Birds, birds, birds....

It has been far too long since I last posted anything on this blog. I have been very busy and Charlie has been keeping me on my toes but he is napping at the moment and I just has to share these photos. I am very proud of this kitchen.

It always helps to have a great client to work with and this couple was lovely (in every way). Linda is one of those people who loves art and, if it happens to match the couch that is just an added bonus. She has the most eclectic collection of art and it is all wonderful. It was a joy to be able to add to her home in such a fun way.

I have painted a 'bird' kitchen before but I am much happier with this one. It helps to start with such nice cabinetry. Linda way eager to have colorful birds dotting the walls but she didn't need them to be specific birds. They could be from all over the globe and it didn't matter if the foliage was geographically appropriate. My other 'bird' kitchen was full of Colorado birds and twigs. So, I played around on Google image for awhile and we found the perfect 'background' vines (beautiful but subtle) and found some very colorful birds. Most of these are African birds but not all. I even went to far as adding a bit of violet pink to the yellow birds - artistic licence :)

I put two layers of oil glaze on these walls; one behind the murals and one final coat over everything as a finishing touch. It helped to antique things a bit and even out the final finish.

In addition to the kitchen I also painted a powder room for these folks. I began with Venetian plaster (to accentuate the artwork in the room which has a waxed finish) and then used some custom stencils. I sanded down the stenciled birds before putting a wax sealer over the walls. Many clients would have hesitated at the idea using lilac in a traditional powder room.... not Linda. She was excited from the word 'go'. Linda's designer, Jana Cole, originally conceptualized the room (lilac color and stencil work) and I took it from there. This was truly a collaboration between three artists and, as my theatre background has taught me, it is usually better that way. Thanks ladies.

Hopefully I will get Dennis to take some better pictures of this room with the wide angle lense soon (these were just taken with my phone).

Bo Peep Table and Chairs

Here are a few photos of a project I just finished for a client in Summit County. This set of table and chairs is for a little girl's room. The yellow fabric was the inspiration for the artwork and an accent fabric in the room (pillows I think).

This photo was taken when I had just started working on the table. I sketched out half of the medallion shape onto paper, folded the paper and cut so that I would wind up with a perfectly symmetrical shape. Once I had that I traced it onto the table. The girl is one I found online as the images in the fabric were too detailed to transfer well. I traced her onto the table using tracing paper (the waxy kind used by seamstresses works far better than graphite on slick surfaces).

I originally wanted to sketch the girl onto the table with paint pens but I couldn't find on the correct color so, after much brainstorming, I decided to sketch her with a dark brown and then go back in with a red wash. This worked well but she still needed something.

As one of the final steps I glazed the table with umber to age it a bit. When I did this I added a bit more shading to the girl - perfect!

a shot of the table with the fabric and one of the two chairs...

Magical Tree House

These are photos of a room I painted about a month ago. I had so much fun. I kept thinking that this would have been my dream room as a little girl.
My challenge on this project was to design a room within which a four year old girl and a two year old boy would both feel at home. In a year or two the boy will move out and a younger sister will move in... at which time the murals can be 'Girled' up a bit. For now the tree house and fairies are on the girl's side and there are a number of animals on the boy's side... including a moose which I didn't manage to get a good photo of. Once the brother moves out I will add flowers (both growing and as garlands - around the moose's antlers perhaps), more fairies and a bit more color.
You can see that I chose to again use my new tree technique. As with the Erie Goddard School murals I did the leaves in two layers. The first being very vague green smears over which I stencil leaves. More often than not I am creating these stencils using xerox copies of actual leaves. I am loving the effect.
I hope you enjoy the photos!

New Home, New Studio, New Projects

Ouch - I just realized that my Google status is dropping. Time for another post, even though I haven't had much work lately. I have moved.. home and studio and that is eating up all my time. However, time to get back to work!
I did a number of portraits in December and enjoyed them so much that I am hoping for many more commissions. I have created a separate blog for them. www.michellefrancesfineart.blogspot.com Please feel free to have a look and pass my info and the blog site on to any of your friends who might be interested in having one painted.

I did a new menu board for my friends up at Snowcap Creamery in Erie, Colorado. They have opened up a sports bar next door (share a kitchen) so I went up to do their beer list and have lunch. I have been looking forward to a meal there ever since I created the first menu board. AMAZING. I can't wait to take Dennis and Charlie up for lunch. Everything was superb but the sweet potato fries stood out - they were out of this world... I've been dreaming of them for weeks now!
I did paint one nursery a few weeks ago but never got great pictures (big mistake). It was great fun to paint and design. The centerpiece of the room is a large fairy tree. I will post some photos when I find my zip drive (my office is still half in boxes).
I have a few touch ups to do at the Aurora Goddard School (water damage) and, other than that I have been unpacking, chasing around a very curious one year old and trying to nail down a few potential clients. I am finding that the recession is making people greedy. There are many folks out there who have figured out that contractors are hurting for work right now and are using that to their advantage, even if they do not need to. Do not ask me to work for nothing if you have millions in the bank! I have a mortgage to pay now!!!! If you have not been hurt by the recession do not hurt others!
Okay, I will get off my soap box now and say goodbye. Thank you all for your continued interest in my work. Please remember to look at my portraits and pass my info on to anyone who you think may be interested.