Dude, my dad is an artist. I mean not by trade (he’s a super-genius math teacher), but both he and my mother sketched and drew for fun during my childhood (in turn art was my favorite subject in school and off I went to get a bachelor of fine arts in NYC). I remember being in complete awe about how my mom drew horses and ladies while I loved how my dad drew all sorts of abstract shapes that filled a page with lines and dots and squares. Sort of like this.
So about a week ago I was standing in the frame hallway thinking about my dad and his awesome drawings and realized that I needed one to frame in honor of him and his super cool art skillz that inspired me so much as a kid. So I called him up (you can see an old picture of him here) and begged him to photocopy one of them and send me the copy in a big rigid “do not bend” envelope. But he did me one better. He sent me the original (!) of what he calls his “best drawing ever” – a super sweet seventies-tastic owl that he sketched in 1972 (when I was negative ten years old).
First of all, I love that dad named him “Owlie” since I’m no stranger to naming my ceramic animals (like this gal). I also love that if you look closely you’ll see that the entire owl is made up of repeating shapes and patterns (totally a signature thing that my dad did in nearly all of his sketches). And everything from the repeated hexagons to the soft layered colors that feel so “authentic seventies” just makes me smile. I know owls are all the rage these days, but I love that my father sketched this guy 39 years ago! Although maybe owls were hot commodities then too. Haha. Everything old is new again.
Anyway, true to my obnoxiously excitable personality, the receipt of this amazing guy got me ridiculously hyper. Stupid-giddy even. I couldn’t bring myself to frame the original (way too precious) so I decided to scan it so I could mail the original right back to dad where it belonged. And since my father had mentioned that he wished he hadn’t cut it down and matted it on purple paper decades ago, I took the opportunity to “digitally restore” his sketch to its original glory by putting it on a while background just as it had originally appeared. I also moved the little signature and date together for the new not-cut-down arrangement while I was at it:
Then I printed it out and popped it into a hallway gallery frame that had something less exciting (a picture of our wedding table, but we already have a few other more beloved wedding pics on the wall so… it got dethroned by Owlie).
Total spent: $0.
I think it makes the entire wall.
And sure enough, when we recently had some people over they gravitated to it and I got to proudly tell them that my father drew it in 1972! Woo to the hoo. Get it? Owl? Hoo? See what I did there?
Anyway, I love me some dad-made owl art. And as many of you know, I also love me some crocheted owl hattage on the bean (she calls this her “hoo hat”). Can my child really be into bad puns at the ripe old age of a year and a half?
With us parents… I think so. Oh and in case you haven’t seen her singing Adele, here’s that link for ya.
Have you guys framed anything that your friends or relatives have drawn? Did you only feel right keeping a copy of it? For some reason the original just feels like it belongs at dad’s house taped up next to his desk like it always has been (I also sent him a “digitally restored” printout, in case he wants one of those). What’s with kids wanting their parents to keep their houses exactly the same for sentimental reasons, anyway?
Psst- We announced this weeks three giveaway winners! Click here to see if you’re one of them.
Dee Dee says
I love it! and it fits perfectly in with the other frame art.
Hoo hat! how cute! :)
Rachel says
OMG. That picture of little Clara in her hat, standing there with her juice is KILLING ME! Beyond adorable!!
Melody says
Love the drawing!! But really, hoo doesn’t love owls? My dad is and artist and I have one of his paintings from high school art class. My husband surprised me for Valentine’s Day one year and had it professionally framed- I cried! It’s one of my most prized possessions.
Amanda says
I am lovin’ your dad’s groovy artwork and Clara’s Hoo-Hat. It reminds me of my son’s Moo, which is his milk-filled sippy cup. Funny thing is, he has NO idea that milk comes from cows. And yet, he calls it his Moo. Blows my mind. :)
Danielle says
Hi! This post caught my eye for a few resons.
1) we just redecorated my two little girl’s shared room with owls! so sweet.
2) I love your gallery wall and wanted one in our house.
3) I too have some art work of my step-father’s that throughout the years have been given to me as gifts.
