Round Up

I love the old west and grandmother did several paintings in the late 1970's with western themes, not for me but for commercial outlets.  So, I think it a bonus when I can find not only one of her paintings for sale, but also on a western theme.  One of my favorites.

The Alaskan

Without going into family politics, it is simpler just to say that grandmother had to hunt down her oldest son, for 25 years before she finally found him. So, in 1989 she flew up to Alaska to see him. I will not comment more, politics you know.

While she was there she apparently met a guy appearing like this. When she got home she painted him. I would guess she added a bit of gray to him as she was not really drawn to gray haired men. Sorry, politics slipped in there.

Although it has hung on my wall for years, it is not my style. But, something about it rings with honesty. If I met this guy on the streets I would probably recognize him.

Bavarian Mountains

Another of Grandmother's mountain scenes. She did quite a few of these painting and quite large as well!

This oil dates to the early 1980's I believe.

Of all of them, this is the nicest I think. She did do one more landscape after this and I am hoping to acquire these soon. But, due to size is difficult to transport and is quite some distance from here.

Aladdin's lamp

Grandmother's last husband was named Reuben Parsigian, he died in 1979. He was Armenian and Turkish, so had that dark "foreign" look about him. Combined with an easy laugh, he was someone you would pretty much come to enjoy rather quickly. Good man.

He had such a face, so full of expression and character. I think he was a bit of a character as it was!

About 1980, after his death, she did this painting of him as someone holding Aladdin's lamp.

I am actually hoping that the kids or grand-kids from his first marriage will contact me. They ought to know what their father/grandfather was like.

Over The Top

If I have one weakness, it is all things American Old West in nature. Of course, I am smart enough to know I really would not have done well in that time period, but it does fascinate me.

I have no idea what she used as the subject for this but during the late 1970's and early 1980's she painted several western style paintings. This was one of only two I have been able to recover for the family. I still wait and watch for the other three to show up on the market.

This painting won several awards at shows in Northern California. Luckily, because of this she chose not to sell it.

Spinning Wheel

Grandmother returned home from her visit with us in South Carolina and continued to work on her oil painting. Several more landscapes and then this one appeared..

It is interesting she chose to do another spinner and she went with her daughter as the spinner. Outside of the hair, it is definitely my mother's face, done from memory. Of course mother was a strawberry blond her entire life.

This was done about 1971.

Lake Tapps - 1987

When my uncle moved to Lake Tapps, outside of Auburn, Washington - this was the view out his massive glass window in the living room.

Grandmother came up from California and painted this scene. Kept her off of the streets and busy.

Those whom know the location have all commented this was her best work, but I think she did much better. And, no one agrees with me!

Zugspite

When we moved to America, my grandmother came out and joined us in South Carolina for several months. She was fascinated by a painting we had bought from a local artist in Ramstein of the Zugspite.

The next thing we knew grandmother was buying oil paints, brushes and canvas - then working night and day to try and capture that scene. Well, it kept her off of the streets anyway...

As she lie in her retirement home, she asked me to please bring this painting and hang it for her. It was her favorite. Certainly not her best however, but the one which started her off on a 30 painting career.

Mountain Meadow

One of the last of Grandmother's oil paintings is this large oil. Quite a bit better than her earlier oils, which someday I will post.

I selected this one as it was brought to her memorial and had previous not been seen or photographed by anyone. Yeah, the owner stuck it in the back of a closet for the past 18 years! So, much for art for enjoyment!

The Spinner

This was painted sometime before 1956, since I have a photograph of me in her living room and this was hanging on the wall.

The woman bears an interesting resemblance to her first mother-in-law, Elizabeth "Jane" Spencer. No idea if spinning was something she did though.

I like the simpleness of this painting as well as the contrasts. Grandmother had a good eye in that regard.

Anna Crumbie Scott

May 15, 1915 - September 12, 2008

Be At Peace

Arab Man - 1961

Grandmother painted this one to compliment the one of the beggar women. They both hung for decades over her couch.

I am not sure if this picture was from the same newspaper article in the Portland, Oregonian.

One of her better early faces.

Morrocan Beggars 1961

This one I can remember quite well. There was a series in the newspaper about something going on in Morroco, civil war perhaps? In any event Grandmother could not get this scene out of her mind and so painted it with her limited pallet.

This hung on her wall for years. It may have been one of her favorites.

Multnomah Falls

Again from the 1940's is this abstract watercolor of Multnomah Falls in Oregon. Having hiked and painted this locality myself, I am going to guess that she was working from either a photograph or memory. Given the time frame she would have had little time or money to make the journey to this location.

This the oldest of her watercolors and I had never seen this hanging in any of her homes in the Portland area. So, not real sure as to why she never hung it.

Again, it had been mounted in a acidic cardboard frame, which had crumbled due to age and moisture. Amazingly, the painting was done on high quality paper and so did not suffer.

Hope to have this one archival framed and on my wall this year. :^)

The Classroom

This is the oldest of my Grandmother's pictures I have found, so far. She signed this CAD Scott, which places this picture in the area of 1942 to 1944.

I particularly like this color pencil work as it documents a piece of family history.

Grandmother has shown herself as the teacher, about to whack her oldest son.

Raymond, the oldest son, also has a rubber band and is aiming off to the left.

Behind him is my mother, Jaquelyne.

Behind her is my youngest uncle Douglas.

The girl to the left is Donna, whom was eventually to marry Raymond, though died in the 1960's I seem to remember.

In front of her is a red haired boy but I have no ideas on whom he could be.

Although this picture was glued to cardboard, the paper was of very high quality so there was no mold or acid damage! What are the odds for a piece of this era?