sheesharee: The last one you posted is hilarious! First off, who would paint such a thing, and second, who would put it in their house?! I also like the second one you posted, it may have people but it's a slice of life picture. They're engaged in their lives, and we're allowed to peek in.

I don't have many pictures up on my walls (and they're coming down as we're packing up to move into our first house!), but they're mostly florals and things (I like Van Gogh). The only people are in posters and the like. (Hmm, I think I'll be more grown up once I get into a house...hehehe...)

I don't have any and most I don't find creepy. I fell in love with a painting called Isabella and the pot of basil. I was already to buy it and then I read the story behind it ....now I doubt I could have it in our home and feel serene.

I almost always gravitate AWAY from people paintings. I sort of feel like it's odd somehow to have pics of people I don't know in my house. But what does it say about me that the only paintings of people in my house... well, (cue the scary music) they don't have faces??

{{!gwi}}

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I love portraits, and I especially love female nudes. I'm giving in to my preference in my guest bath, which is the one I use every day.

My teenaged niece drew this for me when she came for a visit.

I have some saved at art.com that I'm thinking about using in there as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Favorite prints

I heard this term somewhere in reference to photos or artwork of people you don't know - they called them "instant relatives". How true.

Since you are talking about the comments family members make as to who's side the lady in the portrait is - I actually went into the wrong room at a wake and didn't realize it until I got to the coffin. Too embarrassed to retreat at that point, I said my prayers - gave my condolences to the family and rushed out of there. I am sure they were having the same discussion as to which side of the family I belonged.

Just this stuff. I think it is from the eyes being ratcheted sideways so the tear glands are on top. Ewwww.

-Lena

I love the very first picture that was posted, I could decorate a room around it!

As it stands, all I have are cartoon people on my walls.
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LOL, Lena! You aren't alone -- Precious Moments thingies kinda freak me out too.

I don't like "people" in art work or in figurines! Just me I guess :^)

ANYTHING "Precious Moments" makes me feel ill. Okay, bring on the attacks, Precious Moments Fans!

For the most part, nope -- I think portraits are one of the best ways to add a little zing.

We do freak out some people with our selections, though!

I love studies. Looking around for some from one of my favorite artists:

Don't you just love this dog portrait :) The Intruder:

We don't have any portraits. At least not with any faces....

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A well done portrait is, IMHO, the greatest type of art. I just love a great portrait. I have the ones I've done that I got back from my mother's when she entered a nursing home, but so far we haven't hung any of them because of all the rehabbing we're doing--too much of our wall space is 'under construction.' I'm kind of picky about portraits, and those I really, really like are few and far between.

Teacats you have the most fabulous art. It wouldn't really fit in my house, but God it is beautiful.

....Jane

I generally do not like "people" artwork, but I do have a Will Rafuse Chef Gilbert canvas in my kitchen. My DH used to hate it. He'd tell me it creeped him out as it always felt like Gilbert was staring at him.
I promised him that I'd get rid of it before we move to our new house.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gilbert

Well, Miles, you are quite the quilter. My DD has one of those fabrics in her bedroom, but it doesn't look like that.

Is that a self-portrait, btw?

These creep me out too. Especially when people look like they are distressed. And they're frozen in that moment in the picture, so it's like they're eternally distressed.

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And even though this one is not a portrait per se, I don't like seeing random appendages:
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Thanks ND!! We pick portraits that really appeal to us .... its almost a psychic connection .....

No, sadly the quilt is not a self-portrait.

I find this kind of photography intriguing and would definately consider having it in my home if I could afford it.

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Creepy probably wasn't the best word to use. I hope I didn't offend anyone. Like I said before I do like some of them, just don't know how I'd feel about them hanging in my house. Anyone see the move (cartoon) Hoodwinked? If you didn't you should, it's funny. I typically lean towards action movies but always enjoy a good cartoon. At any rate, they use the word "creepy" in there a couple times and that's what I think of when I say it.

Postum - yeah I don't know if I could handle a statue in my house either! :)

Texashottie - You really painted that picture? That's pretty darn good! And those other pics you posted..yeeah the little girl looks like she belongs in a horror movie and the pic below they're missing their eyes and are also distressed. Not sure what to say about the uhh corn/hand?

I was going to mention wax people, and now actually see one on eBay while looking at someone's furniture link. Now this kind of thing is creepy to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Creepy People Stuff

What a creative world. This is interesting. It oddly appeared in the ad pics on email. Baltimore Aquarium has an interactive game for making faces with fishies, lol. From the gallery!

Here is a link that might be useful: Video Type Link - Aqua Faces

The art of Camille Rose (pictured) really creeps me out on an emotional level. The languid despair she portrays gives me shivers when I look at her stuff too long.

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I used to work for as a babysitter for a family who had tons and tons of portraits of themselves everywhere. The grandfather was a painter and obviously loved his subjects!! They were a little weird, but well done, so I got over it. I wouldn't have them in my house, but to each his own.

Not sure if this link will work, but this is one of the little girls I watched. This was in their living room....

Here is a link that might be useful: Tom Buechner paintings

miles - ok now that one is CREEPY! what does that say? shine your _____ ____ meaningless

very disturbing.

Emmhip, his paintings are wonderful! I really like "Blue Boy."

