Remember my Grandfather's painting?

Here's a link to the original thread I started:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...light=painting

Well, our one friend just dropped off our Christmas presents. They actually bought the painting and that was one of our presents!! They bought the original for me!!! I bawled when I opened it....I can't believe it. I have NO idea what I'm going to do with it (since I have the one my Grandfather painted for me) but I'm so happy to have it! I may contact my cousins and see if they want it to remember him by.

I just can't believe how thoughtful my friends are. (BTW, it was selling for $150.00!) Yeah, I need to go shopping tommorrow for more presents for them!

I can't help but giggle at the irony...You were so mad at your family member for getting rid of the painting and yet that is exactly what you're thinking of doing as well!

It WAS very nice of your friend to buy that for you.

Cally

Wow that's amazing. I think you should keep it!

Originally Posted by CatMom2Wires

I can't help but giggle at the irony...You were so mad at your family member for getting rid of the painting and yet that is exactly what you're thinking of doing as well!

It WAS very nice of your friend to buy that for you.

Cally

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I'm not thinking of selling the painting, but giving it to someone in the family that would appreciate it and would treasure it because my grandfather painted it. There is a big difference between that and selling it in a consignment shop because they just didn't want to be bothered with it.

I haven't decided if I'm going to keep it or not. I do have my own painting of the same scene (with many differences) that he painted just for me. I have a feeling the person that may have gotten it was my Uncle who was in very dire financial straights at that point in his life (due to divorce and medical problems). I'm going to call him tonight and see offhandedly mention it. If he was the one that put it for sale, I can't hold that against him because he was selling everything he could just to keep his head above water. I think I'm going to offer it to him even if he isn't the one that sold it.

But, I'm torn. I remember watching my grandfather paint that. I'm not sure if I should give it away or keep it....but what am I going to do with 2 paintings of the same thing?

It was a gift to you. You should keep it. Your friends bought it for you, not for one of your cousins.

You would still be getting rid of it. I doubt your friend who obviously wanted YOU to have it would see a difference in you giving it to a family member or selling it on a yard sale. I know I wouldn't.

As for having "2 paintings of the same thing" I would suggest you do a search on Monet and his "Wheatgrass stacks" series or Warhol and his "Daisy" series or any number of other artists who paint the same thing over and over. I think they would even look great side by side, and what a wonderful story you could tell about them. Later, if you have a child, it would be perfectly appropriate to pass one or BOTH on to him/her.

It is a beautiful painting. And how thoughtful your friend to buy it for you. You should keep it, not only as a treasured memorial of your grandfather but a reminder of your special friend who realized how much it means to you.

Originally Posted by CatMom2Wires

You would still be getting rid of it. I doubt your friend who obviously wanted YOU to have it would see a difference in you giving it to a family member or selling it on a yard sale. I know I wouldn't.

As for having "2 paintings of the same thing" I would suggest you do a search on Monet and his "Wheatgrass stacks" series or Warhol and his "Daisy" series or any number of other artists who paint the same thing over and over. I think they would even look great side by side, and what a wonderful story you could tell about them. Later, if you have a child, it would be perfectly appropriate to pass one or BOTH on to him/her.

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I don't look at it as "getting rid of it", I look at is as passing it on to other another family member that didn't have the chance to have one of his paintings. After my Grandfather passed, and after my mom passed I inherited 5 of his paintings. One I already gave to my cousin for a wedding present and she treasures it and it's hanging in a place of honor in her dining room.

I was more about the painting being out of the family, which is why my friend bought it for me. I still haven't decided yet what I'm going to do. It's in the closet now, mainly to keep the cats from doing any damage.

I agree, it was incredibly sweet and thoughtful of our friends to get it! I cried when I opened it and I haven't been right since....

I looked at the pic of your Grandfather's painting and I was amazed. We have a local bridge that looks just like that here in my town, it's called the Stone Arch Bridge.
I think you're very lucky to have to fabulous paintings by your Grandfather, even if they are the same subject. I would keep them both and hang them in different rooms.
BTW, you've got some amazing friends there.

Originally Posted by libby74

I looked at the pic of your Grandfather's painting and I was amazed. We have a local bridge that looks just like that here in my town, it's called the Stone Arch Bridge.
I think you're very lucky to have to fabulous paintings by your Grandfather, even if they are the same subject. I would keep them both and hang them in different rooms.
BTW, you've got some amazing friends there.

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Yes, I do have amazing friends! And a very talented grandfather. It is actually a painting of the Casselman River Bridge.

