When Life Gives You….

Cherries !

I saw a great interiors photo of a beautiful kitchen last week and it had in it a cute sign that said Cherries on it.  I decided I would like one for my kitchen.  So I set about to do a prototype sign and work out my composition options, colour palette, and so on.

I have been wanting to integrate typography into my art, but free hand efforts have not looked how I want….so decided to use some form of an image transfer on this sign to get the composition of the letters as I liked before hand painting the lettering in my colour palette.  And last week I was in the middle of doing some experimentation with image transfer techniques and was timing and comparing the use of them, before teaching a variety of methods in a new workshop Brocante in the Barossa NEW Image Transfer on Chalk Paint ™ Workshop in January and March.  So I used an image transfer of the lettering onto the board (and did a time trial on it too).

First, I did a trawl online to see Cherries signs and motifs I liked.  I did not copy these, but definitely was inspired by fruits of the trawl.  I combined elements inspired from a number of sources into my design.  Then, I created the actual motif lettering in Microsoft Word, using WordArt feature, trying a number of fonts and shaping to the word before I found one I liked.  I used a pale colour, because I intended to paint over it all.  Then, printing the word art in reverse (mirror image), I  used Annie Sloan's Decoupage Glue/Varnish to apply the word "CHERRIES" to a board painted in Chalk Paint ™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan (colour of ground is Old White).

I began to paint over the lettering by hand and used Chalk Paint ™ by Annie Sloan in Primer Red, Emperor's Silk and a bit of Graphite for a little shadowing effect on the letters.  This took awhile and it does have a hand painted look to it.  I was as steady as I could though and used small taklon (4 and 6) flat and bright paint brushes for the painting work.

Then with small (2 and 4) bristle brushes, I used Antibes Green, and a more emerald looking mix of Antibes and Florence to create some leaves around the lettering.  I did leaves free hand.  I put in some shadows with  Graphite, so the lettering would stand out more and to give the leaves a look of part shadiness.  I used the darker red Primer Red to paint on some clusters of cherries amidst the foliage.  Emperor's Silk is a brighter red and was used for the brighter parts of the cherries, along with it mixed with a very bit of Old White (to make a quite bright warm pink).  To complete the cherries, I lightly put in some Old White highlights where the light would dance on the cherries.

To finish my prototype sign, I used Annie Sloan Soft Wax, first in Clear, then in Dark.  I gave the sign a bit of distressing with sandpaper.  And I rubbed back a bit of the dark wax, especially on the white bits around the letters, to brighten it up.

I like the sign.  I want to make a bigger one and will be planning that.  My immediate design dilemma:  How big should the sign for the kitchen be ?!

Painting Again

completing Unfinished Paintings:
Golden Celebration (yellow roses)

I have been away from blog posting, but only because life, working full-time and running a local business have kept me rather busy !  Also, I don't yet have a proper studio space.  Though, good news, now that the weather has improved, Ian is working on that.  Meantime, I do have the al fresco (under cover) work area, and during the week it is busy fixing furniture or building things.  On the weekend I can sometimes commandeer it myself.  And today that is exactly what I did !

Lovely warm weather, about 31 C, or about 88 F.   I decided to finish, or add to two previous works, so they can go to their new places or homes (this actually has yet to be determined).  But too many partly done or not how I am happy with them things is getting in the way of pursuing fresh projects and paintings.

Magnificent Sunflower 2010 (before)

First I decided to fix the background of Magnificent Sunflower, a painting I did in Jan 2010.  It was painted from life and its subject was an un-opened sunflower.  I love this painting and I liked its background, but it was a bit uneven, lacking in balance (even I admit that).  One side had a dripped paint treatment in the background and the other side did not.  I liked the dripped paint background, it was fun to do.  But maybe it is not best suited to this composition, as most people who see it like the not-side (without the dripped paint).  I decided to unify the background, so the painting can be more balanced.  I worked in oils, as this painting was given an oil glaze several years ago.  Oils were very easy to work and I finished this in half hour, maybe a bit less.  I gave it a softer look, framed by fresh greens and yellows, plus white. Not quite impressionistic, but with a romantic soft frame of colour.  It did not need much and I am happy with its new look.

Detail of new background

Magnificent Sunflower, with new background

Golden Celebration, 2010 (before)

Then, with a bit more paint on my palette and a whole bunch of things that need to be transformed, completed, or painted over to start anew, I picked a painting of Yellow Roses that I call Golden Celebration.  They are yellow roses of the David Austin type 'Golden Celebration' .  I did a photo shoot of them in Dec 2009 and painted this originally in May or so of 2010.  I also have a version of it--also almost finished-- in my US West Coast "studio"  (my parents home in Nevada).  I will be there in November and will be finishing that one too.  Three-year paintings !

Golden Celebration, during

So what did the Australian version of Golden Celebration need ?  Well, actually a fair bit of fine tuning.  Edges in the composition could be better and neater, with better colour.   Colours needed a bit more tonal definition.  I wanted the painting to have more light playing in it too, so it would not look 'flat.'  As with Magnificent Sunflower, I decided to work in oils.  Golden Celebration also had been painted in Acrylics and then given an oil glaze.  I had struggled with the edges of the petals, and getting them right.  Painting vivid yellows is harder than it looks, shadows and edges are particularly tricky.  Bright pigments like Cadmium Yellow are a bit "bossy" and easily domineer everything around them.  Which isn't very interesting.  How to keep the yellows clear and looking right and get edges, shadows, and such from looking murky or muddy ?!  That was the challenge at hand.

