Twenty-some-odd years ago, I was reading an interview with Madonna and the writer spoke of visiting her home. I don’t remember one thing about that piece other than a description of a painting hanging on the ceiling of Madonna’s house. That stuck with me. And I know it sounds crazy, but I can remember where I was sitting when I read that. I knew right then and there that I wanted art on my ceiling. I figured it would take a while, as I would have to find and acquire the right art for the job, and I had no idea what that process might look like. But I was patient, and filed away the desire.
Cut to me, many years later. Lo and behold – I’m a painter! And I decided to paint myself a work suitable for ceiling installation. Never mind not having a clue as to how I’d make that happen, or where it would go. I only wanted to paint something from the right perspective. Something I would love. And so I did. I called it Siena Sky.
And then I went on a tour of the Frederick R. Weisman Foundation and I was fairly blown away by what I saw there. The entire tour is amazing, but what stood out for me was the art Mr. Weisman had hung on the ceiling. Because indoor photos are not permitted, I purchased the beautiful book offered at the end of the tour so that I could reference the way the Weismans had lived with art. (I love this book, and highly recommend it for those touring this fabulous home.) And there, in its pages, I found a photo of the art that mesmerized me so…
Still without a clue as to how I might hang my own art on my own danged ceiling, I started poking around the interwebs and found – nothing. Seriously. Not a thing. And I was so let down by this, so disappointed. Most of us have come to expect answers to life, the universe and everything as being merely a well-typed search phrase away. All my attempts – my multiple attempts – had failed. I had the art and I had the ceiling, and yet I found no useful information and had no idea how to proceed in making my decades-long dream of art on the ceiling come true.
So I hearkened back to an old jingle from my childhood and “Let [my] fingers do the walking.” I called The Weisman Foundation and spoke to a lovely, kind soul. After hearing my query, she said she wasn’t sure how Mr. Weisman had hung his art on the ceiling, but that she would be happy to ask his widow – and current Foundation director, Billie Milam Weisman – if she knew how he’d done it. The kind lady said she’d inquire and get back to me. Honestly, I didn’t expect much. I figured either the person I’d spoken to would forget to follow through, or there simply wouldn’t be an answer. (Yes – my negative side was in charge at that point.) So imagine my surprise when, about a half hour later, I received a phone call from the kind lady at The Weisman Foundation. She said she’d spoken with Mrs. Weisman, who said she seemed to recall Mr. Weisman using d-rings and cup hooks on all 4 corners of the art he’d hung. Wow! It was so simple. So do-able. And she had actually called me back! I was so happy about that! What a doll!
Now, I keep d-rings on hand to hang art on walls, but I didn’t have a single cup hook in my tool box. So I got 4 (ceiling hooks, actually) and got after it. With a helping hand from Mister, the piece was placed on the ceiling…
When I sit on the sofa and rest my head, looking up, this is what I see…
I am so thrilled to have seen this through to its fruition. Is it quirky? Yes. Is it for everyone? I sincerely doubt it. But it is for me, and I’ve known it would be for years. I simply cannot tell you how happy I am with this little installation here at the new pad. And I’m so pleased to have stuck with this idea. For me, it is beyond worth it.