Playing With Chalk Paint Again!

Old leather and wood stools in "Aubusson Blue" 

Weathered wicker chair now covered in "Emperor's Silk"

About a year ago, I painted my antique dining room furniture with blue chalk paint to try it out.  Most people might have started with a smaller project to experiment with, but the dark wood just didn't fit in with the rest of my beach house.  I knew if the chalk paint didn't work out, I would have to strip and sand the old finish off anyway.  Not much to lose really.  I had heard a little about Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint about a year ago, then did some online research.  To tell the truth, I didn't find anything unfavorable about this paint.  I does seem expensive, but now I know first hand that it is worth every penny.  I painted a table, six ladder back chairs, a hutch and a buffet with one quart and still had enough left to paint four of these bar stools.  

Annie Sloan's web site basically says you can use the paint on any surface- without ANY preparation.  My bar stools have been outside on the balcony exposed to sea air and rain for over a year, and were pretty much shot.  I was going to get rid of them anyway, so thought I would try the paint on them.  I painted the wood frames first- then just went for it, and covered the leather areas too.  They have been sat on, and rained on for about 2 weeks and so far, so good!  I bought a can of the red- Emperor's Silk- because I loved the color.  Didn't even know what I would use it on when I ordered it.  My wicker chair on the balcony was starting to look a bit sad, so it was the first red project.  The color is beautiful- and the wicker was a light color, so it just took one coat.  I thinned the paint a bit so it would get between the wicker spaces easier and it was a quick project.

Now, I am going to order three more quarts because I have picked out some shades for inside with  beach glass shades in mind.  Inside, outside- this paint is amazing!  I used the soft wax to seal the dining room set, but for exterior, no wax.  I can't wait to see how it lasts in the damp, ocean air- I am betting it will be great.

Ben's Dogs- Watercolor

Hurricane & Berserker

watercolor 9X12

I have had some family things going on lately and was away from home much of the time- so not much painting being done.  I have managed to fit in a few new paintings, and this is one of them.  My daughter in law posted a photo of their sweet puppies on Facebook and I knew I had to paint them.  They were in the car waiting to be let out to play- I just loved the faces and the way the sun was shining on them.  They aren't actually puppies anymore, but that is how I think of them.  They are both "scary" breeds, but couldn't be sweeter!  Now I find myself in the mood to paint more dogs- maybe another watercolor of my own sweet standard poodle.

ACEO- Art Cards & Fun Little Watercolors

Red Cherry

 Hueneme Pier and Channel Islands

California Poppies

I have been having better luck with these tiny ACEO watercolors than with larger ones lately.  Art Cards Editions and Originals- they seem to be very popular on Etsy. I guess that means there are plenty of people collecting them.  As an artist, I like that they are just fun to paint since they are so small (2.5 X 3.5") and I can work on quite a few at a time.  They are a great way to practice and get some painting time in.  I love painting on large sheets of paper, but sometimes just want to work small- in those cases, postcards and ACEO are the way to go!

Works in Progress X 12 - OR Complete Lack of Artistic Focus!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d3ccd6252d36d9156baa9e9/pop?ref=pr_treasury

This last week has been a good one- at least in the area of my painting! For starters, I sold one of my watercolors- wish I could say that happened every week! Also, I finished some watercolors that I actually LIKED when they were done, and at this moment I have 12 small oil paintings in progress. The frosting on the cake- I woke up today to find one of my watercolors in a wonderful Etsy treasury!

First, I want to explain the multitude of wet canvases in front of me. I love to paint in oils, but once you get to a certain point in the painting- you need to sometimes let some paint set before putting more layers (shadows for instance) over the first layers. It is also a good way for me to concentrate on certain aspects of my painting that I think may need more work (practice, practice). Some of these are on canvas, some are on masonite and they are in various sizes- all fairly small. I don't tend to start watercolors the same way- just a few at a time at most!

Thanks for looking- I hope to have some finished oil paintings to post soon!

Sheryl

Watercolor - "Corkscrew"

I posted my drawing of this watercolor the other day and wanted to show the finished watercolor. I had fun with this one- no problems to fix or paint to lift in frustration. Just a nice, enjoyable painting day- hopefully that doesn't mean today won't go well....I am going to sit down and work on some Christmas card ideas. I used to paint my own cards, and it has been a while. I think, mainly, because I wait until almost Thanksgiving to get to it. I should be painting sandy snowmen in July. Hopefully, I will have a few cards started to show tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting!

Sheryl

Watercolor- "Hidden Nest"

I was really in a watercolor mood this weekend -finished a few paintings, and started a few more. I guess that's what happens when I can stop being so consumed by baseball. My favorites, NY Yankees and SF Giants BOTH made it to the playoffs and that means a lot of games to watch. I have been a baseball fan for years, even sat through an earthquake at Candlestick Park during the 1989 World Series. Now that the World Series is over (WOO HOO-Giants!) I have more of my painting time back and my priorities are back in order.

I finished the bird nest painting. When I took the photo, I couldn't wait to paint it. I always have more painting ideas than time to paint them all! I enjoyed this watercolor, and liked it more and more as I got the layers of color on and the darker areas defined. I am not sure it has the depth I wanted, to really make the nest look like it is down into the rose bush. Who knows? I may go back to it after looking at it some more and seeing exactly what I need to add. I am kind of stumped as to what to call this watercolor. Any ideas out there? I never really named my paintings before- but since I started listing them on Etsy and learning about tags, I have started to see the importance of painting titles and descriptions. With gazillions of watercolors online, we need some way to get people to look!

I also started a few more wine cork paintings. I have more than a couple wine corks in jars at home, so my supply of corks to paint is kind of unlimited. I find them very interesting due to the detail and uniqueness of each one. Lots of nooks and crannies, grain lines and wine stains for a detail loving artist like myself to get into. Some of the labels on them are quite creative also. I have painted them small and larger, and using many different mediums. With oils on masonite, I can get the finest detail- but I also love the texture of the watercolor paper. This time, I wanted to do some corks larger than actual size. I drew these on 11X15 cold pressed, rough surface watercolor paper.

Thanks for looking!

Sheryl

New in My Studio- Watercolor "3 Amigos"

I am starting a few new paintings to give myself a break from the frustrating raisin harvest watercolor. I shouldn't have gotten into it, as I almost never enjoy painting something I painted before (no matter how many years have passed). I was thinking it would be fun to do it again with a different style and maybe learn some new things. I have managed to learn how aggravated I can get with something that started out as fun. I love the vineyards, and after so many years in Fresno, they are a part of my life...I will get back to it soon- I have already started a second one to replace the first one- one way or another, it will be finished. I got a lot of great feedback and help from my fellow artists on my post yesterday, so I know it will be easier when I do go back to it. Thank you all for your comments!

One of the paintings I started yesterday is from a photo a friend took at a Long Island beach about 10 years ago and gave to me after she painted it herself. I call it 3 amigos- just looks like a perfect beach day. I have already painted it twice with different palettes (both many years ago) and like both of them. I know what I said earlier about repeating a painting...but I have had good luck with this one and wanted to try some new techniques on a subject I love-the beach. This time, 3 amigos will be 15X20 instead of 8X10.

The other painting I am working on is an 18X24 version of one of my sand pails. I have painted many sand pails and enjoy them every time! I buy the antique pails whenever I see them and use them for holding art supplies and paint brushes on my painting table. I love to look at them, and this way they are also functional so I can justify buying them. I just have one problem- when did something made in my lifetime get to qualify as an antique? Yikes, that is definitely a bummer!

Thanks for looking,

Sheryl