Paint by Numbers: Back to Donna Reed

By Lisa McLaughlin

Not quite art yet not entirely craft, paint-by-number kits were all the rage during the 1950s and '60s. Originated by artist Dan Robbins, who took his cue from Leonardo da Vinci's practice of assigning numbered sections of his paintings to apprentices, the kits made it easy for the masses to create mountain vistas or the Last Supper. After the craze died down, the kits were left to gather dust on the back shelves of craft stores.

But interest in all things paint by number resurfaced a few years ago, and the fad seems to be gaining steam. Vintage finished pictures are now being avidly collected, and new sets are being made. The Smithsonian Institution was host to an exhibit called "Paint by Number: Accounting for Taste in the 1950s," which led to a book, Paint by Number, by William L. Bird Jr. Designer Todd Oldham, who has been collecting the canvases for 20 years, recently taught the Today-show audience how to make Valentine's Day presents with paint-by-number kits. Sean Cisewski, inventory-control manager for Herrschners crafts company, says that paint-by-number kits are now the third most popular item in his catalogs.

What's the appeal of the genre? Graduate student Ellen Jameson says painting puppies and sunsets with the kits she finds in New York City art-supply stores is "soothing. It's like a mindful meditation." Says marketing exec Jane Berk, who scours Los Angeles swap meets to find additions to her Western-themed collection of completed canvases: "They give you this comfortable feeling. When you are looking at them, you are transported back to Donna Reed time, when things seemed simpler."