All Over The Walls

If you have ever read my bio, you know that my partner, Maggie and I, own another business, called 2 Women and a Paintbrush, and although the majority of my time (thanks to Maggie's support), is spent on The Decorative Paintbrush, I do, do occasional work, with 2 Women and a Paintbrush.  Usually, when a customer requests something "artsy", because although Maggie is very creative, she'll be the first to tell you, "Mary does the pretty work."  So, that said, here is some "pretty work" that I had the privilege of doing on a customers walls.  She wanted something fun & funky to match the great bed spread she had purchased.  I had originally planned on just doing plain colored squares, but as always, a design has a mind of its own.  We added pattern (cow print, dots & checkerboards), we added circles, to soften the hardness of the sharp edges of the squares, and we even added depth (squares within squares).  The room now has has a great 60's vibe to it, yet, with the patterns, it has a bit of a modern twist. Bringing it into the 21st century.

As always, we used Benjamin Moore Paints.  The colors were very deep and vibrant, only complimenting the design, pulling the whole look/theme together!  My next job with 2 Women and a Paintbrush will consist of a Thomas The Tank Engine mural in a little boys room, and perhaps Gerber Daisy's in his sister's room. So, you see when I say, "Painting isn't just a job for us, it's a way of life..." I mean it.  Every day we paint something! I wouldn't have it any other way! 

Oh, and just to give you a sneak peek of what I'm working on in the shop...A friend gave me this piece last week before she moved.  She had bought it at a garage sale, planned to refinish it, but never had a chance, so, it was stored in her basement for a very long (LONG) time, until we rescued it!  I already have some idea of what I will do with it, but you know how that goes....I say that now, but once I get started, BAM! a whole other piece emerges. Look for the finished project coming soon...

Pink, Green, Funky & Quilt Inspired

I can't quilt to save my life! It was something I always wished I could do but for some reason never picked up. But I love quilting, so much so, that it inspires a lot of my work.  This piece, I have shown before but I wanted to share it again, just to show how quilting inspires me.

As I stated before pink, green, white and black make a very dynamic color combination. The reason it works so well in this piece, I believe, is the "quilt  factor", small pieces of "faux fabric" painted on, in small increments, creating one large design. 

The great thing about being creative, is that you see beauty in everything, and draw inspiration from almost any place. Even though I do not sew a stitch (hahaha, pun intended) I can spend days in a fabric store, I've actually been know to take pictures with my phone of fabric I find interesting, funny, I know, but it always provides me with some new way of displaying color. And for me that is the goal, displaying color! I have had a love affair with color for as long as I can remember, and for me, the bolder and crazier, the better! That is why I find quilting to be so fascinating, because it takes all these little swatches of fabric, perhaps with one similar color, and magically (at least it seems, for the talented artists who quilt) sews them together to create a fabulous cohesive piece!

So the next time you are out and about, stop and take notice (and pictures) of the simple things that can inspire your creativity, even if it is a medium you don't necessarily work in.

Something Fun

I found this piece at a local Thrifty Shopper.  It was a piece I found weeks ago.  It's funny because when I found it I had a whole different idea for the design, then how it actually turned out.  It was going to be a safari themed piece.  I had been collecting different "Safari/African" pictures and I had this awesome picture of a lion head that I had planned to put right in the center.  The bottom was going to be an African sunset on the Serengeti with just the silhouette of a heard of animals moving across the plains.  I was going to flank the legs with various animal prints and finish the back with a large picture of a giraffe. But if you take a look at the picture on the right.... this piece, wanted to be something else.

 Okay, without sounding crazy, remember I told you that a piece can "speak" to you, not actually in words, but it talks, and it almost creates itself.  I have had pieces start out one way and totally change coarse mid way through, and that is what happened here! I layed the foundation colors, and suddenly, it was begging me for a whole different concept.  It went "Folk Art" on me. Moons, stars, country hearts, and houses! Wow, a long way from the Serengeti! But I went with it, I just let it tell me how it wanted to be painted, and as always, was very happy with the end result.

I kept some of the animal print on the legs, and the sunset is still there on the base, except now it is behind a row of houses, not a band of African animals. 

I wasn't sure how the color palette would work either, the blue seemed so different then the, Autumn combination of rusts, plums & greens, I had originally chosen, but after it was done, I couldn't imagine it not being there.  The top is my favorite, I love the combination of the designs and how the corners symbolize different things.   These symbols are what make it a very Folk style piece. 

I also love to add embellishments, as you know, I feel it is what makes the piece mine, so to speak.  I added them to the sides and the bottom level, just to add some whimsy. I found this great wood shop that sells these cut outs for dirt cheap,  http://www.craftparts.com/ just looking through their online catalog can give you so many fantastic ideas, it's awesome.  They also sell a really great lacquer, which I used on this piece, as well as, there paint pens, both I recommend highly.

So, the moral of this story is, let the piece "speak" to you.  You'll feel it, really! In your gut, you'll know whether something is working or not...Don't try and force it to be something that it isn't because, truth be told, you won't be proud of it in the end, at least that's how I feel...

Things To Inspire

I'm always on the look out for anything "Flea Market" "Do it Yourself" or "Thrifty Style Decorating" magazine, so you can just about imagine how excited I was when i discovered this one at the local grocery store.  At first, I was leery about spending $10 on a magazine, but after much debate (with myself in the produce section) I decided it was something I couldn't live without, so I treated myself, and am, oh so glad I did!  I devoured it as soon as I got home.  I locked my bedroom door, shut out the kids, the dogs and got comfortable (in my pajama bottoms and over sized sweatshirt, cause when I say comfortable, I mean comfortable). Cover to cover, page to page, I couldn't put it down. Not, only did it have wonderful and innovative ideas, it had some fantastic websites, blog sites and information (I've listed a couple of them at the end of this post).  I love taking the time to read books & visit other creative web sites. It gives me such a boost of enthusiasm. Sometimes I even take a computer day.  Computer day?  Yep, that's what I've named it and this is how it works...During the month I collect different books from the library, and gather different magazines that catch my attention.  I pile them on my nightstand, until they are about to topple over, and then, just before the stack hits the floor, I read. I grab my notebook and dive in.  I collect ideas, web-pages, blog-spots anything that is of interest and jot it in the notebook.  Then, when i have down time, say at a lacrosse game, soccer game, dentist appointment etc....(and yes, i know, it's pretend down time, but you've got to make it when you can) I pull out the notebook and check out a few websites.  I also keep the notebook full of drawings and ideas to give me inspiration when I am stuck on a piece.  Someday, I will write my own book, but until then, I blog!

http://www.thejunkrevolution.com/

http://www.elegantthrifter.com/

http://chriskauffman.blogspot.com/

http://thevintagelaundress.blogspot.com/

http://www.matthewmeadstyle.com/

Oh, and just a side note: "What do you do with all those magazines" you ask? They go into a huge box in my studio and are clipped apart for various collage & journaling projects. Waste not, I always say! But this magazine has earned a spot on my desk shelf, where I can refer back to it often!