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclan...casselman.html

He took a little artistic privlege here and there, but both paintings are worth more to me than anything. Yeah, I don't think I'm going to give it away...I couldn't part with it. I remember watching him paint it...and I was fascinated by that. How he could get the paint to actually LOOK like something was just incredible. He was amazing. Oh, lord, I'm crying now....

What you could do is get them reframed (so they have matching frames if that matters to you) and have a commemorative plaque made up to be put in between them talking about both paintings and how each mean alot to you, how there are differences between them, etc...) Just a thought...

Originally Posted by calico2222

I just can't believe how thoughtful my friends are. (BTW, it was selling for $150.00!)

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Yes it was very thoughtful of them to buy that painting for you as a Christmas present.

Originally Posted by calico2222

I was more about the painting being out of the family, which is why my friend bought it for me. I still haven't decided yet what I'm going to do. It's in the closet now, mainly to keep the cats from doing any damage.

I agree, it was incredibly sweet and thoughtful of our friends to get it! I cried when I opened it and I haven't been right since....

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Your friends bought it for you, not for one of your relatives. They bought it for you because they know how special your Grandfather was to you and how much you value and treasure his paintings.

If they wanted to buy it for someone else, they would have.

To be perfectly honest with you. I think it would be incredibly rude to give it away to someone, even if that someone were a family member. I know I would be royally ticked off if I spent $150.00 on something for a friend of mine, only to find out she turned around and gave it to one of her relatives.

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

To be perfectly honest with you. I think it would be incredibly rude to give it away to someone, even if that someone were a family member. I know I would be royally ticked off if I spent $150.00 on something for a friend of mine, only to find out she turned around and gave it to one of her relatives.

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You're absolutely right. Yesterday I was emotional and not thinking straight. But, let me explain where my head was yesterday...

The cousins that got the paintings per the will live 200 to 600 miles away and only saw my grandparents ever few years. The cousin I was referring to is actually a second cousin (or third...can't keep that stuff straight) and lives in town and probably spent more time with my grandparents in one year that any of my first cousins did in their lives. When I lived out of the country, he would check on them every week, shovel their walk, get their groceries etc when my mom couldn't do it.

When granddad passed away, grandma had to be put in a nursing home and according to my aunts who handled everything they had to sell everything that wasn't specified in the will (even the house which was willed to my Uncle was sold) to pay for the nursing home. My aunts did save bits here and there, but the house was literally cleaned out in a matter of days. What the estate buyer didn't want went to good will. No offering anything to extended family.

There were many things that were lost in that sale. I know it was a hectic time for my aunts so I don't really blame them. But I feel so bad for some of my relatives that didn't get a chance to get a momento or something special from the house. My cousin lives 2 doors down from where my grandparents lived in HIS grandmother's original house.

I just feel bad that I have 4 of his paintings, and my cousin who cared so much doesn't have any.

I'll keep the one, but probably give him one of the other ones I have.

Originally Posted by calico2222

I just feel bad that I have 4 of his paintings, and my cousin who cared so much doesn't have any.

I'll keep the one, but probably give him one of the other ones I have.

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That sounds like a much better idea.

It's great that you have it back

I wish i still had my grandfathers paintings. When he passed away i took alot of his stuff to keep in my room. Then after a week or so i freaked out, and felt weird having his things staring at me, so i gave them away. He really was a talented painted =(

I say hold onto whatever you can.

Originally Posted by Dragoriana

It's great that you have it back

I wish i still had my grandfathers paintings. When he passed away i took alot of his stuff to keep in my room. Then after a week or so i freaked out, and felt weird having his things staring at me, so i gave them away. He really was a talented painted =(

I say hold onto whatever you can.

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Oh honey, I know how you feel. I'm still kicking myself over getting rid of some of my mom's stuff, but at that time I wasn't thinking straight and probably neither were you. Is there any way you can get them back?

The way I look at it with my grandfather's paintings is....I only have so much wall space. I already have 3. I can either store one in a closet to gather dust, or I can give it to a family member who will appreciated it and will hang it and display it proudly like it deserves to be displayed.

Originally Posted by calico2222

Oh honey, I know how you feel. I'm still kicking myself over getting rid of some of my mom's stuff, but at that time I wasn't thinking straight and probably neither were you. Is there any way you can get them back?

The way I look at it with my grandfather's paintings is....I only have so much wall space. I already have 3. I can either store one in a closet to gather dust, or I can give it to a family member who will appreciated it and will hang it and display it proudly like it deserves to be displayed.

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I wouldn't have a clue where they are. Grandma and i both sent out stuff to op-shops, and it's been over 5 years now, they could be anywhere. Though i did dig up a few of his sketches of old English towns that grandma had kept in the house.