Skipjack sailboat in an Antique round medal frame

Vintage looking Skipjack painting

This surface was actually an old cellulite photograph that was a 'permanent' part of
the vintage/antique frame 

When I purchased this little frame (about 7" round), I thought the the photograph was behind a plastic looking glass.  The lady was rather unattractive, to be honest, and I was going to pitch her.  Alas, I brought it home and she was there to stay.  I painted over her preciousness and now have a skipjack sailboat.  It was that easy. 

The back of the frame is very old looking.  It is just part of the charm of this little piece.  You can see at the bottom of the above picture where the string is attached that this frame could also be hung on a wall.  I have included an example of this below.  

The frame, itself, is quite beautiful and the condition is really good.  I immediately fell in love with it and decided that it must have a piece of art in it instead of Fuddy Duddy.  

I took a few snapshots of the progression of this piece.  To include every step of the process would be too much.  The sky and the water progressed for a while, adding color upon color, until I satisfied with the final product. 

Quick History:  The 'skipjack' is a unique type of commercial wooden sailing vessel that was used to dredge oysters from the Chesapeake Bay.  These boats could go into shallow water and date back to the 1800's. 

Here it is hanging on my wall in my living room.  I have an area of round mirrors and I removed one of them to hang this; although, I prefer it sitting on a desk or table.  

The final product 

The final steps simply included varnishing it and lightening the water just a tad.  Thanks for looking today to read about my Skipjack sailboat.  

ENJOY

Tweet

Whimsical Impressionistic Windows, Part 2

A window is only but a  partial glimpse of what is inside... 

~Kolene Spicher  

I love all the movement 

I have always been a fan of Van Gogh.  What was going thru his mind when he created all that movement.  Maybe he was running a marathon in his brain.  

ON the water, my dream 

Oh, how I wish I had a place on the water with a window like this that opened up to a vast body of water.  In my dream, there is no land, only 1850s sailboats.  JUST kidding. 

I love all the bright colors, there are some bright oranges mixed in to this painting that make your eye travel around the piece.  

Same house, different window

This painting has the same basic view as the one above it.  I love the golden drape with the crown over the window.  I would not want to price a drape like this, very costly.  I might not paint my window red, either, but it's good for a painting.  

. 

My other house is in town, downtown Paris 

LOVE the colors on this one, too.  These may be challenging to frame... I am thinking of buying some old frames that are beat up and aged with antique glass and painting them Paris Green.  

Other favorite past time...eating 

Ok, just imagine having a bakery like this down the street.  If you live in the country, you will want to buy this print.  You can live the life thru the artwork on your walls.  Hopefully, your art makes you feel happy.  That is my goal.  

Here are the four of them.  Please look at my post Whimsical Impressionistic Windows, Part 1 to see the other paintings from this series.  I have two more to go... 

Enjoy! 

Tweet

How to Paint a Wing Back Chair

Painting a fabric chair 

Painting a fabric chair can be a bit daunting if you have never attempted it.  I have to admit, the chair looked pretty awful and I was not in much of a hurry to fix it.  

Years ago, back when I first was married, my mother gave me this chair.  I left it sit in the sun, bad move.  When she passed away, I couldn't get myself to throw the chair out.  It really didn't have much value anymore due to my neglect in allowing it to sit in the sunshine. 

One day while on PINTEREST,  I noticed that someone was picturing a wingback fabric chair painted.  WHAT?  I had never heard of painting fabric.  I know, where have I been.  I can't recall what they used, but this is what I used. 

#AmyHoward paint, #Delta Textile medium

I thought I had recalled that they used equal parts of each.  So that is what I did.  I am happy to say it turned out beautifully.  

There were a few problematic areas with my chair, which caused a less than perfect finished product; however, it is so much improved over where I started, I am happy with the result.  

Right or wrong, I actually hot glued that cording back into place.  I was careful to only have glue on the backside of the cording so that the paint held.  This is worth mentioning because nothing sticks well to hot glue.  

I am not much of a seamstress, and there was no way on earth I could even think of sewing a slip cover; although, to sew was my husband's idea.  

No it had to be painted.  That's what I am good at.  

