apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I bought a wonderful oil painting portrait at an Estate Sale last year for $10. Its from the 60's - bright yellows and blues - a woman with a small beehive style hairdo and big, brown eyes. I love it. The rest of my family does not!

My kids said that the lady in the painting looked evil because she was staring at them intensely.

When I was cleaning the frame, I had the painting sitting on a table in my mom's backyard. The wind blew and the painting fell over, scraping a huge gauge into my mom's leg. She still has a scar there.

Thus the story of the "Cursed Painting". The funny thing is that we've hung it right outside all the kids' bedrooms and I tell them that the evil lady is always watching them so they'd better behave.

funny, we have a lot of portraits (paintings & photography) & we don't give it much thought--it seems perfectly natural and i can't imagine someone thinking it takes time to get used to it. maybe we've grown used to them--i did grow up with portraits around me as has my wife.

hah! I loved the cursed painting story, sadly my mom didn't tell me to behave or that evil doll would get me... that damned doll she made had the creepiest eyes!

So far, only photography - no paintings. I couldn't and wouldn't hang one of a stranger in my home - what's the point?

With all the recent postings re picture-hanging layouts, I would have wished for a better example here. These look poorly placed, w/too much space between pictures, lack of cohesive form, etc...

That said, the concept of portraits, including portraits of "strangers," isn't bothering to me. ( If I obtained an original study drawing for the Mona Lisa, I wouldn't hesitate to hang it in my home!) The main thing is how well they're done and how well they complement the room in which they're displayed.

For now, the only portrait painting at my house is of my dog.

A photo to portrait is better than a strange unknown painting of someone. What makes a painting really unique is the subject involved, most especially if it is a family member or someone special. I think this is a unique gift idea worth treasuring for life.