NW Kitchen Wall

I’ve never stopped to count the walls in this house but there must be at least 60 or 70 if you include the closet, bathroom, and hallway walls, in addition to the “usual” room walls and the wall space over doorways and in the little bar-that-was-once-a-pantry.  But, of course, not the laundry room or storage room or pump room or garage walls.  Just the ones that are used for picture-hanging.  However many we have, there are not enough.  Not only do we have original paintings and etchings, lithographs and photographs, book illustrations and posters  by world-class-local and not-so-local artists — Eric Wiegardt, Noel Thomas, Charles Mulvey, Al Barela, Great Great Aunt Cleora Richardson, Patricia Fagerland, Joe Knowles, William LaRue, Paul Brent, Charles Fitzpatrick, Jean Nitzel, Virginia Jones, Bruce Jones, Earl Thollander, Norma Walker, Nancy Lloyd… but we also have framed artifacts like the key from the original Pacific County jail and my great-grandfather R.H. Espy’s ‘E’ cattle branding iron.  Over the years, we’ve been given treasures by our artist friends and family members and a few days ago by a complete stranger!

For now, Michael Muldoon’s portrait of the house waits on the living room couch for appropriate wall space to appear..

Well… you get the point.  So, last Monday when Marta, Charlie and I drove up to the house about 2:30 p.m. after picking up a few last minute dinner items, there was Alex on the front porch with a nice looking white-haired gentleman.  “This is Michael Muldoon,” Alex said, “and he has a gift for you.”  it was a painting of our house as viewed from the lane and in the foreground, two rhododendrons in all their glory!  It turned out that Mr. Muldoon comes occasionally to Oysterville to paint and thought I might enjoy having this one of the hous!  It also turned out that he exhibits in a Seaside Gallery and knows my friend Paul Brent, also has work on display at BOLD in Long Beach so knows Greg and Danika, lives in Lake Oswego so is familiar with Oswego Heritage House and Museum where that suffragette exhibit featured my Great Aunt Dora lasr Fall.  We chatted about people and places we know, made tentative plans for a “house tour” here with his wife and son later in the summer and I ended up with a lovely painting of-and-for the house and not a clue where to put it.  Sadly, the walls are full…

A drop in Alex’s proverbial “Art Bucket.”

Meanwhile… “another country heard from” as my mother used to say.  And this time, almost literally.  Alex, who spends most summers climbing the mountains of Kenya with student groups, has amassed a marvellous collection of African art — mostly sculptural, but some paintings and wall art, as well.  His collection is a huge contrast to the (mostly) Victorian-era furniture, lamps, paintings, cut glass, children’s toys and books that define this house.  There aren’t enough rooms, walls, or display surfaces to go around… To say that we are in transition doesn’t quite cover it.   It’s exciting, frustrating, worrisome and exhausting.  Definitely a work in progress!  And aren’t I one of the luckiest old ladies you know?