I’m kind of getting tired of all these one-word prompts lately, but Ben Huberman put one out there for The Discovery Challenge on The Daily Post on Tuesday that has been running around in my head and won’t give me any peace until I let it out! Ben writes:
Who is your witness? Who sees you when you write (or draw, or snap a photo)? Do you ever imagine anyone observing you, whether over your shoulder or from across the room? Whether it’s a person, an animal, an inanimate object, or something else entirely, publish a post — in prose or in verse, or in any non-textual medium you love working in — about it/them/her/him.
Ever since I read his post I’ve found myself glancing up repeatedly at the picture across the room from me. It’s actually a puzzle I fell in love with and put together in April 2000. I searched all over the internet for a frameable print of it and couldn’t find a bloomin’ one anywhere. So I did the next best thing. I glued that hummer together and had it framed as a gift to myself for my birthday!
It was quite the pricey little present, too. My $12 puzzle ended up in a $268 custom frame — I wanted something that might look like it came from a ship, and this one has brass beading around it. It’s ok. I was worth it! Just think of all the man hours I spent putting that baby together!
The original painting is by Charles Wysocki and is titled “Her Captain’s Wistful Letter.”
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You can’t see it very well in this picture, but the young lady is staring out the window over the roof tops to the masts of a ship in what would be, of course, a harbor. Her captain isn’t the only one who is wistful. Part of his letter has fallen out of her hand onto the floor as she sits daydreaming. I fell in love with the picture because I swear I’ve lived it in another life! Or so it seems. 😀
At any rate, ever since I read Ben’s prompt I’ve found myself becoming more and more conscious of the woman on the wall. Does she furtively sneak looks at me as I sit here engrossed in reading blogs and typing posts? Does she wish she had as many friends as I do on here? Does she wonder what the heck this machine is? Is she lonely? Where is her captain? Actually, when I found the puzzle the first thing I did was get kind of teary. I could feel her longing and loneliness.
And I can see that this shy spying on her part is not going to stop until she and I are friends. So if you will excuse me, I’m going to go knock on her door and ask for a cup of tea. And if she invites me in, maybe I’ll even get to play with her cat!
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Picture Credit: moi!
Impromptu Promptlings 
Years ago, I came across this picture in a calendar and was totally captivated by it. At the time, I was active in creating miniature scale (1″ to the foot) rooms and decided to recreate this scene. I have collected nearly everything I need but am still in the process of assembly. What nailed the project for me was finding a near match of the woman in the picture, pose and all. In 2009 I wrote to Matt Wysocki who told me he thinks it appeared in a 1996 Americana Wall Calendar. So satisfying to learn that so many others also love this particular piece of work by Charles Wysocki.
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What a fascinating past time, Pat! I, too, am thrilled to find someone loved it as much as me. I’ve continued to look for a print of it for 16 years now, and haven’t turned one up anywhere. I would SO love to see your miniature when you get it do. I hope you’ll stop back around and share a picture with me!
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I just completed an order of the 1996 Americana Wall Calendar so that I could have this print to frame. When the room is completed, I would love to send a picture to you!
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Oh yay! How about you do a guest post and explain what your hobby is? 😀
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Well, I no longer create miniature rooms with the exception of this one specific Wysocki print. My passion is painting still lifes in oils and colored pencil, and that’s why the room project has been years in the making!
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Well, I stopped by your blog and saw what all you had going on. If you’d care to put it out there a bit, that be great. 🙂
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What a lovely post – and a great image. This isn’t an artist I’ve heard of, so I need to go and look him up 😀
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Thanks, Ruth. He LOVES cats and Americana.
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Ha yes, I’ve just been browsing his pictures on Google. I’ve come across one of a woman on a veranda looking out towards a lighthouse. So atmospheric – and his cat pictures are so full of love. He is (was?) a prolific artist – amazing.
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I thonk he must have done a series of sailors’ wives puctures. I’ve seen several different ones.
