Creative Dawn

Remember yesterday when I said this beading thing could be addictive?  Well, here is another beaded project.  Originally the flower was supposed to be pink but the yellow seemed to work better.  For now it is attached to a headband but that may change to a brooch.  While I was photographing the subject of this post, it reminded me of a cruise that we went on.  The ship was the Carnival Conquest and until we got aboard the ship, I was unaware that the decor was all impressionist artist influenced.  Just wandering around and looking at the decor was like being in a floating gallery.  Why this post reminds me of the cruise, the gigantic sunflower in this atrium!  Here is a picture of it.  Yes, another item influenced by Van Gogh, go figure.

Sorry, had to do it!  Actually when you are a creative person and make many Christmas gifts you need to start early.  I went to Joann Fabrics the other day and they had some letters on clearance.  The popular ones are always gone leaving you with Q, W, Z, X, I, O, etc.  I decided to buy a few of these orphan letters and figure out a project for them.  The first letter was the O, it's round so I figured it would make a good wreath.  After a dark green base coat, other shades were added using a Van Gogh like brush stroke to mimic pine needles.  It really didn't need much to make it look good so I just used a small gold wreath to the middle.  It is simple and it has a modern feel to it.

So, I cannot find the original picture of this horse, but he was off white with little red flower decorations.  This wooden statue is about 14 inches tall.  At first, this horse was going to be black with bright colored accents but it just wasn't working so I set it aside waiting for a creativity to strike.  He has been sitting in my to do pile for a few months.  Then a few days ago this idea came to mind.  I really love this style inspired by Van Gogh, it is fun to do and the results are always interesting.  The tail on the horse didn't work with my painting style so, I cut it off used a piece of artificial wreath instead.  How's that for creativity?! I think that carousel horses are beautiful and each one has it's own personality.  There is a wonderful carousel near my home.  I had the opportunity at one time to see some of the horses as they were restored.  If you ever have the chance to really look at th...

When I was a kid, my mom used to take ceramic classes, it was a popular thing to do in the seventies.  This type of statue called the smiley were everywhere and came in every theme possible.  Most of the statues were of a sports theme and people painted them for high school grads and for sports fans in the appropriate team colors.  There were also ones depicting different professions or hobbies.  This statue is a housewife and definitely not a modern portrayal of women now days.  This one I found at the Goodwill awhile ago partially painted.  Originally I was going to just paint it in normal colors but the other day a better idea came to mind.  The idea was to paint it in a random pattern but I wasn't sure what would work.  After painting it in a solid color, I decided to use Van Gogh type of brush strokes.  It is very different and I don't think that anyone in the seventies would have come up with this for their smiley.  

 My favorite chair!  Here is another cutting board.  It was .80 at a thrift store and was in really poor condition.  I debated about what to do because my inspiration has been a bit lacking lately, so I used a design that was from a chair I painted a few years ago.  It was one of my favorites, but it broke so it had to be tossed.  The entire back snapped off and it ended up in the fire pit.  Before it was gone forever, we took a picture of it, so that was my inspiration for today.  The design really reminds me of a cross between Van Gogh's cypress and Tim Burton's movies.  Weird, but cool, at least I think so. 

How is this for a before and after! I have to say I kinda impressed (no pun intended) myself. Impressionism is one of my favorite eras in art and you cannot have it without Van Gogh. I bought this wooden jam jar for 2.50 at the Goodwill and painted it, but didn't like it. So I just painted it dark blue, then I started looking at these silk sunflowers I had gotten for another project that didn't work out and suddenly an idea was born. Blue, yellow and white brushstrokes created the 'vase' part and once it was dry, I hot glued the sunflowers and leaves on that I also embellished with brushstrokes. It turned out cool and no one would ever guess what it was before.