elizabeth was not more than five or six years old when the card-making would take over our kitchen table. The old lady's hands carefully helped the tiny fingers snip and glue the cards together. Later, she taught Elizabeth to create fanciful "portraits" of Victorian ladies complete with feathered hats and bits of lace. Their friendship lasted until the passing of the dear lady. Although Ms. Ida is no longer with us, the love of art and crafting lives on in Darling Daughter.
The fact that these two ladies took the time to share their knowledge and love of art with two little girls so many years apart is, in itself, pretty amazing. My love began with the first visit to their home art "gallery" and has spanned a lifetime. The ladies allowed me to bring Darling Daughter to their house to browse the rooms filled with art. Elizabeth's love was established and was prodded along with the weekly visits from the ladies. Their sweet ways will be something we always cherish. One thing I find slightly odd about my four paintings is that there are two still life floral paintings and two of cabin scenes...one of each by the ladies. Watercolor pansies and a bayou scene by Helen Vignes and acrylic zinnias and a mountain scene by Ida Lapp adorn the walls on either side of the french doors! I smile each time I head outside. I feel blessed having the art pieces and the memories of these two perfectly delightful ladies!
Years and years ago, I had the opportunity to become totally awed by an entire "museum" of original art pieces. Mom and my grandmother took me with them when they went to visit some friends and I was allowed to wander through several rooms of the most beautiful paintings I had ever seen. Of course, I was a mere child that had never been exposed to much art so any painting was an incredible piece to me. I was enamored by the fact that some one had actually been able to put flowers, birds, animals, trees and buildings on a flat piece of canvas and make it really look like something. There were hundreds of paintings at my disposal so I meandered through the rooms of their house doing nothing less than gasping at the beauty. Then! Then, the ladies took me downstairs to a sort of closed in area underneath their house. This was once a garage but had been turned into a makeshift art studio/gallery. Many, many more pieces of art were hanging there. Every wall was covered with paintings. In fact, there were even paintings on the ceiling! Some were framed but many were just the stretched canvases. Again, I was allowed to wander aimlessly ogling the artwork. The ladies showed me their easels, paints, brushes and canvases and even some art pieces "in the works". They each took the time to make sure a little girl found a love of art. Two little old ladies, who had never had an art class in their whole lives, taught me more about what it means to express what is trapped inside than any instructor that I ever had. This was and, to this day, my only experience of being in an art "museum" where I truly became mesmerized by the works. These two "un"acclaimed artists were so prolific in their renderings that they could have put many famous artists to shame. To my knowledge, neither lady ever sold a single painting but they donated many to charity or church fundraisers. If you liked it, they gave it to you.
Today, there are several paintings hanging in my house that are by these very talented ladies. I wish I had more. Each time, I pass by one of their pictures, a flood of memories comes back and, once again, I am awed by their talent. The ladies are both gone now and it saddens me that most of their paintings were destroyed, many by a hurricane that took their house but the rest were viewed as rubbish and tossed the wayside. Tonight, I stood looking at two of the paintings that I have acquired through a bit of finagling. One of the paintings is of a vase of pansies and it was given to my aunt years ago. The piece went with her to West Virginia where it was hung for some fifty years in her home. The piece is a water-color on paper and, over the years, had been exposed to moisture and has a few spots on it. When my cousin asked if I wanted it before he threw it in the trash, I jumped at the chance! I had an original! Then, when I was visiting a distant relative, she asked if there was any of the paintings in her house that I wished to have left to me. Yes! I wanted a painting of a river that her mother had done and one of a bayou by "Ms. Helen"! Several years ago, sadly, this relative passed away but she had kept her word and left me the two paintings with the sweetest note of how she knew the paintings were going to be given a good home and not be discarded because they were not by famous artists.
The ladies, Helen Vignes and Ida Lapp, were friends of my grandmother. Then, after grandmother passed, the friendship continued with my mother. Later, I was blessed to call them friends and (even though she was not much more than a toddler) Darling Daughter was given the opportunity to share time with them. Four generations of our family had the good fortune to know these ladies. The paintings posted here, hang in my living room. Both are by Helen Vignes. The watercolor of lovely pansies and the bayou scene both mean so much to me. I have several of the paintings by Ida Lapp and will share those later. The paintings and the ladies will always be cherished!
