My flower painting collection

I've been collecting paintings and pictures of flowers since we bought (and have since sold) our flat several years ago. We were living in Edinburgh at the time I used to walk to work past a pawn shop every day, and admire a tiny flower painting in the window. After many months I eventually caved and bought it for an absurd amount of money. Years later I found a similar painting by the same artist for sale in a charity shop for next to nothing. Hmph. But still, I'm glad I got it.

Most of my flower paintings are vintage finds picked up at charity shops or flea markets but my favourite one was bought in Paris at a market near the Notre Dame. I wish I had bought more! But it cost 70 Euros about 10 years ago, so not cheap! (Well, certainly not for me! I had to think twice before I bought just the one.) The artist was an old dear, who didn't speak a word of English, and we don't speak any French, so you can imagine how interesting that exchange was :-)

So every time we move (twice since we sold the flat and returned to Cape Town) my poor husband is instructed to get out his drill out and recreate my 'layouts'. And by layouts I mean the picture above :-) Poor man, he deserves a medal putting up with me and my control freak tendencies :-)

This is what it looks like now ^ Well, almost. We've since moved the couch to the other side of the room and have a chest of drawers in its place. And, oh the horror, the pictures are not centred above it *eeek* Poor hubby will have to get his drill out again ;-)

And in case you're interested, The 'Paris' painting is the one just beneath the birds, and the 'pawn shop' painting is little one near the middle in the gilt frame. Oh, and the abstract green one at the bottom is one of The Boy's creations :-)