OMG, being a huge art lover, I'm really enjoying seeing all your people portraits here . . . well, at least the non-scary ones. I like portraits myself, and have a few around our house. The ones I won't have, though, are the nudes. I do NOT need to feel any more self-conscious about my aging body than I already do ;^P !! Seeing some voluptuous, naked woman lounging on my wall would not be a perk me up, IMHO!
My favorite people paintings in our place here are my Peruvian Madonna:
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The one we call "Grandfather", because my DH is English and Cherokee. This guy is no known relation, though. Doesn't he have the kindest eyes?
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This one of San Isidro, the patron saint of farmers and very beloved out here in New Mexico, is quite old:
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And this one I recently picked up at auction. The style reminds me of Diego Rivera. It's funky and primative and my DH isn't too crazy about it, but I like it. At the moment I have it hung in the toilet closet, which is NOT going over too well with my DH (LOL)!!
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"Shine Your Teeth Till Meaningless"

I am so tempted to post a self portrait that a client gave the attny. I work for! But I'm afraid I would get in trouble. He put it in our file room and it completely freaked me out everytime I walked in there. I put it in the Men's restroom because I thought it would literally scare the crap out of him! :)

dprisock, ROFLMAO!!!!

This people portrait is sure to scare the crap outta almost anyone!

(Apologies in advance to those with tender sensibilities. I happen to think this is amazing work.)

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OMG.
That's my husband's fantasy ...
=:-O

Victorian genre pictures (like the last one Sheesharee posted) were in the tradition of story-telling art.They weren't really painted as room decor, but rather for exhibitions. That one's called Abandoned, and it was painted by James Tissot, who was immensely popular during his lifetime.

While everyone has different taste, I find it interesting that someone would dislike a painting while liking the furniture and decor from the same period.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tissot

auntjen- my stomach hurts I have laughed so hard at you!

A couple months ago when I was trying to pick hardware for my kitchen cabinets, I gave my hubby, step son, male neighbor four choices and they all chose the same one. Later my husband told me that they secretly called them "the nipple knobs". Now I can't walk into my kitchen without seeing all these nipples sticking out at me.

Sorry guys to turn this into nipples but that painting reminded me of my kitchen. :)

LOL! nipple knobs!

I bet that's the LAST time you ask for their opinions (oh, I'm crying here!)

Re: the boobinator, not my thing. All I can think of is how UNCOMFORTABLE she must be.

The boobinator reminds me of how it felt to be a breast feeding new mother. A follow-up to that might be a woman covered with dollar bills as my little babies age, all they see in me now is my wallet.

whenicit: You nailed it! That's how I'm feeling right now, except I am an "old" breast feeding mother and ready to cut them all off!

Had to come out of lurkdom for that one.

I am loving all these pics! Great thread!

DH and I are coming around to the idea of having random people portraits...as long as they are not creepy.

sheesharee...what's the name of the painting of the little girl holding a bouquet and a card? I see an eBay watermark on the image, is that where you saw it...is someone selling it on eBay now?

flyingflower - yes that one was ebay. it ended though, sorry! Was from Avon (90's). I actually would've put that one in my house. The picture was pretty small though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Victorian Little Girl

Shee, where did you find the picture of the lady in the green dress? I'm sure that I've seen it in a gallery or museum.

ooooh no I missed out on it! I first saw this picture in the 1990s, it's some famous work of art but I don't know who did it or the painting's name (seller obviously didn't know either) so I can't look her up. At the time the one I saw (at Ethan Allen probably) was blown up into a larger frame and I didn't have room for it. Oh well, I'll come across her again eventually. She's so sweet and adorable I would hang this one up on the wall without any hesitation.

But you do realize she'd come to life in the middle of the night and kill you with a meat cleaver while you slept, right? (Oh, wait -- is it just dolls that do that?)
;-D

flyingflower - so did avon sell it back in the day? if you find out the name let me know!

terriks - found the green dress lady on ebay too but they didn't know anything about it. It think ended because i can't find it. Thought it had a day or so to go!!

i'm battin a thousand here

In general, I prefer landscape oils to anything else. I recently bought a lovely oil painting for myself that is of people, although it is not terribly representational, and I am redecorating a bedroom around it.

I am curious, though. We have portraits of family members (oils and pastels) in our home and I can't imagine living without them. Don't most people have portraits painted of their children?

I don't know of anyone who has portraits painted of their children anymore. Photographs, sure - but most people being able to afford a painted portrait is probably a thing of the past.

We have many oil painting portraits in our home. DH's grandfather was a talented artist and we feel really lucky to have them. Here are just three that we have:

A nude in the bedroom

A portrait of DH's great-great uncle

DH when he was nine

I never really thought about them being creepy. We do have 3 other portraits in our master bedroom. So we have several pairs of eyes watching over us while we sleep!!!!
Thanks to everyone for sharing--very interesting.

I love the portrait of your DH, mammacass. :)

Auntjen, commissioned portraits are available at a very wide range of prices. It may also be regional... I live in the southern U.S. and it's quite common here.

Here are some instant relatives up for grabs on Craig's List. (Looks like Suzanne Sugarbaker, Nicholas Cage, and Ginger from Gilligan's Island to me!)

Here is a link that might be useful: People ...

Auntjen, it's funny what people consider "antique". I guess they think anything older than they are is an antique.