Earlier this year Amy sold some paint by numbers on Etsy. The paint by numbers were large to ship and as luck would have it the buyer turned out to be local. Amy contacted the buyer Hope, and she agreed to Amy delivering them. When Amy delivered them, this is what she saw when Hope opened the door.
Hope is a paint by number collector. Amy was awestruck. Amy arranged a little field trip for me to see the collection for myself. I am sure glad she did!
Hope buys and restores paint by numbers. It was fascinating to hear her talk about them and I learned paint by number fact after fact. Hope has 853 PBN (as of November). 602 hang on walls of her house and studio and 203 awaiting restoration plus 48 "extras.
Hope has them hanging on literally every wall of her house and studio. They are arranged by theme.
Here are some of the PBN that are awaiting her paintbrush and restoration.
This PBN is one of the larger produced.
Hope saves some of the boxes and PBN kits. I, of course love them for their graphic appeal.
Hope had a bird theme going on in her bathroom. That is where I keep my bird collection as well (except mine are ceramic).
Fun little details on some of the PBN kits. I like the center cartoon fellow who says "put on wall for all to admire".
There was a ship and seascape theme going on in an upstairs room.I had fun seeing the variety of subject matter. I had no idea on the vast multitude of themes there were.
An upstairs study has an oriental theme. Hope's PBN are a constant hunt for her...the Japanese women were all collected separately and are a set that was produced.
This sweet little PBN made me smile.
It was hard to get shots of the magnitude of her collection. Each hall and room had them on the walls. It wasn't overwhelming...I think I said WOW about 300 times during the tour.
Hope was a delight to meet and a true wealth of information and history on PBN. I will always think of Hope when I see a PBN now. A truly fantastic collection.
Hope also had a studio out back which she had decorated with even more PBN. Her talents run beyond her PBN restoration and collecting. Her studio would be a whole other post.
Thank you so much Hope for this amazing visit and tour. Thank you Amy for arranging yet another field trip for me. (and no permission slip required like in elementary school)
That is jaw-dropping for sure!! Are all 800 of her paintings different or does she have duplicates? I have never ever found a PBN in the wild. I don't know why, I always look but they have eluded me. I think those Japanese ladies might be my favorites--they are beautiful!
Posted by: Heidi@TheMerryMagpieVintage | April 15, 2015 at 10:17 AM
I'm at a loss for words! WOW or AMAZING does come to mind. What a fantastic field trip! I've always liked vintage PBN pictures. I've just been looking for certain ones that catches my eye. Had absolutely no knowledge on PBN's. Didn't even realize that there were so many different ones out there either. I'm sure Amy's mouth probably dropped as well when she walked into Hope's house too. I'm going to be giving PBN pictures a closer look now!
Your posts have been wonderful lately too :-)
Thanks for the field trip!
Posted by: Doreen | April 15, 2015 at 10:29 AM
That is incredible! I've never seen a house like that. I would love to find some old PBN. I'll never have a collection that big because I love to collect a little of this and a little of that, but it was certainly fun to see! And you didn't even have to ride in a bumpy school bus!
Posted by: Mary Steinbrink | April 15, 2015 at 10:33 AM
You guys inPortland have the best collections! I've loved these ever since childhood when I painted a few that are lost to the ages. They still sell the kits, and I need to try one again some time. so little time, so many crafts. thanks for the post!
Posted by: Suzanne | April 15, 2015 at 10:38 AM
What fun! I love the religious themed ones at the end. I have found a few that are more Catholic in nature and some based on famous stained glass windows. I once bought a couple from a guy who had a HUGE tub of them. They were a dollar each. I've kicked myself several times for not getting more of them.
Posted by: Eddie Mitchell | April 15, 2015 at 12:00 PM
Great post, Ethel. I was "wowed" too on my first visit -- not just at the sheer number but also at the very thoughtful way Hope had these arranged and organized. I think that what keeps it fascinating rather than overwhelming. Truly an amazing collection. (Thanks Hope, for inviting us in and sharing with us).
Posted by: Into Vintage | April 15, 2015 at 12:06 PM
This is an absolutely amazing collection. I had no idea that there were so many varieties. I have two duck themed PBN at our A-frame but I would love more fishing or deer themed ones. Thank you for the virtual field trip!
Posted by: Musings from Kim K. | April 15, 2015 at 12:35 PM
Amazing field trip. Thank you for sharing. I always love seeing other's collections. I can't image her framing costs.
Posted by: Sheryl Remy | April 15, 2015 at 12:40 PM
Wonderful collection. Just a note on the role PBN had in our family. My MIL learned how to paint from these kits. She painted a few and then began to copy pictures from books and suddenly she discovered her own skills in painting, charcoal and sculpting. One of her sculpting pieces holds pride of place at a local museum. I have some of her 1st PBN works and many of her other art works. PBN's promoted talent in our family.
