BOTTLES IN WINDOW
By William Mansfield
This drawing depicts my parents back window, looking out to the West toward the former cow pasture which is now a sub-division. The bottles in the window are antique glass objects which my parents collected. They were part of a large collection of antique objects which my parents accumulated throughout their life together. They had several pieces of beautiful antique furniture, many of which they collected before antiquing became popular, so my parents got a steal on the price. Some of the pieces came from New Orleans, where they lived during the late 1950s through the mid 1960s. Others came from Colorado where they lived during the 1970s, and is the place where I grew up. Several of the pieces were covered with multiple layers of cheap paint, which my parents stripped themselves to restore their original wood finish. My two favorite pieces were a hall tree which came from a courthouse in Silverton, Colorado and a spinning wheel with origin unknown to me, but which I was told was over 200 years old.
My parents also collected smaller antique objects, including the bottles shown in this drawing. My Mother had a unique skill for arranging these objects in beautiful vignettes throughout the house. My Father always said that although he was the visual artist in the family, I actually got my sense of composition from my Mother, having grown up with the vignettes that she arranged.
My parents also collected old books, which were arranged in an antique bookcase with glass doors. There was a series of classic works of Charles Dickens. My favorite book of all was an edition of "Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass", which was published around 1900 and featured wonderful pen and ink drawings illustrating the major scenes in the book. Another favorite of mine was a series of books about the history of the American West, illustrated by amazing black and white 19th Century photographs.
I feel very fortunate to have grown up in a house full of beautiful objects of unique character. This contributed greatly to my own aesthetic sensibility, and shaped my own identity both as an artist and as a person.
By William Mansfield
This drawing depicts my parents back window, looking out to the West toward the former cow pasture which is now a sub-division. The bottles in the window are antique glass objects which my parents collected. They were part of a large collection of antique objects which my parents accumulated throughout their life together. They had several pieces of beautiful antique furniture, many of which they collected before antiquing became popular, so my parents got a steal on the price. Some of the pieces came from New Orleans, where they lived during the late 1950s through the mid 1960s. Others came from Colorado where they lived during the 1970s, and is the place where I grew up. Several of the pieces were covered with multiple layers of cheap paint, which my parents stripped themselves to restore their original wood finish. My two favorite pieces were a hall tree which came from a courthouse in Silverton, Colorado and a spinning wheel with origin unknown to me, but which I was told was over 200 years old.
My parents also collected smaller antique objects, including the bottles shown in this drawing. My Mother had a unique skill for arranging these objects in beautiful vignettes throughout the house. My Father always said that although he was the visual artist in the family, I actually got my sense of composition from my Mother, having grown up with the vignettes that she arranged.
My parents also collected old books, which were arranged in an antique bookcase with glass doors. There was a series of classic works of Charles Dickens. My favorite book of all was an edition of "Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass", which was published around 1900 and featured wonderful pen and ink drawings illustrating the major scenes in the book. Another favorite of mine was a series of books about the history of the American West, illustrated by amazing black and white 19th Century photographs.
I feel very fortunate to have grown up in a house full of beautiful objects of unique character. This contributed greatly to my own aesthetic sensibility, and shaped my own identity both as an artist and as a person.