A Sampling Of Projects

I seem to be going in so many different directions these days.....I've been trying to finish up some things and start up others. For instance, I got this tin out weeks ago, applied gesso and then stuck it under a pile of papers and photos in my studio. I had put it aside to work on my Chickadee & Petunias Faux Window. Now that the window is finished, the tin made its way back out of the mess it was under to start being worked on.

I had to start by deciding on a design that I wanted to paint on the tin. You will be able to see the design a bit better in the below photos but the one above shows how I approach the creation of the sketch itself. It is easier and more functional for me, when painting on a tin like this, to draw the design on tracing paper first. I've actually used two pieces...one with the actual design and one with the shape of the ceiling tin outlined on it. This allows me to move the sketch around the tin shape in an attempt to dertermine the best placement. It basically lets me play around all I want without committing to a final position for the design until I'm ready.

Here you can see the outline of the tin and the basic sketch. A birdhouse and a little chickadee. The birdhouse is resting on some Lilac branches.

This photo shows the very beginning stages of painting. My birdhouse and chickadee have been positioned just the way I want them....transferred onto the tin and I've started painting the background at this point. I'll be showing the progress of this tin as I go alone.

Now on to something totally different...... I don't do mailboxes on a regular basis anymore but I was recently contacted by a long time customer of mine who wanted a very special mailbox for his mother for Christmas. He sent me a photo of an Easter cross and asked me to create my own version for this mailbox. Above and below show the finished design on both sides.

Last but not least, I started to think about what I wanted to do with this egg over a year ago. Nothing was really grabbing me and so, I put it in a box and forgot about it. Just this week I was saying to myself...."what did I do with that egg?" The time has come for this Emu egg to be painted and I know just what I will do on it. I will show the finished piece in a few weeks. It seems like there are so many projects these days......and so little time.

Purple Clematis & Hummingbird

I shipped out my last mailbox of the year a few weeks ago. Even though right now, I'm taking time off from this kind of work to concentrate on some other painting projects, I really did like the subject as it reminds me of kinder months weather wise.

The customer wanted deep purple Clematis as this is the flower that grows by her mailbox post. She said they always attract a good bunch of red throated hummers each year as well , so she wanted to combine these themes for her new mailbox. I hope that the purple Clematis and Hummingbird will bring a bit of warm weather spirit to your winter.

Bangle Tiger

I've just shipped out a special custom order, bangle tiger mailbox this week. I was contacted by this customer a few months ago as she wanted to discusss a special design that would coordinate with the inside of her house.

She forwarded samples of her wallpaper with the lily and butterfly design that you see in the top photo. The wallpaper has a very contemporary look and so to keep that theme, I matched the flowers and butterfly to the wallpaper. I kept the color palette simple on this one, gray, silver, black and white were the main colors that the customer wanted in order to echo the design of the wallpaper.

She also sent me a photo of a special piece in her home, a stuffed animal, bangle tiger that she had on display. Her one request for the painted tiger was that he retain the piercing blue eyes that the stuffed animal version had. The tiger was painted on the box and then I incorporated the contemporary floral design around him. I think the two go very well together. Fun but also very challenging at times to create this one.

Honey Bees Everywhere

I recently finished a mailbox & plaque set that I had a ton of fun with. A customer contacted me because she wanted a special mailbox and sign for her family. Her husband is a bee keeper and also sells honey and she wanted a special set of pieces reflecting that passion.

I really wasn't totally sure for awhile how I wanted to approach this design. I had some ideas but nothing had been set into stone. So, when the time came to start the project I asked my husband Chris to print out a font that said "bees" to him. He chose the font you see here. When I saw it, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the design, I knew I wanted to take a very whimsical route. So in this particular case, the font gave me inspiration for the design. It isn't the first time that this has happened actually. I painted colorful bees flying all around, trying to fly toward their whimsical little hive. I also decided to do something really fun by painting the black short lines behind the bee......kind of like what I've seen in cartoons in the past, showing where the bee has been flying.