I worked slowly with size 6 and a size 4 flat brushes.  My oil brushes were so happy to get some action ! I used pure gum turps with my oils and a very light hand as I wanted to refine the painting, not do it over.  Three times I declared I was done.  OK, the third time it was really so !  The previous two times I considered and photographed the painting and found it not quite as I wished it.

Golden Celebration, 2013 (after)

For the flowers, I used Titanium White, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Australian Red-Gold (by Art Spectrum), and only a small bit of Raw Umber.  For the foliage and dark shadows among them I used Sap Green, Australian Gold Green (Art Spectrum), a bit of Titanium White and Lemon Yellow, Raw Umber, and for a bit of high lights, Art Spectrum's Tasman Blue.

Time flew on by and seemed to be very short.  However, I spent 2.5 hours on this, with only one break to put out a load of clean clothes on the line.  I worked without music, listening to bird sounds and the Sunday afternoon sunshine instead.  There were native parrot chirps, chooks (chickens) up next door clucking loudly about the eggs they were laying, and the junior magpie (young bird) was squawking really noisily.  I asked Ian if this is what it sounds like here during the weekdays when I am in the shop and he said it was !

Golden Celebration, completed 2013
(shown leaned against one of the new studio doors !)

I like how this turned out.  It needs some dry time now.  But it is worthy of being displayed now....I will be tackling more unfinished paintings soon, then will be starting some new works.  I may integrated multimedia techniques, as in the shop I have been experimenting with transfers.  I also acquired an old fashioned overhead projector (ex govt) and have gotten transparency sheets for use with ink jet printers.  I will use either or both for lettering or finely detailed images that I am not confident about doing freehand.

More soon :)

Obsessed with Colours

Brocante in the Barossa's Colour Wall Display

Blog posts here have become few and far between, but only because we are still so busy with Brocante in the Barossa at the moment.   As might be expected of a new venture.  For more info, check us out at www.brocante-in-the-barossa.com and there are links at top right of the home page to also link to our Facebook and Pinterest pages.

As the business itself and its infrastructure are getting set up, I am turning my thoughts to creative directions.  So a few little forays into some musings here.  

I am particularly loving being surrounded by colour, and exploring colours of the Chalk Paint (decorative paint) by Annie Sloan that we sell.  It is pretty amazing as a product and I love that customers buying it are happy using it and come back so happy with what they can and have done with it too.  That is tremendously uplifting.  One of the really fun things I get to do is advise on colours.  And mix colours.  And help customers choose colours that will suit the project they have in mind, or a room they want to use it, or that they just love.  I guess I feel happily obsessed with colours !

small timber spoons, painted
in Chalk Paint TM decorative
paint by Annie Sloan

timber spoons in blues & greens, L to R
Antibes Green, Florence, Provence,
Duck Egg, Aubusson Blue, Greek Blue,
and Louis Blue

So before a short business travel, leaving the shop in good hands for the week, I created some cute vignettes of colours from the Chalk Paint range.  I have been using little timber spoons I bought a couple months ago and I painted each in one of the 30 colours of the range.  A note about painting spoons: Until I did the first one (and while standing there holding it covered in wet paint), I did not realise how I might be letting the paint on them dry !  Hmmmm....what to do.  Well, Ian to the rescue--he drilled a small hole in each handle and I slide that over an S-hook to let the paint dry.  

.Colours on spoons, L to R:  Arles, Napoleonic Blue, Greek
Blue, Louis Blue, and Old White Chalk Paint.

Now I scatter the spoons in little displays all over the boutique.  We have a colour wall display, with boards painted in the colours too, and then waxed so customers can see the clear and dark wax finishes over each of the 30 colours.  But the spoons are much cuter, sitting around  in and as part of little displays.  Often in arrangements of colours to complement something they are perched on, or visually close to.

Just on the upper right, a palette that speaks of clear sunny days and blue skies, all bright cheer.  Inspired by and against a backdrop of a dark blue dresser we painted in Napoleonic Blue and finished with clear and dark waxes.  On it is an arrangement of yellow, blue, and white ceramics and vintage ginger jars.

Spoons show colours, top to
bottom:  Versailles, Chateau Grey,
Emperor's Silk, Scandanavian Pink,
Antoinette, Paloma, and Emile.

On the left, a very different looking palette.  Delicate pretty colours informed by a backdrop of vintage fabric from France in a pretty floral and figures print.  The colours speak of roses, reds, lilacs, and with some delicate greens in the mix too. I could see these colours on antique china cups, or all but the greens perhaps on pink lustreware pieces.  For a bit of whimsy, small miniature french playing cards have been thrown into the mix and and also vintage numbered tapes (maybe used originally for size tags ?)

Colours top to bottom:  Old
White, Florence, Provence,
Duck Egg, Barcelona Orange
and Coco

The last vignette for today shows some fresh zing in it with an energetic combination of colours that takes advantage of complementary colours principles.  Aqua Blues, with Tangerine.  Soft whites and cocoa to anchor and make them not overly fruity.  I love this combination and thought the small cherub decals echoed it quite well.  These colours will be used for some furniture painting being done while I am away.  Can't wait to see how that turned out !

Soon I will need to find something else to paint up to add to the in shops samples.  I have to find 30 of whatever it is going to be....and reasonable size.  If not spoons, then what ?!