Pictures on the Walls

9-10-13

While there, Shih-Dong also said we could take back the oil painting a street artist did of the print over Mom’s sofa at 864-49 Street. Leona and her sister had brought it to Tan-Zih along with other furniture I removed from my condo on Min-Sheng East Road in 1989. I had it moved into the Ding-Hao apartment I rented before the kids and I left Taiwan. Leona and her sister then brought it down to Tan-Zih. The other furniture was eaten by termites but the painting survived. After 24 years, I get it back.

 I’d like to put the oil painting of Mom’s print in the dining area, either on the wall along the glass partition or on the wall between the kitchen door and hallway near the tea room, but we have to see the size and condition of the frame; Shih-Dong says it may need replacement. Leona’s not crazy about either idea. The 31”x24” print of Franz Xaver Winterhalter’s “Madame Barbe de Rimsky-Korsakow” (1864) is being framed in a light-gold classic wooden frame (4800NT -$160us) and will go over the vanity-chest in the dining area on the wall to the left of the tea room.

Just yesterday, I framed five prints with glossy white plastic frame and cover. I put Tom Keough’s prints back into the study where I put the when we moved in and I added the sketch of Leona to the room. A photo of Leona and a seven-year-old Amanda taken in Taiwan is on the wall in the living room over the end table with the family photo of the six of us, when Amanda was still an infant, and the two elder Simone and Renna holding their younger siblings Ariel and Amanda. There will be no more wall hangings in the living room, at Leona’s request. I think there is room for a few more little hangings.

There’s one more photo I framed and hung yesterday. It is a photo of Gary Cooper and Ingmar Bergman from a black and white film. I put in the indoor patio over the JVC stereo. I still have lingering dreams of making the indoor patio a den of sorts. We will hang a framed movie promo poster of “Matrix I” there and maybe framed Betty Boop, Laurel and Hardy, and James Dean print. They must be framed and not be taped up as I did at 1210 Ave Y. I’ve grown too mature for tape ups.

There is a linoleum block and print that I brought to Taiwan in the shipped boxes. It is the only art I have really ever done. I did it in Pershing Junior High School 45 years ago. It is a burley motorcyclist on a bike. I could make a new print copy and put that up somewhere, too. That would be fun. There is one more framed photo I’d like to put up somewhere; a colorized copy of a post card of Ebbet’s Field. For now it remains standing inside the book case. There is no sports section in the bookcase; all my baseball books were drenched in sewerage during Hurricane Sandy. I saved the worthless baseball card collections I have for sentimental reasons. One day they will grace the inner shelves of the bookcase, too. There are many shelves for Leona, too.