So this mirror has been with me for around 15 years. It lived in my folks loft, an empty frame (the canvas that was in it destroyed by woodworm years ago) until I took it with me to my first flat in Glasgow's Merchant City. It sat propped against an immaculate white wall in my loft cum studio flat. An empty gilt frame saying something or nothing- well I thought it was a statement.....
When we moved to our house I painstakingly repaired the broken and missing mouldings, building them up with polyfilla. I also had a mirror put in it- bringing it properly back into use.
Originally it came down through my family from my fathers grandfather, who collected art, and in fact supported some artists.
Taylor Brown,
Christopher Meadows and
Sam Fulton amongst others. he collected. My great grandfather was a butcher, with his own business. Its intriguing isn't it to have such an interest in art- he must have been no ordinary butcher. I love hearing about it from my father and would like to know more one day.
Anyway I was thinking about that love of art as I painted the frame these last few days- my father has it and I have it. These traits must be deep in our make up, our DNA, and the sense of continuity I feel from knowing that is reassuring. Just as I felt contentment hanging the mirror back up in our newly painted bedroom this afternoon.
The colour of the bedroom- well will you laugh at me when I say we have painted it the same colour these last 8 years!! It was originally a Farrow and Ball special artist edition of Charles Rennie Mackintosh colours, (long since discontinued and colour matched over the years by me). Our colour is called 'Glasgow Grey'. It was supposed to be a particular violet grey that Mackintosh used and loved in his watercolours. It also looks good in the (little) light that we have on the West coast. Its restful and pleasing to me when sometimes all the white we have can be a little overwhelming. A chalky pastel palate has always appealed to me.
Now I am deciding what else to put back up on the walls- I have a reasonable collection of paintings, drawings and prints myself these days......
