Slowing down for the Holidays

This business is a bit stange in that my residential clients don't, generally, want me in their homes durring the holiday season. So, things get tricky. I have offered my 'facebook friends' a special portrait offer and have had a few takers so I should have enough work to stay busy enough. I also have some bedding to create for Addison (who's portrait can be seen on my previous entry), a sample to make for a fancy dining room and, there is always the hope that I can find time for some of 'my own' art. Someday I hope to be able to create enough canvases to have a gallery show... I have ideas but finding the time to paint is difficult. What, with a one year old who just started cruising around the house, moving (which we will be doing in the next few months) and, the endless list of marketing items to accomplish. Oh well, hopefully the new house will have some nice space for a 'studio' and maybe, just maybe, it will get easier to get things done at home as Charlie get older. My friends tell me that I'm fooling myself but hope spring eternal.
I will have some photos of my latest nursery project to post soon. I am waiting to take the photos with the furniture and bedding moved in.

Assignment... Renoir

I have a series of portraits to do of three kids; the children of one of my favorite clients. Anne has asked me to paint the kids into famous portrats so... here we go. This is the first one.... Adison as Renoir's Girl with Watering Can.

I made the mistake of using acrylics for this portrait. Acrylics do not blend like oils do and, impressionism is all about blending! It is difficult, with a baby in the house, to justify using oils. I have learned my lesson and, for the other portraits I will work with oils... just not in my house. A good friend has offered me the use of her studio.

Tuscany... yet again

Here are a few photos from a project I finished recently... another Tuscan scene. This mural is a continuation of one of my very first murals. It is amazing how much I have improved and my style has matured over the past five or six years. Not to say that I didn't know what I was doing five years ago but my murals are now definitely my own. They have a grace and subtlety that they did not when I first started my business.

The first part of the mural is in the staircase leading down to the basement and wine cellar/ tasting room of a Denver home. This latest mural is in the basement just outside the tasting room. There really isn't any point when the viewer can see both murals simultaneously so I didn't have to revert to my early techniques for consistency. It was enough to use the same color palette and subject matter. This mural is in an alcove which I tried to visually turn into a balcony so, I had to suggest the outside wall of a villa on the hallway wall opposite. In order to do this I simply painted a window with a grape vine and a few hanging petunias (details I pulled from the original 2004 mural).

All in all I am very pleased with the mural. Over the past few years I have been developing my technique of layering glazes and I love the effect. It gives the murals a 'watercolor' feel and the technique helps create a lightness and airy quality which many murals lack.

The photo below (with the low wall and pillar) is of a section of the original mural.

The Snowcap Creamery

This project was a monster. To begin I met with the owners of this new creamery and cafe to discuss their ideas for the mural. Emily had been an art major and had very specific thoughts about the murals theme. Being from Rhode Island, Emily and Bob are 'bringing New England to Colorado' with this venture. So, the mural needed to do the same. Emily's initial idea was to have skiers skiing off a mountain and onto the beach in Watch Hill, RI (a small resort town near their home). That seemed difficult to layout so, instead, I suggested using vintage poster images and overlaying them to create a sort of 'foreground and background' look. This seemed to work but, in hindsight, I think there may still have been a better option. The mural is interesting if you know anything about Watch Hill but, honestly, how many of us do? It was difficult to find maps and pictures to reference (and I rely heavily on visual references) and, the angle I chose for the viewer to be looking at the town from made things even more difficult.

There is a possibility that there will be more Snowcap Creamerys. I think that I will suggest meshing a more recognizable bit of New England in future murals (if at all)... Fenway Park, Cape Cod... etc.

In addition to this being a difficult mural in a style that was a challenge for me I was rushed. I hate being rushed! I think that I began the mural on a Friday and had to have everything (murals and menu boards) finished by the following Sunday. EEEEEKS!

I had done my research on the menu board materials but didn't have the finalized menu until Thursday so... I only had three days to do something I've never done and deliver it.

The menu boards were a challenge in themselves. I wanted, very much, to be able to do the illustration portions of the boards in chalk, seal those portions of the boards and then do all the lettering with the 'chalk markers'. Turns out that chalk is almost impossible to 'seal'. I couldn't manage it without the chalk dissolving or disappearing into the blackness of the boards....

