Isabel Bloom

I am a habitual collector. I love to collect things. I guess I took seriously the saying, “The one with the most stuff, wins!”! If I like something, I am driven to have it and the more the better. This has lead me to collect things like chickens(live and knickknacks), Dalmatians (live and knickknacks), horses (knickknacks and the live, big, constantlyeating kind), antique Madam Jumel silverware, French faience, and Isabel Bloom statues…among many other collections over the years.

This blog entry is about my Isabel Bloom jones! I have collected these funny, primitive little works of art as long as I’ve known what they were. They are made out of cement and are quite heavy. They can be displayed outdoors or in the house. They are all handmade and signed, but are produced in great quantities. Many people in this area collect them as is proven by the huge lines and crowds at the Isabel Bloom stores in the area at Christmastime. These statues are the type of thing that you either love or hate, as is all artwork.

A little background to explain who Isabel Bloom was. She was an artist that lived in this area (The Quad Cities of Illinois/Iowa) who studied under Grant Wood…yeah, THAT Grant Wood (think: "American Gothic")… and who turned her sculptures into pieces of art that anyone could afford. They range in price from around $16 for the tiny ones to $200 for the larger garden display statues.

Here’s a link to the Isabel Bloom website.

http://www.ibloom.com/default.aspx

Check mine out…I guarantee you’ll either love ‘em or hate ‘em.

This is “Violet” with violets in hand and a little bouquet of violets at her feet

Here are some hearts and Easter eggs in a basket (they make a new heart and egg each year)

Here’s the pony and the little mouse. I love the mouse!

Here is a collection of Santas, angels and some older ones that I inherited from my Mom.

Here’s Isabel Rose, I got her from Andy for Christmas a couple years ago.

This is one I got from a group of friends of mine, when my DH died. I can’t remember her name.

This is Peek. I got her on my 50^th birthday from my sister. Appropriate, no?

This is a tiny, miniature version of Violet, and Hugs sitting in front of the regular size Violet.

I have these little statues tucked all over my house. I have no idea how many I have all together, it would be tough to keep track. I think they're simple and charming.

Thought for the day…

“They've been making statues for some two thousand years, and I've only been collecting for five.”

Kane in Citizen Kane