Only problem is, he always frames them in old-school (or old people) style frames that, well, aren’t my taste at all! So, after getting the inspiration on your site for the gallery wall, and having a large collection of sentimental art-work – I went to Ikea, bought a bunch of white frames in a variety of sizes. I also used some frames that I already had and painted them out the same antique white to match the Ikea frames. I watched your video on arranging pictures on the wall – and voila!
I now have the most beautiful display of my step father’s paintings above our couch in our family room!! The best part about it is, he stopped by the other day to see the ‘masterpiece’, and was pleasantly surprised!! He admitted that he could not imagine (in his old-school mind) seeing his paintings in white frames instead of the traditional dark wood or gold ones that he had originally framed them in. He loved it!!
This father-daughter bonding could not have happened soon enough, as sadly, my step-father is terminally ill with cancer and in the very near future, will no longer be here with us to keep doing what he loves – painting. I am so glad that I was able to do something so memorable for both him and I before he passes.
Thank you so much for your continued inspiration and fantastic ideas to make my home filed with meaningful and memorable designs!
Danielle
YoungHouseLove says
Aw what a lovely story! Love the idea of Ikea frames! Thinking about you and your family.
xo,
s
Natalie says
aww what a great addition to the gallery! Sentimental art is the best!
My dad, who passed away 4 years ago, was a bit of an artist himself, and while I was home a few months ago, I came upon a little strawberry clock he painted. It now hangs in the kitchen above our stove, and it makes me smile every time I see it. :)
Rebecca says
I love it! My father-in-law is an engineer and a fantastic artist, and when he and my mother-in-law downsized their home recently, my sisters-in-law and I found ourselves sorting through dozens and dozens of old pictures he had hand-drawn for Sunday school lessons way back in the day. We saved probably 20 of the best ones, and I’m totally planning on framing them and using them to decorate our one-day children’s rooms.
Crystal G. says
I apologize if I’m like the 50th person to point this out…
When I look at your blog on my laptop, it’s totally normal. But when I look at it on my iPhone, I can barely read it because there is a picture of a big owl with a little owl repeated all over the page. The text is barely visible over the owl print. And it’s not the owl print that your awesome dad drew. It’s still cute, but makes viewing the blog from the iphone nearly impossible. It started doing that this morning. Just thought I’d let you know!
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry! We have heard of that glitch from some folks although when we view it on our iPhone and iPad we can see it normally. Not sure what’s going on but we haven’t changed anything on our end so here’s hoping it clears up soon!
xo,
s
Crystal G. says
You know what I just realized, looking at this on my laptop? The owl print repeating itself all over the page on my iPhone is the “Skip Hop Owl Dishes” from Amazon on your “We’re Digging” column. I don’t know why it’s wallpapering itself, but that’s what it is. If it’s at all helpful, I can send you a picture of what it looks like on my iphone.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Crystal. Yeah, something about the new iPhone/iPad OS is not jiving with our site on some devices (it’s fine on ours, for instance) and takes images from our sidebar and interprets them as our background. We’re looking into it, so thanks for the extra info!
-John
Kate @ Stripes and Polka Dots says
Your gallery wall is my all-time favorite! You guys always come up with the coolest things to hang up!
Katrina says
Ahh so sweet!! :) I framed my sons artwork of a cute robot he did in 3rd grade he’s now a 6th grader and put it in our living room, it fits perfectly and makes me a proud!
david says
You need to sell prints of that. Seriously.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks David! Dad is so flattered!
xo,
s
T says
Owls were very popular in the 1970s. My mom painted several owls, we had owl-shaped vases, my aunt made crocheted owl necklaces. Owls disappeared in the 80s/90s. I credit their recent comeback Harry Potter, but quite a bit of 70s kitsch is enjoying a resurgence, probably thanks to the nostalgia of old fogeys like me who were kids in the 70s!
Vicki says
Little Owlie needs to be on a t-shirt. STAT.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- I love it!
xo,
s
Karen Burgess says
Great post! I like how you updated and restored your dad’s art. Also, Clara – such a talent.
