Written by It’s the start of a brand new month and our “Super September” art challenge, with prompts provided by Doodlewash community member, Mary Roff! The first one up is “Vintage” which sent me sailing back in time. Back to when I was just a little puppy, and enjoyed watching shows that came before I was even born on television. One of my favorites was The Twilight Zone, but I also loved Bewitched quite a lot as well. Anything with a bit of mystery, strange stories, and magic was always sure to capture my attention. Since I’m a half century old, this was back in those glorious days where televisions were a coveted piece of furniture, and insanely heavy. The one we actually had was three times wider than this one, which just meant more wood, not a larger screen. And the screen was even lower to the floor, which I still think is better than craning one’s neck to look up at television. We could watch from a blanket on the floor or simply tilt our heads down comfortably to enjoy the latest show. Though yeah, sometimes we were a little too close to the screen.
Indeed, I do miss the crocheted afghans and macramé of my youth. They still exist today, of course, but when something becomes hip it just makes me feel even more nostalgic. And, maybe just a touch old. Yet, one has to wonder if humans didn’t hit their peak during that last mid-century. That “oh, so futuristic” look was truly awesome and it’s still coveted today. It’s interesting and full of life, design and creative ideas. Today, everything is streamlined in a way that makes it cheap. It’s tough to make something look cool these days, when you want to sell it for ten times more than it’s actually worth. So, I think that’s why my childhood is so precious to me. We didn’t have much, but when you bought something it was actually something. It was a beautifully created physical thing that made our lives so much richer. Today, we can’t afford to make products look that interesting physically. It just costs too much. I think that’s why I adore sketching. I like to make something by hand that still takes a bit of time and love.
Truly, it’s never enough time and my concepts lately would benefit greatly from much more time. But, I adore sketching stories and reliving moments both remembered and imagined. It’s fun to attempt things that are are weirdly complex and too much trouble for the short amount of time I have to sketch each day. I have so many visions of sketches I’d like to make spinning in my head. Most of them are so challenging that I lack the skill required in order to create them. So, I’m going to go ahead and try some of those more challenging depictions anyway. When the only gauge of success is DOing, then anything is possible and everything is successful. That’s just the way I’ve always lived my life. Even back when I was covered up with an afghan and watching a black and white show on a “oh, so futuristic” color television. Back in the olden days, when there was no possible way to know at the time that those precious moments would someday become vintage memories.
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Wonderful Charlie! A chill just went up my spine thinking about old episodes of the Twilight Zone! Some of those were very scary.
Thanks so much, Karen! 😃💕 Yeah! Some were super spooky! hehe… as a little kid, I loved a good scare!
Love it, Charlie! Does bring back good memories!!
Thanks so much, Mary! 😃💕 Glad this brought back good memories!
Fascinante, Charlie, me gusto tu acuarela
Muchas gracias, Eduardo! 😃💕
Love today’s sketch Charlie! Thank you for reminding us of all those wonderful times.
Thanks so much, Laura! 😃💕 So happy you enjoyed this one!
I noticed that its 9 pm in your painting. At first I thought 3 pm, but then I remembered mirror. Good catch! We had an excellent rain yesterday so I get two days off of watering. And I picked the tomatoes today, so I can skip that too. Plus deer came in and ate the beans, so they don’t have to be picked either. September 1 and the garden almost done. If I can get enough basil leaves, I may be able to whip up some pesto for dinner tomorrow.
hehe!! YES! I couldn’t stay up until the witching hour at that age, but thought it was fun the mirror made it that anyway! 😉 That’s so awesome you caught that… never think people notice some of my odd quirky little details. hehe And I guess the deer had fun! But, oh, those green beans!! And fresh pesto is my FAVE! Yum!
I loved all the shows that featured magic or science fiction. Some of the Twilight Zones scared me though. I remember one episode where a little girl was trapped in the wall of her bedroom. I was uneasy having my bed near the wall for years afterwards!
Yeah, I agree… some were downright scary! I liked the science fiction and magic ones best. Though the Talking Tina doll was a favorite of my mother and I. hehe 😉
Oh, Talking Tina gave me nightmares! All my dolls had to be put into the closet with the doors shut after I watched that one!
Yikes! hehe 😉 My mother always took anything scary and diffused it with humor. So, I ended up with only fond memories!
Hey Charlie, It sounds like you think you’re old. I am older than you and I’m not anywhere near old so how can you be? Yes I remember the Twilight Zone followed by Outer Limits, and then came Bonanza and The Waltons. I also remember Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and The Rifleman. Tarzan. Black and white tv too. We had an old shack up the street that i made sure my mother never found out I went into. I pretended it was the Rifleman’s house and I was acting in his show as his romantic gunslinger. There was even an old bean can on the floor. There were no doors or windows so it was safe by my standards. Keep us smiling, Charlie! I love your little stories.
Thanks so much! 😃💕 hehe! I’m not feeling old, I’m just proud to have reached a half century! Oh wow! That old shack sounds like an awesome hideaway! So cool!