Posted by: Paula | April 15, 2015 at 01:07 PM
Amazing! It would be fun to know which ones she is looking for. Maybe we could find them for her. I have a few tucked away in a tote. Maybe I will look at them with new respect.
Posted by: janet | April 15, 2015 at 01:36 PM
WOW, that is amazing!!!!! I can't imagine what it looks like in person. I painted some as a kid, wished I would have kept them.
Great story and pics!!!
Sherry-quiller
Posted by: Sherry | April 15, 2015 at 03:32 PM
Wow seems like an understatement! That collection is just beyond compare. I can imagine how overwhelming it must have been to try to take it all in during a single visit. Her collection is museum-worthy - or at least a showing at an art gallery or some other venue. I'd love to see them!
Posted by: JoyceG | April 15, 2015 at 03:58 PM
wow, that is so amazing! what a collection. i love seeing pbn displayed all together but haven't ever seen so many at once! gorgeous! im glad she let you take photos!
Posted by: rae | April 15, 2015 at 04:55 PM
I know I would be right there with you, saying Wow incessantly.
I have to say that any collector that can Wow YOU is noteworthy. And I also have to say that I do believe you've met your match in the collecting department. What a treat!
Posted by: Maria (Magia Mia) | April 15, 2015 at 09:25 PM
Thank you for sharing this wonderful collection. I appreciate not only the sheer number of paintings but the interesting way they are displayed as an integral part of each room. This is indeed remarkable. What a fun field trip!
Posted by: cherrypit | April 15, 2015 at 09:42 PM
This is an amazing collection! I just bought a covered bridge PBN the other day and I think it caught my eye because of Amy mentioning this collection. I only have two displayed in my own house - flamingos of course!
Posted by: Kathy | April 15, 2015 at 09:53 PM
Wow,wow, wow! Thank you so much for sharing this field trip with us. Every time I read your blog, I love it more! So many interesting and beautiful people in our world...finding joy in the little things.
Posted by: Missy Scordino | April 15, 2015 at 11:36 PM
Wow....#301
Erica
Posted by: Erica | April 16, 2015 at 04:38 AM
Thank you so much for all the interesting things you post. I love reading your blog and learn something new every time.
Posted by: Yolanda | April 16, 2015 at 06:57 AM
Love this post! I am a fan of PBN and have a few I would like to finish and restore. Her collection is incredible. I would love to know how she matches the colors to today's paint. Is there a guide she uses?
Posted by: Stacie | April 16, 2015 at 12:01 PM
Stacie, I asked Hope your question and here is her reply.
Good question and I wish there was a very simple answer, but I'll try to make it as easy as I can. I buy bottles of ACRYLIC paint at the crafts store--the kind that washes up with soap and water--and a set of brushes with a variety of bristle sizes. When I get a painting, if the paint has faded (which is usually the case) I look it up on the website paintbynumbermuseum.com to see if they show a good copy with the original colors. This is hit or miss; sometimes their picture is of a faded painting also, so then it's up to me to compare it to similar paintings. The key thing to remember is that the company that invented PBN's used a limited range of colors, so you can see the same blues, the same greens, the same browns, etc. from picture to picture. That's my "guide." Have I got a landscape with a faded sky? I look up a similar landscape with a brightly colored sky and go with those colors. The important thing is to not get too crazy trying to reproduce the same colors exactly! I just mix the paints until I get something close and if I like the color, I use it. After all, it's supposed to be fun!
Posted by: laurie mapgie ethel | April 16, 2015 at 08:52 PM
Thank you so much for reply. I have been doing trial
and error. I appreciate her sharing her info and pictures with us. What generous person.
Posted by: Stacie | April 17, 2015 at 03:59 AM
Wonderful display - I was just admiring some PBN's in the Summer 2015 issue of Vintage Style - please share with her that the couple used a projector and recreated an ENTIRE bedroom wall as a PBN - it looks incredible -obviously, her walls are full but she need to see this awesomeness! So do you! I love this so much - I did sell some Hawaiian ones years ago and was amazed at the price they got! Loving your pictures, too!
Posted by: Patti McCarthy | April 17, 2015 at 02:21 PM
How nice of Hope to share her collection with us. This is one of those times I find myself with my nose almost pressed to the monitor. (I see a cute deer collection too.. and a calico like my Miss Izzy)
Although PBN were a Christmas tradition for me and my sibs I had no idea there were so many. Way cool!
Posted by: Susan | April 17, 2015 at 07:18 PM