Gregory Helem

Fireplace Art Gregory Helem

For people who enjoy relaxing beside the warm, flickering glow of a fireplace but may not actually have a fireplace to enjoy. The pictures in this book and the uses you makeof them will recreate pleasant memories of the fireplace experience. We asked a few people with creative minds, "What would you do if you received a gift of a little book with small, frameable pictures of fireplaces?"Opict, an interesting photographer, said, "Let me show you." And he proceeded to work with a wooden crayon box and a flickering, battery-operated tea light he bought at the dollar store. "When I was a kid, we had a big stone fireplace and it was so easy to fall asleep watching the flames. I have no fireplace now, so I've made this little illuminated box for the pictures in this book and I keep it beside my bed. Guess what? It actually helps me get to sleep. Quite amazing!" Opict's illumination looked great and worked well so we put in on the front cover of this book. Gary, an antique furniture restorer, said, "I like placing little framed pictures in random areas of my residence. We don't have fireplaces so I've found a candle that gives off the scent of a wood-burning fireplace and I place it beside the fireplace picture. Just before guests come over, I light the candle. The picture and the burning candle are quite a conversation piece, plus the room smells oh-so-good. Those random areas are much more interesting now."Linda, a writer, said, "Every time I come down with writer's block, I do something else that's creative, but doesn't involve words. Making collages out of found printed material, old pictures in magazines and the like is one of my favorite activities. Thanks to your book, here's my latest artwork. I call it "Twenty-Three Fireplaces In Search of a Home." You can see Linda's work on the back cover. What will you do with this little book?