Jessica Lynette says
I have my grandmothers report card from second grade framed on our heavily framed wall. Everyone gravitates to it. Unfortunately it encourages comments such as “glad to see at least one member of your family is educated.” *groan*
Amanda says
So nice! Can you please share the color of the wall that those pictures are hanging on? Love, love, love it and am looking for something similar for my bathroom. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Sure thing. It’s Moonshine by Benjamin Moore color matched in Olympic Premium No-VOC.
-John
Lisha says
Really like that whole wall collage you’ve got going on there. Looks just simply lovely.
And definitely, the owl make a difference. Go dad!
~Lisha
RM @ Love2Decorate says
I love what you did. Your dad is such a great artist. I also liked the drawing full of shapes and patterns. It reminded me of Mehendi (henna tattoo as many people would know it). I framed a cloth doily that my husband’s grandmother handmade and gave me after our wedding 5 years ago. She is in her 80’s and still does amazing crafting. My mother-in-law was so happy to see her mom’s work framed. You can see it here:
http://love2decorate.blogspot.com/2011/11/grandmas-love.html
Not a fancy, well put blog like yours but just getting started. You are my inspiration.
I am into owls lately too. I just bought a ceramic owl money bank for my baby’s nursery last weekend from Z Gallerie (my fav store) and I am also planning on owl themed 1st birthday for our girl.
YoungHouseLove says
So cool! I love it!
xo,
s
Karah @ thespacebetweenblog says
That owl is great! And Clara’s hat is too cute. I framed the short toast my bff gave to us at our wedding dinner. It’s just hand written on regular lined paper, never intended to be art. But it always brings a smile to my face great memories to my mind.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so sweet! I love it!
xo,
s
Leah B says
Howdy from Texas….again! If Clara(or you) really likes owls like I do, there is a place in our town that sell owl purses. I own one and it looks exactly like an owl..leather with wings and all. If interested in it, email me. It is definately the most talked about item when I go to town. :) Leah
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds fun!
xo,
s
Elizabeth says
That is great. It’s not something that a parent has drawn but recently my mom sent me the notice the doctor’s office gave her to tell me she was pregnant with me. As soon as I can find a baby picture of me (when I go home at Christmas) I’m going to frame the two side by side.
I’ve also framed a love note that my boyfriend, who recently passed away, had left for me on the fridge.
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry for your loss Elizabeth! I love the framed love note idea along with the doctor’s notice that your mom was pregnant! So cool to have.
xo,
s
Eileen Treitler says
I love the owl! I didn’t know my brother was so talented! Love to you, John, and Clara!! Aunt Eileen
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Aunt Eileen! Dad’s quite the artist – you should see his other sketches too!
xo,
s
Keri says
My great grandfather was a bandmaster in New York City. In my kitchen I have framed 6 if his hand written love song pieces of music that are roughly 5″x7″(?). They are my favorite art pieces in my house!
Amanda says
Holy cow, that’s amazing! I absolutely love it and I think it looks fantastic on the wall!
Kristi W. says
Oh my gosh, I have to comment because I think you will like this. My grandpa started drawing in the nursing home earlier this year. His drawings are so adorable (and he’s getting pretty good!). He gave me one last time I was visiting. I have some pics up in this post if you want to check out Art’s art:
http://www.chateauwhitman.com/2011/05/fill-your-home-with-meaningful-things.html
YoungHouseLove says
He’s amazing! I love it!
xo,
s
Jessica G says
Love this; I would totally buy a “limited” edition print if available. We love owls over here too :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, you guys are so sweet! Might have to beg dad to offer some Owlie love somehow! Is he too old for an Etsy shop? Haha.
xo,
s
Jenna at Homeslice says
Awesome. Your dad certainly does have skills. Have you framed any of your work? I’m trying to remember if I’ve read any posts… you’ll have to remind me! :)
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely have some original art of ours on the walls – from Clara (two paintings) and also some of mine (just odd photos of Burger with a field of flowers in the background) and even some by John (he drew a hilarious stick figure depiction of a frame falling and breaking my ceramic dog that we later framed). We even have Burger art framed (he did a black and white paw painting a while back). Haha, we’re so weird!
xo,
s