Right now in upstate NY, it's beautiful because fall is in full swing, and there is no better place to experience fall than the Adirondacks. Every year we take our family, plus a few extras, out of the city and into the great outdoors for some fishing, hiking and good old fashioned (unplugged) family time.
This year we rented a home on Lake Minerva (A few miles from Gore Mountain). The weekend was amazingly beautiful! Of course it was a perfect opportunity for me to grab my camera and take some wonderful pictures.
I love collecting pictures.
I often use them for my inspiration boards when developing my design concept.
I knew after meeting with Liz, that her two pieces would be inspired by fall, so these pictures automatically went right up on the board.
She had purchased this chair a few years back from another artist and was ready for a change in color. When she saw me at the Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival this summer, she actually thought I was the artist who had done the original chair. After a few e-mails and conversations we established that in fact, it wasn't my work, although close, it belonged to another creative soul.
She also wanted me to paint this small cupboard to match the chair.
Her fall color palette consisted of these earthy colors from Benjamin Moore:
Revere Pewter HC-172
Raccoon Hallow 978
Ferwood Green 2145-40
Olive Branch 2143-30
Chestnut 2082-10
The first 4 colors are very similar in hue, so I decided to add some other bold colors to really break them up, otherwise it would've looked muddy. I decided to add the chestnut (maroon), white & black, and in the case of the cupboard, gold metallic.
The chair, had just some basic gold on the sides.
This is the before and after picture.
I kept some similar design elements, as you can see. The previous artist was heavy on the paint, and although I did try to sand down some of the heavier areas, what actually started happening was the wood started to splinter. I knew this would create an even bigger mess then if I had just masked the previous design with paint. So, I sacrificed original design, for aesthetics .
Onto the next piece...the cupboard. Remember, these two pieces had to match. They were going to be in adjoining rooms and she wanted them to coordinate.
Her only stipulation was that the cupboard had to be simple.
SIMPLE?! Are you crazy?
Okay, seriously you guys, you've been around me long enough to know that I don't do simple well! LOL! I literally had to force myself to keep from putting designs ALL OVER THIS THING!
But because she uses this piece to showcase a variety of holiday/seasonal items it couldn't compete with them. So, instead I tried to create interest just using color, forgoing the crazy mixed-up patterns you are used to seeing from me.
It was harder than eating a whole plate of cookies!
I did use a variety of stripes though. To me stripes are simple. A classy way to incorporate some design without overpowering the piece.
I also changed the knobs. I think the black knobs pull this piece together.
The before and after.
Do you ever use inspiration boards to create something?
I suggest taking pictures-it's fun and can be a great resource. Fall is almost over, the days are getting shorter, so get out there and gather!
And yes, I got a new IPhone! I'm totally loving the camera and editing effects, can you tell?!
I have also fallen madly in love with Instagram too! Are you on Instagram? If so, please come find me (follow the Instagram link above). I'm still trying to navigate around the site, but I'm finding that it's such a great creative outlet and so visually stimulating, that if you're not on it, you should be
Until next time....
