My Miniature Art Gallery

"I've stood outside my house in Montana looking at the northern lights...crackling against the sky. 

To me, that's magic."-Christopher Paolini

Oh, it all started out so innocently, as my decorating projects often do.

I'd just repainted my bedroom floor a perfect white like a fresh field of snow, moved out a few pieces of furniture, and freed up one long wall along my side of the bed.

Perfect, I thought. Free range minimalism. I'll keep that wall as empty as a Montana landscape and enjoy the tranquil expanse of nothing.

Seemed like a perfectly sound plan. 

Until I had a dream.

And in this dream, I saw a perfect vision of my blank wall.

Except it was no longer blank.

I dreamed very precisely of a miniature art gallery. with four medium-sized paintings in light, airy colors. And below the paintings, off to one side, a live edge wood slab bench with hairpin legs and topped with a sheepskin, where one could sit and contemplate the paintings. 

Just like a real art gallery with a tiny place to rest and look.

^ Exactly like this.

And even though I didn't know that I wanted a little art gallery along my bedroom wall, I suddenly realized I had no choice in the matter. The gallery wanted me, and that was that.

^ wood | Issaquah Lumber

legs | modern legs

sheepskin | IKEA

I immediately told my husband that I wanted him to make me such a bench for Christmas. I drew out a sketch and that very day we headed over to the bougie lumber store to pick out a suitable piece of wood. 

We ended up with a sweet slab of maple. 

^ The top frame came from Hobby Lobby five years ago, and the oak frame on the left is an antique that has been with me since childhood. I left the canvases on the left and bottom unframed.

Then I went to work on my paintings. Using two that I'd already completed (left and top), I sifted through my inspiration pins and produced two more to round out the set. I don't have any words to explain why these lines and shapes appeal to me: all I can say is that this is what it looks like inside of my head. 

^ The wood is not finished yet. I'm waiting for warmer weather so I can tackle the sanding outside. 

Last weekend, we put it all together. My husband put the bench together with a handful of screws; I operated the laser level and made sure the art was hung just how I dreamed it. 

^ This is exactly how it looked in my dream.

And now I'm happy. 

Happy that when I open my eyes in the morning, the first thing I see is my own miniature art gallery. 

Happy that I trusted in my dream and found a way to make it come perfectly true. 

^  Dreams really do come true. 

And I'm happy that my wall is no longer as wide open as Big Sky country, because now it reflects the lights and colors of my dreams.