So, I used the markers for everything and, since there was little room for illustration anyway, I think it all worked out okay. I do want to continue working on this however as I would love to make more 'menu boards' in the future.

Thanks to my friend Cathy (a faux artist in town) who painted the sky and blended it out beautifully, my ever patient husband and one fabulous baby Charlie I managed to get everything done on time and delivered to some very happy clients but... next time... things will be different.

Live and Learn!

Woodland Creatures Nursery

I finished this project about three weeks ago but, since I have been so busy I am just getting around to posting photos of it now...
I hope that you enjoy the pictures half as much as I enjoyed painting the room.

Michele saw my work at the Erie Goddard School and wanted me to work on her nursery... same aspen trees, same style, different animals. I took the idea for the two basic colors separated by a 'mountain chair rail' from another nursery I did a few years ago (both rooms are shown below). That room had an African savanna theme and the lower walls were yellow but... the idea translated beautifully. This was an inexpensive and fairly easy way of incorporating the entire room.

This will be Michele's first baby, a boy due on October 19th (my Charlie's birthday). Since this little guy's mom has my name and he is due on my boy's b-day I felt compelled to give this nursery even more love and attention than usual... tough to achieve since I strive for 110% on all my projects... not always easy. This project was 'easy'. Everything fell into place and the clients were wonderful to work with.

Here are a few shots of my first 'Colorado' nursery. Hopefully there will be many more to come... I love how it turned out (so much so that my Charlie's toddler room may have a similar theme).

Much to Post this Week

First things first... I am blogging from my new laptop (thank you parents!). This is GREAT news. I will now be able to look a bit more professional when meeting perspective clients, keep track of my jobs, accounts and client lists with greater efficiency and... get all my blogging, photo shopping, and invoicing done without having to kick anyone off the home computer (great news for Dennis). I can't wait until the first time I have to whip the computer out at a client's to look up some images on Google or reference a photo. Yeah technology!!!
Second.. This is the first of many posts this week. I have not blogged since the Erie Goddard School which means that there are many photos to post and stories to tell.

I have also noticed that my site does not come up on Google searches for muralist or mural artist so, to that end, I am going to start using those words a lot to see if it helps.

The Erie, CO Goddard School

I'm finally posting some photos of the preschool which I just finished up in Erie. The theme was 'Bears'. Each classroom had a mascot bear/ bears outside their room with a large (geographically appropriate) tree. I also illustrated the seasons by placing the bears in the front of the school in 'spring' and, as you walk back along the hall, the seasons change with the final two classroom bears in wintery scenes. The low greenish hills run the length of the halls and connect all the different murals so that they feel more like one continuous mural.

Enjoy the photos...

and yes, I know that koalas and red pandas aren't really bears...

PDPA Gallery and Finishing up in Erie

I am in the home stretch at the Goddard School in Erie. I have to finish up this week as the school opens for kids on Tuesday. Already I wish that I could have been finished sooner as the teachers are 'decorating' their doors and windows which makes for more photoshopping in order to make my photos portfolio quality. And, I will want some of these murals for the portfolio. The bears are really turning out well thanks to Jane Chapman and her beautiful bear illustrations (the inspiration for all the murals at this Goddard School).
Another reason for me to 'hurry up and finish' is that I am helping to install a decorative paint techniques gallery at the Belcaro in Littleton on Sunday and, before then, I have the sign to paint. This gallery in the brain child of Andre Martinez, a local painter extraordinaire, marketing guru, instructor of all things 'decorative finish' etc. etc. Andre created the PDPA (professional decorative painters association) which has become a national organisation. The goal is to create standards and some sort of accreditation system. I think that, in the long run, this will benefit all of us in the industry as, I hope, it will weed out the hacks.
Seems to already be working.
The local PDPA has about 25 members I believe. I was the only one who showed up at Andre's studio to help design the gallery space the other day. We have some sample boards from one other local artist so, the 'PDPA gallery' is turning into the Andre, Braxton(Andre's apprentice), Jen (icing studios) and Michelle gallery. Since Andre is hoping that other paint stores will jump on board and want PDPA galleries of there own I am really getting in on the ground floor. In addition to this my new association with the PDPA has introduced me to Andre, a man from whom I have a great deal to learn! Knowing the best of the best in the industry in never a bad thing.
Here is a link to the PDPA website... www.pdpa.org
Thanks for tuning in. I will post photos from Erie early next week.

