Kitsch Suburbia 1#

I'm a bit of a house stalker. I blame it on studying architecture at uni for a year, rather than being a bricks & mortar pervert.

Not sure whether it's a faux pas to take photos of the outside of other people's houses, but there's a number of amazingly kitsch homes locally I have in mind for this blog.

This one on our block is terribly cute. The porch archway is like a giant birdhouse door.
I would love to have a nosy round inside, I can imagine it being the 1970s in there, all shag pile carpets & lava lamps.

Claire

Girl Crying with a Startled Lassie Painting

People have mentioned this print to me when I have posted creepy children's art previously. My own gran had it too, so I decided to hunt it out online.

It's has a very kitsch backstory. The artist Charles Burton Barber, was commissioned by Queen Victoria the First to paint portraits of her grandchildren with their pets.
Kitsch thrives in the market of trying to make small, working class homes far grander than they are (huge ornaments etc), so a mass produced print by an artist for the Royals fits this category perfectly.

Personally I couldn't own this print myself, it used to spook me so much as a child at my gran's house, I wouldn't want it.

Claire

Bizarre Little Plate

This plate doesn't fit in with my usual retro kitsch items, but I found it in an Oxfam for 50p & now use it as a spoon rest in the kitchen.

Don't know much about it,or who is pictured. It says, "Fabieene Jouvin, Paris" on the back. I googled it but didn't find anything of help.
It looks like it could be from the mass produced kitsch decor of Urban Outfitters or the like.

Claire

Large Gold Baroque Mirror

Another of my parents' surprise purchases for my old bedroom which they are doing up since I moved out.

I think they plan on painting the gold frame white, but even so, it's quite over the top!

Claire

Tattoo Flash by Bob Done, Brighton

I've touched on old school tattoo, nautical kitsch before & thought I'd include this original painting by Brighton's Bob Done.

I commissioned this for my first wedding anniversary as my 'paper' gift for my husband.
We are both quite heavily tattooed with old school designs, so I knew he'd appreciate this.

I've been thinking lately about getting a tattoo dedicated to my love of kitsch, but can't decide which iconic item to have etched onto myself!

Claire