Sunday, June 27, 2010

Pickers and Hoarders and Reality TV

#30, Draw a Chair;
#182, Draw a Truck;
#206, Draw something that is familar to you that is called something else in another region

I am on the glitzy side, the touristy side, the fussy and pretty side, of our wonderful island. DH and I woke up in a nice hotel. It's a special weekend away for us. It is a dry, hot day under cloudless Kona skies, so instead of hanging out by the pool or on the seashore sipping Mai Tai's , I am doing what, exactly? Well, I'm hangin' out in a scrapyard, of course! Hubby is digging through some shipping containers full of old marine hardware, and I, after oggling some really cool vintage autos, decaying Art Deco hotel furniture and old neon signs - I am lounging in the shade of an old tractor trailer and sketching a scene of someone else's hoarded junk. This is bliss!

I have a new favorite TV show. When I first stumbled upon it, I must admit, I was drawn in by the background scenery of fields and farmsteads. Immediately I thought - "that looks like home!" And it was. The show is set in LeClaire, Iowa; a river town I used to gaze upon from my bedroom window vantage point in Rapids City, Illinois - directly across the Mississippi. A lifetime ago - I used to live there! But the appeal of the show is about something else.
I come from a long line of auction, yard sale and dumpster diving collectors. Now, thanks to the History Channel, I know there is a word for us; "pickers." We hunt, we buy, we store, (hoard?) and hopefully eventually use, refurbish and/or resell. You can have your boutiques, fashion houses and upscale shopping. We "pickers" love nothing more than a collection of, well, this.
I'm in Hawaii. I'm in a junkyard. I'm in heaven. (Oh, and #206? Some call them Snow Cones or Shaved "with-a-D" Ice, but if you live here, you know they are and will always be "Shave Ice!"
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17 comments:

Mary said...

This is terrific, Christie, great perspective and well done you for getting three into one with the challenges!

Cathy Holtom said...

I love your painting, is it watercolour?
Lots of challenges in one, what a great place to find subjects to paint.

Alex said...

Awesome drawing and great triple kill on the Challenge too!
I love the colors, the angle, and all the fine details in the drawing.

Janene said...

This is a really fun depiction of an intriguing place--lots of stories to be found in a junkyard, or at least stories to be imagined.

Unknown said...

Wow! This is excellent! I wouldn't have guessed you were in Hawaii, but excellent all the same!

Angelica said...

Yea ! Another post and drawing from Christie -- great!
Here in Baltimore shave ice is called "sno balls" and I'm told chocolate with marshmellow is the best -- can't imagine it - but will have to try it.
Blessings to you Dear One!!

Shirley said...

Beautiful drawing! Love the subdued palette that you used.

Ann said...

Fantastic drawing! We love that show too! Yard sales and junk shops and all that good stuff has lost it's place for us since we now have too much stuff as it is in a tiny house but we love re-experiencing it all through the Pickers tv show.

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous drawing!! Great detail and colors. I love that show too.

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for visiting my blog, Christie! And all the way from Hawaii! Do you play the ukulele too? And thanks for the trivia. I've really enjoyed your artwork here and will be visiting more often!

Alex said...

Thank you so much for your comments Christie ^^

Pauline said...

"We hunt, we buy, we store, (hoard?) and hopefully eventually use, refurbish and/or resell"

I don't collect very much, but I have recently started painting on discarded wooden objects. Do you ever do this?

I love your drawing by the way!:)

pedalpower said...

Fantastic drawing! Another thing we have in common...did you know that I own an antiques shop and I'm always hunting for vintage things. Fun, fun, fun!

I've been meaning to email you back..soon...things are kind of crazy around here at the moment, but I think I'm going to have some calm now.

Cindi said...

Love your blog...your work is amazing!!

Looking forward to checking in as I start working my way through the EDM challenges as well!!

Cheers

Fannie said...

Bravo, Christie! Love the way you write. Yes, it will always be "Shave Ice." ♥♫♥

Arrived back in Texas two days ago. Maybe I can see you next trip. We plan to visit again next summer. I added your link to my blog so I can get to you easily. Sorry I missed you this trip. ♥♫♥

pedalpower said...

Christie, I'm wondering how your sketchcrawl went? My regular email is on the fritz so I'm using this one for the moment
harbincole(at)gmail.com

magpie said...

i'm loving your blog and wanted to stop and say so before i dive back in. got here from everyday matters.

i, too, have become addicted to american pickers - they were both on letterman last week! not that i stay up but i taped it.

okay, now back to the blog