The Goddard School #2

This is my rendering for the entrance mural at the Erie Goddard School. Sarah wants to eliminate the stump and bunny but, aside from those changes, I will stay pretty true to this watercolor. The bears are from one of my favorite books in Charlie's collection, 'Mommy Mine' illustrated by Jane Chapman. I hope that I am successful at emulating her style for these bear murals as her illustrations are favorites of both Sarah's (the school's owner) and mine. Mrs. Chapman has an amazing talent for making potentially scary animals warm and friendly.

I sart Monday so I have much sketching to fill my weekend... my 'stay inside where it is warm' weekend.

The Goddard School... first one

I have finally had a chance to take, sort and photo shop my pictures from the big pre-school gig last month. It was a blast! I worked some insane hours the final week so that it would be all finished when they opened but, it was well worth it. It was great going back in after the school had been open for a few weeks to see how much the children have impacted the space. There is so much wonderful energy in the school... I am very lucky to have been a part of it!

Thank you Sloan and Jarrett.

I did a mural inside each of the schools ten classroom in addition to something outside each room and the big entrance mural... so, these photos are just a sampling of the work. Enjoy.

Abstract

This is a commission which I have just finished for an interior designer's downtown loft. Priscilla wanted me to roughly copy a painting which hangs in Howard Lorton Galleries. We changed the color palette drastically (in the original the entire upper portion is a rich deep blue), and, as a result, we added a bit of contrast and drama to the composition.

Although this was inspired by another artist's work I feel that I have given it an energy all it's own... exactly my goal.

Thank you Priscilla for the opportunity to work on such a intriguing piece.

This photo is a very large file so you should be able to click on it and enlarge it quite a bit. This way you can get a sence of the layering of color and deep texture. The canvas is 5' x 6'6".

Day Care Renderings

These are a few renderings I have just finished for work I will be doing in March. These murals will be two of many in the new Goddard School in Aurora. I am looking very forward to the work... it is going to be great fun. There are nine rooms in the school, each with a different animal as a theme. There will be an small mural outside each room (to include a topiary) and a large mural inside each room (near the reading area). In addition to these nine murals there will be a large entrance mural and a small mural at the end of a hallway. This is a huge job and I'm extremely excited to have the opportunity to work on one large project for a solid month.

Very Elaborate Stencil Pattern

This photograph is a detail photo of two walls in a powder room I recently painted. I hope to get better photos once the fixtures are all installed and the lighting is better.
I created this finish by lightly glazing the walls and then stenciling over the glaze with a mixture of two different metallics. I intentionally left some of the stenciling fairly light and I varied the amounts of gold and silver that I was using so the stencil work would look a bit more varied and antiqued. The pattern was one that I found online and turned into a stencil myself - this was remarkably difficult! Creating the stencil took more time than painting the room. Although, it was well worth it. I love how the finish turned out as do the designer and clients.

It has been far too long...

Since it has been almost a full year since I last posted on this blog there is much to say. I have been keeping up to date with another blog... the one which my husband and I started to chronicle my pregnancy and the life and times of our son, Charles Nash Vander Houwen. I found out I was pregnant early last year and immediately my priorities switched. This blog and my business took a back seat for 2008 but, now that Charlie is three months old, it is time to get back to my work. I did spend the early part of 2008 working on the Junior Symphony Guild Show house at the Phipps Tennis Pavilion. This and my work at Smith Income Tax kept me fairly busy through May by which time I was starting to show and beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable. So, for the rest of the year I took it easy just doing a few small jobs here and there keeping my feet firmly planted on the ground.

The pictures below are of the Phipps Tennis Pavilion project. The Tennis Pavilion (the first of it's kind west of the Mississippi - built in the early 1930s) is now used for weddings. I worked with Su Kim, a local designer, to transform and old, mistreated ladies dressing area and powder room into a room worthy of brides and their attendants. My designs for the walls were inspired by William Morris' interiors and tapestries of the 20s and 30s. What looks like wallpaper is, in fact, paint... the beautiful finish was well worth all the time it took to complete.