Art in the Bathroom

The toilet is back, and the room once again functions.  And it looks good doing it, even though it needs a new coat of paint.  :)

I like the things I've hung in this room.  I'm not sure they're hung well, but they're in place, and they make me happy.  It's my "beach" room, if you will.

I stitched the shell cross-stitch in the early 80's, before I heard the call of quilting.  I bought the green bowl (with shell handles) from a yard sale, then filled it with some of my shell collection.  The large green shell and small flat shell were from Tahiti and Bora Bora, respectively.

My mom made the shell wreath, with some of her collection.  I made the "Kitty Motu" wall hanging, and I bought the shell planter from Coldwater Creek - a source of more than just my wardrobe.  :)

My daughter painted this view of Reedley Beach (the Kings River) when she was in high school.  I've always loved it.

And finally, this painting was made by a distant relative by the name of Cecelia Jenkinson, of New Zealand.  The painting has an interesting story.

My grandfather immigrated to the US in 1926 from Germany.  Other family members immigrated to New Zealand.  Some time in the mid-1980's, he decided that he wanted to make contact with his New Zealand relatives, something he'd never done before.  How did he do it?  He got on a plane, flew to New Zealand, opened a phone book, looked up "Fischer," and started making phone calls.  At least that's how I remember the story.

Within 30 minutes he had a name and address of a relative, and subsequently spent a few weeks getting to know the family.  He loved to paint with oils, and apparently it was a familial passion, as his cousin was also a painter.  She sent him home with this painting, he sent her one of his when he returned to the states.  After he passed away, the painting came to me.

My kids like it.  I believe this particular location is seen in one of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe movies, maybe a Lord of the Rings, and a few other movies that escape my memory.

The little shadow box below the painting is filled with more of my mom's shell collection.

So now you know my little secret. 

My pool bathroom is filled with beachy family mementos, and it makes me smile.