Clowns, Clowns and More Clowns

 

This tray puzzle is of clowns from the 1950s television show "Big Top". I remember watching it and I had a puzzle like this one as a child. You can read about it at CLOWNS - My Fear and Fascination, a post about my relationship with clowns at my first blog. Little by little, clown art found its way to me and I had a collection. More than three...right?

So I decided to display what I had. After hanging them (as seen above), I found the tray puzzle. A while later, my son and daughter-in-law brought me a large clown watercolor they found at a thrift store when on vacation. Then, a little over 2 weeks ago, I found another huge clown painting you can read about here. My small space in our computer room wouldn't hold my collection. Pieces were stored away. I would tell myself...."I really need to do something with all my clowns".

SO .....I DID! Finally. Two days ago I got a frame for the tray puzzle. It was the wrong color....or rather a color I didn't like. I found some craft paints and mixed my own color and painted the frame. Then I waited for paint to dry. Boy, that takes a while! When it did dry, I framed the puzzle and was satisfied with the result. Then. yesterday I spent a while arranging & re-arranging my various clown "art" on the floor, until I got an arrangement that I liked. Next, I got my tools....hammer, nails/picture hanging thingys, laser level, stud finder, pencil, yardstick....and commenced to marking & measuring & hanging all my clowns. 

My clown collection is now in my den and it covers a large portion of one wall. It's quite a lot larger than it was, now that it was all gathered together. Here's the final result.

 And here it is from the opposite end. I would need a panoramic camera to get a centered picture!

Now I have plenty of wall space....you know...just in case another clown finds its way to me!

A Clown with Many Faces

Today I found a beautiful, nicely framed oil painting of a clown at a local Goodwill store. Actually, the painting had not made it all the way out for display. It was in a cart with other merchandise that was being shelved. I didn't see it, but I am glad my husband did. 

The picture above is only part of the entire oil painting. The full canvas measures about 20" by 24".  It is signed at the lower right "K. Howard". I tried some searches, but couldn't come up with any particular artist by that name. My husband and I joked that maybe Ken Howard from the old 1978–1981 TV series "The White Shadow" had decided to paint clowns. Probably not. I do thank whoever K. Howard is for painting this clown and also thank whoever decided the painting was going to "my" Goodwill store!

Here is the whole painting.

The camera flash made places on the clown's suit appear sparkly when it really isn't. The frame has a couple of places in need of touch-up, but this was a great find. At a price of $6.00, I just couldn't pass up adding it to my clown collection, which you can check out at CLOWNS - My Fear and Fascination.

I am not good at interpreting artwork, so I am not sure of the meaning of the clown's solemn look or the other happy faces, which appear to be the same clown sans makeup. I just know I loved this painting at first glance.

Now all my clown artwork will have to be re-arranged!