Sunday, August 11, 2013

Our picnic table in the back yard has had more makeovers than the Oprah show. 

Hubs built this 12 foot table with treated wood and a steel picnic leg kit from the hardware store, back in the eighties.  We let it "dry and cure" for a year or two and it got ugly.  So I just HAD to paint it. And I have been doing it every couple years since.  Its a big heavy table so it takes the weather, hot or cold, burning sun, rain, sleet, ice and snow out there.

This week, The Hubs stripped down the old pic-a-nic table in the back yard and slapped a couple coats of primer on it.  I just painted it last year but I didn't take the time to prep it well and it does have to sit out in the snow all winter.  The paint always takes a beating and it has so many kinds of paint on it, it peeled really bad this year.  Paint alone on this table weighed a ton!  I figure it was pretty well indestructible!

So it looks like this at the time being... A blank canvas.. beckoning me to make it colorful...

 

Last year, I bought this really cool watermelon at a charity craft show so I painted the table to go with it.  Like I said tho, I probably didn't take the time to prep the surface before I did it, (I scraped it, and slapped a coat of primer on it, but didn't sand or really work at it.  Just took off the loose stuff)

 

The paint job before that was for the sports teams in the family.  

The time before that, I had extra paint after doing the house... so it matched!  It was like that for many years! Good ol' housepaint!

 

And the time before that, it was just a random paint job that lasted a couple years with just craft paints.

 I had it done with slices of watermelon all over it once, but don't seem to be able to put my finger on the picture, 

And it was done with: Sit Long Talk Much Laugh Lots" Or something scrawled up the benches, (I think there were flowers all over it then too of some kind) Those designs were way back in the eighties!

This picnic table has been through a lot in its almost 30 years!  Its been through neighborhood parties,  birthday parties while the kids grew up, construction workers, (remodeling/construction a couple times, actually),  a couple of graduation open houses, loaned out to friends for their parties,  halloween pumpkin carving, and family reunions!  I love thinking about all the friends and family that have sat around this table with us through the years!  Its like part of our family.

So we'll slap another coat of paint on her and dress her up for the next shindig, whenever that will be!  Just got to come up with a design first.  Stay tuned!

August 8th 2013

Been busy lately!

And I have just had to paint a couple things just to remember how!

I did this for an raffle for an Alzheimers fundraiser.  Its done on 8x10 canvas board with acrylics.  I put a flower pot, garden spades and a pair of garden gloves in with it.  Wish me luck!

Then my friend Dan took a gorgeous water lily shot and I tried to paint it... it just needs something though.

Still waiting for the weather to cooperate so that I can put a coat of clear on my table, so I can sell it.

A friend of mine has recently lost her beloved dog and has asked me to paint a picture of it for her.  I hope I can do her justice.  I worry about whether or not I can portray the personalities when people ask me to do it for them.  If I do it on my own and I capture it, then fine, thats cool.  But if I don't, there is nothing hurt.  Its just a picture of a dog. But when someone asks you to do it, the pressure is on!

Have been in cahoots with a friend who wants to surprise his girlfriend with some painting... that will be coming up soon, so stay tuned for that.

August 3, 2013

Happy August!  This summer is going fast!  So many fun things to do in the summer I am sure thats the reason it flies! Its my very favorite season.

I haven't done much art since I last wrote, but sometimes you just have to do the HAVE-TO's instead of the WANT-TO's.   Those HAVE-TO's are multiplying and catching up with me, so its time to take time out of the artroom to take care of business.  **acting like I was just told to clean my room **

Recently, a friend wanted to buy one of my paintings. YAY!  However, Hubs also had a connection to it and didn't want to part with it just yet.  Well, alright.  Hubs is always ready to make money, so if he says that he didn't want to sell that particular painting, he must really be attached to it.

So, asked the friend if he would take a print.  No problem, yes, he would.  So off I went to find a printer that could do it!  I went 35 miles to the printer I like for my pen and inks.  After finding out that their scanner will not take canvas, (it rolls the paper through but canvas doesn't bend) their suggestion was take a good digital picture of it and send it in to a good printer.   Asked a couple of artist friends about where they get their prints made and received a couple of referrals to some places online.  I have checked locally and haven't found anything reasonable.

