Photo from Zinnia Folk Arts
I recently have come across several Religious Icon pieces, on a few buying trips, that have been very hard for me to bring to the KAZA shop because I want to keep them all!
One piece in particular is on my mantle and is mine forever. I couldn’t/can’t/won’t sell it….yet (never say never). Every time I walk into the living room, it makes me happy. The colours are rich and gorgeous, the details are magnificent and the old gold Gesso frame is fabulous. FAB-U-LOUS!
I found another super old print of St. Mary that makes my heart skip a beat, water marks and all. The glass is wavy and I just love it, insanely. That one made it to the KAZA window, as a prop…and maybe a little bit of , “Look what I found!!”, followed by several brag-raspberries. ;op
And judging from peoples reactions, as they walk past the new “Santa Maria!” window at KAZA, they like it too! Not just hipster-types, either….I’m talkin’ Joe Schmoe and Edgar Allen Poe. People are stopping!
But what is it that draws us in, when we see these Religious Icons to incorporate in design (once considered blasphemy)?
In design, we started to see the emergence of Religious Icons a few years ago, with the use of Spanish inspired Santos hands, crowns and Madonna’s which were being incorporated into photo shoots & rustic boutique displays. But…could it be something else? Could it be motivated by the signs of the times, where people just feel a sense of security when its around them? Or perhaps even, simply a sense of nostalgia that make us remember creamy tomato soup in our Grandmamans/Nana’s/Nonna’s kitchens? I don’t know.
For me personally, being raised in a Catholic French-Canadian home, we had rosaries/crucifixes on the walls, a picture of Jesus in the bedroom, Palm branches behind mirrors and a statue of Mary in every bedroom. There is a sense of comfort to having these things around me, even though prior to finding the above mentioned print, I had no statues, pictures or crucifixes in my own home.
I’ve often times referred to some Religious Icons as “kitschy”–because sometimes the colours were so bright, they really could not be considered in serious design. But kitschy style has evolved and folded in Bohemian style and Eclectic and became quite the serious design!
And other times, the pieces are aged, chipped and weathered…and come with a gorgeous story.
For example, recently I found an old “Last Rights” chalkware statue. The back has a sliding door and includes 2 candles, Holy Oil, a crucifix and a cloth. Knowing there was a time this was used and was looked at by a person nearing their final breath with a sense of peace, makes me treasure it even more.
Displaying it with other pieces, I find interesting, is important to me. It’s a story. A story deeper than a Flow Blue plate or a Prussian vase ever could give. And a story MUCH deeper than a Big Box Store piece could ever even imagine.
And with that, Bella’s & Bello’s…I say Amen.
Ciao!
xox
