This project was the epitome of crapsmanship — working, reworking, and reworking until I get something pleasing. My original intent was to do something abstract in black, white and gold. Strangely enough, I started with a baby blue background on an 18X24 canvas. I had read that starting with an unexpected color can add interest. The picture below isn’t my canvas, but it does show you the color I began with.
Sometimes, you crap something up so irretrievably, you’ve just got to start over.
The pic below was my beginning. The more I added embellishments, the crappier it got.
I just didn’t like it. So out came the black gesso. I painted the canvas completely and then added colored marks with stencils and acrylic paint.
Using a palette knife, I added white flower petals and green leaves. I painted on stems and some centers to the flowers. Once I was happy with the look, I placed the picture in a white frame with a white mat. Now it looks cheerful and spring-y, and I’m happy I didn’t settle on the crap I first started with!
A few friends and I got together to try some negative painting. We made colorful backgrounds and then painted around the images we wanted to create. Here are a few of our attempts, some finished, some in process. The best picture is the last one, and, no, that’s not apple juice!
Usually when I write about my crapsmanship, I’m describing my efforts to make things look better. Not this time! I should have stopped while I was ahead as I worked on this picture of a pot of spring flowers. Read the rest of this entry
Being a Louisiana girl, I wanted to switch out my dining room centerpiece to a Mardi Gras-themed floral arrangement. I already had the gold pot, and Hobby Lobby was having a sale on floral greenery.
Twenty dollars later, I had a green silk plant, some yellow and purple flowers, and a few Mardi-Gras-colored stems. With a piece of syrofoam in the bottom of the pot, wire cutters to disassemble all the plants and flowers, and 15 minutes of work, I had this beauty.
The photos aren’t flattering, but the centerpiece looks great in my dining room!
I love having fresh flowers around my house, but I never could get the arrangement just right. I also didn’t feel as if I could spend the money on restocking each week. I think now, I’ve got both those problems solved!