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Ever since you mentioned this prompt I tried to think back to whether I feel I’m being ‘watched’ – which kinds of sounds creepy – while I write, paint, and do whatever creative thing I’m doing at any given moment. I looked around at what might be watching me, just now, and saw a Wysocki calendar cover of a cat in a library which we have hanging on the wall over Q’s book nook, and then I looked up across the room directly in front of me, and there’s a stone carved head of The Summer Goddess, looking right at me (I think), and then there’s a double framed picture, one with my five year old self looking right at me, the other side, facing out into the room is my brother. Finally I looked up just above the laptop screen, and there’s a little stuffed buffalo, Tatanka – we call him Tonk for short – my computer station guardian. Finally there is a little mouse figurine ho is meditating over an acorn he’s holding in his paws; I wonder if he’s thinking I’m going to take it away from him? Still, I don’t get the sense any of them are really paying attention to me. They’re thinking things they can only think, and I’m just as much a fixture to them, as they are to me. LOL
Meanwhile, remind me to ask you how you did the gluing of the puzzle. We’ve finished two 1000 piece puzzled since October 31 (Samhain) and Q wants to frame them as well, and says we can glue them together. I’m skeptical.
Oh, and I forgot the calendar which is right next to me inside the glass door of an antique bookcase… It’s a Walking Dead calendar, so this month it’s Rick, but I like it when it’s Daryl Dixon who’s looking at me… YUM! Maybe next month…
Great response you gave to Ben’s prompt! And that’s really a beautiful frame!
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All that AND the Walking Dead??? What an eclectic collector you are, Fimnora Westcaw!!! 🙂 It’s easy to glue the puzzles together. you’ll need to lay something on top of it like a big piece of cardboard or what not and get it turned over. Little tricky. We may have broken it up in a couple big pieces. Can’t remember. Then you just go buy a bottle of puzzle glue and give it a couple coats. Yes, they actually make special glue for that. Easy peasy. Even I did it! LOL My sister has a whole collection of ones they’ve done.
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I try to feed all parts of me 🙂
We’re waiting for the weather to warm up enough so its not so cold downstairs, and Q will lay it out on the library table (on a cardboard like you suggest – I think the frame we bought has one in it) and I’m sure our hobby shop has that glue and we’ll try it. We bought two frames, for each of the two Ravensburger puzzles. I’ll have to take pictures of them when they’re mounted and show you.
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Would love to see them!
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You know, now that I think of it, I bet you put one coat of that clear glue over the front of it first. That seems to ring a bell…
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That’s a good one.
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What a perfect response to the challenge. The good thing about the Discover prompts is they have context, both the original post and the editor’s introduction and they last for a week, so you have longer to think about it / resist responding. I’m glad you told us about your jigsaw lady.
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What I didn’t say was that I spent SO much time sitting at a card table bent over that puzzle that by the time it was done my back was a total mess and I ended up having TWO steroid shots within a month of each other. LOL I’m glad you said this was once a week. I didn’t know that!
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Oops! So you suffered for your art, then!
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Perhaps you could invite her to your place instead? !
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Good grief no! Then I’d have to clean house! Not that she hasn’t seen it in HERE anyway! 😀
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Lol – I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a bit of dust if she’s lonely and looking for a bit of company 🙂
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Hm… Wonder if she’s bored enough to cook or clean… 😉
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Why don’t you ask ? You could have a live-in helper , lol !
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Pingback: Charles Wysocki – Master Painter of Americana | Julie Powell – Photographer & Graphic Artist
I love Charles Wysocki have been a fan for years, but I do not know this piece. I love his animals (especially his Cat Tales)and farmyard scenes.
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I was very surprised when I couldn’t find a print of it. His stuff is certainly widely available. I’ve continued to look, just out of curiosity, but I’ve never found one. I did finally find it listed as by him on some site or other. And thanks for the reblog, btw. 🙂
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your welcome……….it is lovely but perhaps not as well known as some of his other paintings
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What a sweet and original post. Love it.
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That thing just would not let me be. Glad you enjoyed it. 😀
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