I sent the digital picture of the print to several different printers to see their work.  I was amazed that one did their own, and three of them went to the same lab!  And I liked them better than the one that did their own.  So, good to know!

However...

I didn't send the right picture.  I always take pics of my art in progression to be able to step back and see it differently throughout the process... I always see something that I want to change or do differently, after I take a pic and pull it up on my computer, then I will go back and change it. 

Well it was one of THOSE that I now have 4 prints of.  Dang, dang dang!!!  It may not look bad to someone else, but its not the final product.  And I'D know!


Lesson learned.  I really ought to delete those progression pictures once the painting has changed, but I don't.  Its kind of looking down the path you traveled to get to your destination.

At any rate, I found the printer I like through the process anyway, and so I will probably send some others.  Now to send the final digital file to the printer to get my very patient friend his print.

Hope to have more to show next time I write.  Until then, I will share something artsy:

Have a good week, friends, and make something colorful!!

Sunday July 21, 2013

Today I am putting the final touches on the table... which is on the front porch of all places!
 I have worked on, but not finished the Red Truck... I think I now know why I don't do vehicles because getting the tires all proportionate and equal is a hard thing to do... I could do it with my old drafting tools!  But then, it might look too 'technical'.

 Then, I did the cat... My Hubby named it 'Sweet Dreams', but he suggested that I put a balloon over the cats head with a mouse in it... cute idea, but not sure I can pull it off...

 For those of you that have been following the corn in the back and its progress, those stalks are between 7 and 8 feet high now.  Probably the last pic, at least until they take it down.  If it wasn't so hot, that burn pile coulda been history too.... sorry about that.

 And these sunny tiger lillies are almost done brightening the yard.

 Well, thats life as I know it for this week.  Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday July 18, 2013

TA- DA!!!!!

Little touch up, a little clear coat and its done!  It came out just about the closest to my original idea. Whew hoo!

July 14, 2013 Sunday

Well, yesterday, I didn't get to work on the table much, because Hubs' side of the family had their reunion.  BUT...
I did get to finish a painting that I was doing for my cousin tho.  It is of a Mine Shaft in the city of my ancestors.  The mine is closed now but it remains a landmark where they give tours and history of the mining in that area.   You can donate to have the mine lit up for special occasions, and my cousin and her husband had it lit up for our family reunion last week.  So, although it may or may not appeal to anyone else, it holds a memory of our youth and our willingness to get together in our adulthood and share our stories of our lives, past and present.  I am going to let it cure, spray it, and send it off...

And a couple nights ago, it was raining and creative juices were running, so I started this... not sure where I am going with it yet, but...

Work in progress...
Well, its a beautiful day, although HOT, and its a good day to get out and get that table done, so I guess I'll get to it.
Stay tuned!

UPDATE:

 It was a beautiful day and other than a few touch-ups, I got the top of the table pretty well done.  Now all we have to do is put the legs on it!  I'll post a final pic when its all done.

July 11,2013

WHOOOOOHOOO! A whole day without rain!  I actually got to put some paint on my table...
Let me refresh your memory.  I am recycling/upcyling some items I have found into a table.  I want to stop right now and say thanks to Hubs for helping me with the building/planning of it, I know how I want to put it together, but he is the one that listens and fits the pieces together.  Its not done yet, but its getting closer to his part of the job.

Anyhow, here are the legs one more time....they were found at a cabinetry shop clearance sale... they were just 4 different kinds of wood so I painted them this way.

These are kitchen  cabinet fronts, from the same sale. They will make a box around the top of the the legs to connect the legs with the top of the table.

 Here is the table round that is made from what I think was a large spool that telephone wire comes off of... found on a liquidation of a flower shop which used it as a display table.

So tonight I was finally able to prep the round top, with a primer coat or three....

Its not done, but I started basing the gerbera daisy on it.  There is still green, and white and black to be add and then Hubs will jump in and put it all together. It will be a bright conversation starter!

Will post again when its all done.