This was after one coat.  

After the first sanding, the roughness went away, the pattern did not.  With out putting a bunch of boring photos up, suffice it to say that it looked like a checkered pattern with white paint over it for about 4 coats.  I allowed the fabric to dry between coats and I sanded at least twice with fine sandpaper.  I didn't go crazy with the sandpaper because you don't want to eat into the fabric with your vigor. 

See the pattern, not desirable. 

After another day working at my chair, I ended up with this final product.  Note that I do not have the original cushion.  This is because the sun obliterated it.  

*One important detail, You will want to scrub the paint into the cording of your chair.  You want there to be a good seal around the cording.  

The legs on this wingback were originally oak, yuck.  I gave them a quick coat of high gloss paint and they look fab.  

The seat is an old antique grain bag stuffed with towels and folded into itself.  I actually have another idea for the seat but it will have to wait. 

Here's another angle. This chair really has some beautiful curves. 

There is an ever so slight checkered pattern that persists.  

I set the chair right back at the same window.  We will see if the checks continue to bleed thru.  Also, I am thinking that it will hold up better in the sun.  Can't promise that, though.  It may have to be moved.  My chair makes me think of my MOM, who is now in heaven.  I have to take care of it.  

Thanks for looking! 

Enjoy 

Tweet

Whimsical Impressionistic Windows

Windows are little openings into our lives, 

They let light in and let life out...

My inspiration painting 

Years ago, I purchased a book on the country of France.  I have always been fascinated with all things 'Paris.'  I even had the opportunity to visit this wonderful country about 12 years ago, we stayed in the city of PARIS.  It was one of the highlights of my life.  I really loved it.  I loved the museums and the eating and the architecture.  It was all perfect.  

Today, I am giving you a glimpse into my studio and showing you what I have been working on for a while.  I actually have 12-14 of these all penned out on paper and am now beginning the process of adding color.  I wanted my windows to be done in a "VanGogh" style.  

Vincent VanGogh 

Vincent VanGogh 

I love all the movement in his work.  I know that he had sort of a magic that nobody can ever duplicate perfectly, but I had fun trying.  This man could paint anything in in any genre.  I fully think that he could paint picture realistic, if he chose to.  His work, to me, looks fictional but I believe that it is far from it.  I believe that everything he painted was 'there' and in fact was painted from life.  He had the ability to see movement in all that he painted.    This I love.  

These caught my eye, too.  The windows are solid and dark but it makes me wonder...WHAT IS GOING ON
BEHIND that glass??  

These were also taken into consideration when I started to pen my paintings.  As of today, I have 4 completed.  

I think these would look lovely in any room of your home.  I think I will sell the originals and place them in frames
that are painted with  Amy Howard MILK paint.  

I know that pink is a color that some people can't do, but I happen to love pink because I love and have a lot of grey in my home.  This color just naturally goes well with grey.  Here's a few closeups of the above. 

There is a lot of movement in this painting.  It is free and fun and not exact.  I love the whimsical
look of it and think it happens to be a windy day! 

HAPPY is having a house on the water...  This was a phrase that I read on the internet.  I think it's true, smile.

This was actually a real window from a book, the building was located in Montmartre. 

I love to eat.  I also love to walk to a good bakery, especially when on vacation.  I love the bakery in Chesterton, MD

This picture makes your mind wonder, is this a lobby in a hotel?  A bed and breakfast? Why is there
a book at the window.  Am I supposed to sign in?  There is a level of mystery, and I like this. 

I think the grey is beautiful and compliments all colors.  My whole house is some form of grey.  I really like the splash of red.  

Thanks for taking the time to look at my artwork!  

ENJOY! 

Tweet

Final Post for The Loaves and the fishes 3-D Mermaid

The Frame

The first step to graining 

If you read any of my previous posts, you will recall that the frame for this project was to be grained.  This step was time consuming for me.  I don't grain every day.  I started off with a bright yellow buttercup color and then mixed a glaze and began the faux wood process.  

This was the final product of my efforts. 

I wanted the color to be very deep because the customer wanted it as dark as possible without losing the grain.  The grain is there!  You can see the subtle yellow shining thru the finish.  

