On April 1, 2020, I officially began moving to a 125-year-old Arts and Crafts house in the Ozark Mountains. My house is far from luxurious. In fact, I believe that my house was originally an old farmhouse. But the bones of my dwelling have survived the comings and goings for the past century and a quarter, and since I relish old farmhouses, I am thrilled that I am finally able to turn my new, old house into my home.
I’ve said it before: Home is the place where I hang my art. Therefore, I decided to take a few hours yesterday to allow myself to rest from lifting heavy boxes and to spend those hours decorating. I began in the living room–over the fireplace mantel.
“If you are a dreamer come in
If you are a dreamer a wisher a liar
A hoper a pray-er a magic-bean-buyer
If you’re a pretender come sit by my fire
For we have some flax golden tales to spin
Come in!
Come in!”– Shel Silverstein –
“We no longer build fireplaces for physical warmth- we build them for the warmth of the soul; we build them to dream by, to hope by, to home by.”
– Edna Ferber –
If all things were perfect, my home would have a wood-burning fireplace, but my house has a gas fireplace instead. Yet, the old, gas fireplace is encased in an Arts and Crafts mantel that was crafted from solid walnut. The mirrored piece is burl walnut. Since a fireplace of any sort is a gathering place, I hung my first painting above the mantel.
Old, Abandoned Farmhouse in the Ozarks
Jacki Kellum Watercolor
My old house hasn’t been truly loved for quite some time. In a way, my house had been abandoned, and since I am using a lot of black and white in the living room, I felt that my watercolor painting Old, Abandoned Farmhouse would work nicely between the two lamps. By the way, the farmhouse in the painting still stands about 38 miles from my home in the Ozark Mountains, but since the terrain is very mountainous there, the drive takes over an hour.
Old Abandoned Farmhouse on Cave Mountain Road
In the Ozark Mountains
My living room is rather formal — and, well, white. All the whiteness is pretty, but it intimidates me a bit. I can’t wait to get into this room and to warm things up just a bit.
A far more inviting room is my breakfast nook/studio, which is immediately out from the kitchen. My studio/breakfast nook is a long and narrow affair. When I am standing on my patio, I can look deeply across the breakfast table, and my studio space is just beyond that.
The above view is the view from the kitchen.
On the breakfast nook end, I have surrounded the window with some prints of things that I have sold.
Top Left – Last Rose of Summer – Sold
Bottom Left – Old Blush Rose – Sold
Top Right – The Raven – Sold
Bottom Right – Little Napoleon – The Rooster – Sold
Posies in a Blue Pitcher – Jacki Kellum Watercolor
Over the coffee bar/wine bar, I have an original that I have framed. Today is the first day that anyone has seen the above painting: Posies in a Blue Pitcher. I painted Posies while I was showing art at another Ozark Mountain Artist’s home. The little pitcher of posies was sitting in that artist’s window.
Hanging next to Posies are prints of two other pieces that I have sold.
Boy with Curls – Jacki Kellum Watercolor – Sold
Janis Joplin – Jacki Kellum Watercolor – Sold
On the studio end of the room, I have framed and hung an original illustration:
Mrs. Cow Down on the Farm
Jacki Kellum Watercolor Illustration
Any time that you see Mrs. Cow, it is me. Since I am finally down home, I felt obligated to hang the above illustration.
Clipped to a display board above my printer, I have some of my most recent original Copic marker sketches:
Gypsy Rose Lee
Jacki Kellum Copic Marker Sketch for Illustration
Super Turkey
Jacki Kellum Copic Marker Sketch for Illustration
Spider Girl
Jacki Kellum Copic Marker and Ink
Sketch for Illustration
I have several more rooms and a lot more art to hang, but at least I have begun with the task of making my house look like it’s my home. Check back often to see which rooms I’ll decorate next.