Willow’s World

During the pandemic, redecorating interior spaces proved a great way to make the most of time spent at home. While the more ambitious opted for a complete overhaul, my attention turned to my closet doors. Inspired by my lackluster zoom background, the doors became a canvas for an assortment of physical memories and mementos. I am here today to take a deeper dive into the stories behind some of these items. 

Monet, and some more Monet. 

During the summer of 2019, I was lucky enough to take a trip with my family to Paris. The top floor of the Musee d’Orsay is legendary in the art world, housing an impressive collection of impressionist art. The works of Edgar Dégas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Édouard Manet grace its walls alongside Claude Monet widely considered to be the Father of Impressionism. Perusing the gallery, I approached a crowd gathered around a Monet of humble proportions. Two young college students made sketches in small notebooks, and a hipster couple discussed the piece in the manner of an art critic. I loved the delicate poppies and tiny house nestled in among a cluster of trees in the background and wanted a copy. But I must admit that my purchase was largely fueled by the cool, “knower of art” feeling I got when standing amongst the crowd.

So I might be a faker. But it inspired this idea. I’m “developing my taste in art” 🙂 

A year and a half later, when the Art Institute announced their Monet exhibit, I knew I had to go. It was lovely, even though I annoyed my family by spending two hours in the galleries. Alongside Monet’s famous gently hued stacks of wheat, a vibrant depiction of a charming Italian seaside town named “Bordighera” caught my eye. I felt proud that I was pulled to the piece, not because of the people standing around it, but the composition itself. 

A Butterfly in Ohio 

Every year, my family traverses endless miles of corn and cows and visit my family in Columbus. To shake things up in a year deprived of travel, my dad and uncle arranged a stop to Put-In-Bay, an island in Lake Eerie. Think of a Florida retirement community, add twenty bars, and drop the temperature of the water about 10 degrees. That’s Put-in-Bay. Most widely known among Ohio natives as a budget-friendly spring break destination, Put-in-Bay lacks some of the finer cultural destinations of major metropolitans. However, the island does have some redeeming qualities, namely a butterfly house, complete with kitschy island-themed decorations, and butterflies from around the world. I felt bad wasting a glossy brochure I was handed identifying each species. I hauled the brochure all the way home, snipped out the butterflies, and tacked them onto my closet doors. 

Travel & Leisure

By way of some yearly subscription, My father had built up a generous credit to use on magazine subscriptions. It was nearing the end of the year, and the credit operated on a “use it or lose it” basis. Needless to say, the mailbox soon filled up with piles of magazines. Most of them were the type of Magazines exclusively read by nice elderly midwestern folk, and gathering dust on the coffee table of a Dentist’s office. Flipping through the stack one day, I discovered Travel & Leisure. Admittedly, I am not the jet-setting and fabulously wealthy demographic of the Magazine, but I enjoyed immersing myself in the escapism of the international travel articles and accompanying photos. I grew into the habit of cutting photos that I found particularly beautiful or inspiring from the magazine when it came time to recycle the monthly issue. 

Family Legacy 

My maternal grandmother is quite the icon in my family. Hailed for her superb cooking, crafting prowess, (from hand-beaded Christmas ornaments to intricately painted Russian eggs), and artistic abilities. In the process of cleaning out my grandparent’s home after they had both passed away, my mom found an impressive collection of my grandmother’s sketches. There were hundreds, if not thousands, she had done throughout her life, each with a memo printed on the back in her neat handwriting. The one I chose for my closet doors has a memo on the back that reads:“ Ozarks, Dan’s cottage, 1996”. Dan refers to my uncle, and the Ozarks were the destination of a yearly family vacation. I imagine her sitting serenely by the waterfront sketching this drawing. Even though I have no memories of her, being able to look at a piece of her art every day is a nice reminder of the talented artist she was.