...and They did eat and are all filled.  Luke 9:17  

I love a painting with a message.  For me that is what it is all about.  I am willing to labor over something to achieve a final goal that has some 'feel good power'.  As I have aged, I have become very interested in taking my time on things and doing them correctly.  While this painting took forever to finish, it was rewarding along the way.  

The tail will flip outward.  Once it is behind glass, I will not be able to demo this as effectively once behind glass, so I took lots of photos to show you now! 

Here are some additional photos.  

I like how my nail polish matches the water.  

The mermaid really stands out against the dark sea.  The color of the water was very important because the customer wanted it to enhance her  home decor furnishings.  

Look at the shadow on the Marlin! 

More shadows....

The Final Product! This measures in at 25"x36" OUTSIDE dimensions. That's one big mermaid! 

If you have the chance, go back and look at the steps that I wrote about concerning this painting on previous posts.  If you get the chance look up the Coast Guard Cutter ship portrait, too.  This was also a custom piece that I found really rewarding to paint.  I think the details shine when you take your time!  

ENJOY! 

Tweet

Whaling Scene

Is it Moby? 

Here he is! Is it moby? 

When I look at this painting, I think to myself, this looks like the whale that stoved the whale, that then stoved the boat.  I liked the idea of having a lot of action in the painting but focusing the main picture on one giant whale! That is what the tail and the head and the spout are all about...ACTION! 

I love his spout!  It looks like a heart! 

The frame is nice and old, I would date it  to 1875, correct me if I am wrong, please.   I like to learn.   The glass is bubbly and distorted.  There is a small  chip that was in the glass, making it less than perfect.  

See the chip?  To me, it makes it authentic.  I don't mind it! 

I always like to include my featured piece beside some of my other work so that you can see how it blends.  

There she is, sitting proudly on a sailboat.  You can see, all the colors go greatly together.  These paintings have been all completed at different times over the last 5-7 years, the lighthouse maybe even older.  

I love nautical and the distressed frame! 

Some of the things that stand out to me are the water and the heart-shaped spout.  I also like the little slash marks that are ever so slightly painted on the whale.  Can you see them? 

I included the remote so that you can have a feel for the scale.  This painting is like 6X11"

I love how the colors look beside my antique set of painted drawers.  

It's alway fun working on projects like this.  I hope you enjoyed reading about my thoughts on this piece, "Is it Moby?" 

Enjoy! 

Kolene 

Tweet

Another 3-D Mermaid, Part 4

The Loaves and the Fishes 

"And They did eat and were all filled"

I love artwork that carries a message.  For me, that is 1/2 the fun.  This particular mermaid was a custom piece.  

She's all painted but not attached yet 

After I have all the pieces in place--such as, the sailor, marlin, mermaid, and ship, the next step is to attach them.  

I don't want to do this yet until I have the frame finished.  

I am going to have a frame hand-grained to have 

the look of walnut.  The customer wants 

it to be as dark as possible without looking heavy and black.  

The process of graining begins with a bright base. In this instance, I am going to use a yellow.  I then will go over the frame with a transparent  walnut type glaze.  

This will take on the look of wood.  Because there is dimension to the mermaid, I will have to have a spacer placed in behind the glass to produce a cavity for the pieces.  

There's going to be a string painted in that will attach the rod to the Marlin.
You can sort of see the shadow effect to the right of the sailor. This is intentional.  

If you look in the water, you can see Luke 9:17.  This is a scripture from the Bible about the Loaves and the fishes.  Having the mermaid carrying the huge shell filled with fish and bread carries the message "And they did eat and were all filled."  God certainly provides and satisfies.  I love this idea and am really enjoying the process! 

There will be a spacer behind the mermaid that will have her separated from the paper about 1/4" 

Look at her tail and how the bottom of the fin projects forward.  This is where I get the 3-D concept! 

Although this thread has gotten very long with this segment being Post 4, I will need to have one final post.  It will cover the graining of the frame, the applying of the mermaid, sailor, and Marlin, along with some other fine last minute details.  

Check in about a week!  

Enjoy! 

Kolene Spicher 

Tweet