Wow, Charlie, I remember actually getting up to change the channel! I used to say that as an adult, I would hire someone to work in my house just changing the tv channels for me. What ‘s a remote control? I watched “The Twilight Zone.” It was good scary. Do you remember the movie ” Salem’s Lot”? They showed it every year on tv just as Fall started. David Soul from Starzky and Hutch was the main character and it was freaking SCARY! But I watched it every year! haha haha
My mother is from Mexico so I spoke Spanish before I spoke English. Mister Rogers, Sesame Street, Electric Company, and Carrascolendas taught me English. As an only child, the Muppets on Sesame Street were my friends. Back then, PBS was broadcast from Austin, my dad’s hometown. We visited Austin often. One day, it dawned on me that Sesame Street was in Austin. That’s why it was broadcast from there. So, when my parents announced a trip to Austin, I told my friend Missy from next door to watch the show because this time, I was going to get my dad to take me to Sesame Street and I would be on the show. I was busting at the seams with excitement! I had never been so excited to go to Austin. Way before seatbelts, I was bouncing on the backseat, “Dad, you’re going to take me to Sesame Street, right? YAY, I ‘m going to Sesame Street!” Charlie , I had my Sesame Street books with me to show them that I read just like they said we should. When we reached Austin city limits, I was bouncing on the seat and screaming with excitement! And then, my parents broke my heart. They tried to explain that Sesame Street was in New York City. I accused them of lying and not wanting to take me. I asked where NYC was and maybe my dad could drive me there. I cried and cried and cried when they said it was too far. Childhood innocence.
As an adult, I still hope that one day I will make it to Sesame Street. I think it would be a very emotional moment for me.
Glad this brought back good memories, Marisela! 😃💕 Yeah… the time before remotes! hehe And yay for the Muppets! They were my fave… I aged out of Sesame Street really quickly, but I still loved seeing the characters. And oh, I’m sorry you didn’t get that New York trip, but not actually seeing Oscar the Grouch would have just been a bigger letdown anyway! 😉
Another great doodle, Charlie. I’ve never seen The Twilight Zone but loved Bewitched when I was a kid. I can still remember the theme tune.
Thanks so much, Gary! 😃💕 Bewitched was SO fun! hehe…. Twilight Zone is awesome, you should check it out. The precursor to Dark Mirror.
Lovely scene Charlie!
Thanks so much, Fatima! 😃💕
Took me back instantly! A wonderful sketch. Back then the television was a piece of furniture. Those were my years! There were 3 of us kids, always jocking to be dead center of the tv. My parents did not mind us laying there because we were the channel changers. Ha Ha. I did not like Twlight Zone. Scared the bageezus out of me, but I was also the youngest and did not have a choice.
Thanks so much, Lori! 😃💕 Yay! Glad this took you back in time! Fun times! Yeah, the Twilight Zone was spooky, but my mom and I always liked spooky things. And she always made it seem intriguing, not scary, so I never noticed! hehe
Nice Watercolour.
Thanks so much, Shawn!! 😃💕
How did you get into our house when I was 8 years old? The lamp, the TV, the big ugly chair – it’s all the same! I’ve gotten rid of the afghans – too much ugly in those blankets. But this portrait of the way things used to be – absolutely charming. Takes me back nearly 70 years when I watched The Mickey Mouse Club every afternoon on our old black and white TV.
Aww yay! Glad this brought back good memories, Sharon! 😃💕 hehe… I didn’t add the afghan draped over the chair (which is just a slightly different shade of avocado green than the walls… hehe), as it was already a lot. lol And yay for Mickey Mouse Club!!
Ha, ha I loved strange, mysterious and scary when a child, I so wanted to watch. My parents denied it (understandably) because of my imagination. I imaginated all sorts of scary things and creatures after such a movie, that I hardly dared to move around the house after dark. 😀 Thank you for a beautiful picture, it reminded me of my grandparents, much lovelier thought than scary movies.
Thanks so much! Yay for those strange and mysterious stories! 😃💕 Yeah, I never found Twilight Zone scary… just really clever and intriguing. Actually scary movies weren’t something I liked until I was a teenager! hehe
Another cheery picture and very cozy. Kind of like a vintage space odessy. Nice colors too.
Thanks so much, Iisa! 😃💕 yay for a vintage space odyssey! That sounds so cool! Glad you enjoyed this!
Ooh I do love the green decor! Apparently when my parents moved into their house in 1976, every room was a different (but equally garish) colour. Gotta love it. As a 90s child, I sometimes think the same about society peaking; we had so much of the technology we enjoy today but it hadn’t taken over our lives yet. But I guess we are all biased towards our own formative years, and 2000s kids will be saying the same thing soon!
Thanks so much, Jacob! 😃💕 Yeah… those colors! Wow! We were NOT shy with color in the 70’s! hehe Yeah, technology today changes so slowly in comparison. I guess there will be different things to get excited about for the next generations!
Great memories of those old tv’s..we were one of the first in the neighborhood that had one and it made us(me) feel special…And I agree…today’s “stuff” just doesn’t have the appeal of the things we gathered back in the day..So we keep being a bit creative day by day and create our own nostalgia…thanks!
Thanks so much, Priscilla! 😃💕 Thrilled you enjoyed this. That’s so awesome you were one of the first to get one. You must have been the coolest family ever! And yay for creating our own nostalgia through art!