To be truly inspired...

INspire, inspired, inspiring; Webster's Dictionary defines the word "To breathe into, to fill with breath, to animate. I LOVE this definition because often I hear that word, and I even say it quite a bit, but what it FEELS like to be truly inspired is to me like what the ground must feel like under your feet right before an earthquake starts to happen. I get the rumblings of something coming, and then......it is as if, God leans in and whispers to me "Are you ready for this? Cause, I've got somethin' for ya". Then here it comes, 1000 beautiful wonderful surging ideas , notes, colors, expressions, pictures, scents, and feelings, all crashing over me like a wave. In my dizziness, I try to right myself and focus on one thing, but I want to do it all, make it all, use it all. In that moment, I feel rich beyond measure at what I have just been given. Then. Silence. Until the next wave hits. This is to me what it feels like to be truly inspired, and it happens to me once or twice a day. So, I was just wondering if it only happens to me that way? Share with me how you are truly inspired...

On an earlier post, I had written about my process of painting, distressing, then rubbing on stain to give an aged wood look.  I was asked, "Can you really do that?"  I figured there may be others who wondered the same thing, so here is my 3 part answer to that question.
First of all, if you go to the hardware store, and ask that question or read labels on cans, etc. You will be told that is not a recommended application of this product.  However, just so you know, i don't believe everything I read on cans or what they tell me at the hardware store until I have tried it myself.  I love to experiment and try things that most people say can't or shouldn't be done.  Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. 

Secondly, I LOVE WOOD! I love the smell of wood. I love the feel of wood in my hands, I love the look of wood.  I love TREES. I even love paper of all different kinds.  I love wood in every form.  I can pretty much identify what kind of wood it is just by the smell. I find it intoxicating.  Only other woodworkers will understand this.  This is why people are confused at why I always paint wood, but my obsession with paint is a whole other story....  Sometimes, there is a piece of furniture where the wood just wants to be and I maintain the integrity of the wood, but other times, it just wants to be something new, and that is where I come in. I still love the smell of wood, and continue to search for a way to paint wood to emulate the touch, the smell, and the feel of real wood even though it is painted.  I tried staining over paint to get the sheen and the amber hue that I cannot get with paint, and it works better to use stain than poly, and because it is rubbed in, it becomes a part of the finish, not just a layer.  It also gives me that familiar scent of stained wood.

Third:  I admit that it is VERY TRICKY, (albeit not impossible) to achieve this look as a novice.  If you haven't done quite a bit of painting and staining in your time, this process may not be very fun or rewarding for you.  I always think it is worth trying even if you have never painted, but just don't be too discouraged if it isn't right the first time:) There is always the second and the third time:))) 

"EVERY"

I decided to share with you a sneak peek of a new series I am doing.  It is so different from anything I have ever done as an artist.  I usually paint butterflies, elephants, horses, shade trees, cityscapes, etc.  NEVER before would I paint people.  Not because I couldn't, but mostly because I think to paint people you have to really see them, see inside of them, not just the features on their face, or their pretty smiles.  I either didn't want to or didn't trust myself to get it right, I am not sure, but I have always run away from other people's pain, or what is REAL or KNOWING about them.  Don't worry, this is not the beginning of me turning into a depressive painter, who only paints sad haunting paintings, but for this season in my life, for this day, I am choosing to just paint REAL. I am looking inside...  of me.... of them....  Stay tuned.....  there is MUCH MUCH more...

PLEASE SEE POST TITLED "EVERY UPDATE " to see the rest of this series....

Armoire to Mini Bar evolving...

 So I am painting the inside of the piece, a deep mahogany and distressing it to look aged, then I will rub on a layer of stain to give it a burnished, aged wood look.  I am not going to reveal the inspiration on the design style I decided to emulate.  Just see if  you can guess as I go along.  In this picture, the luan in the back is where the mirror will go, so it is not painted. 

 This picture does not show the color well at all.  I need better mood lighting in the workshop for sure!!!

 As with all the pieces of furniture that I create, I feel like they need to have some little surprise, some small place of mystery within, hidden somewhere.  This piece needed a sky.  I felt a bit like Michaelangelo  in the Sisteine, painting this.I put a sky in the top which will only be seen through the glasses hanging down, but there will be a light up there, so it may reflect in the mirror. I am not sure yet.  The piece to the left, was just my practice board. It ended up a little different, but I like them both. 

 So here is the final sky in the top of the mini bar to the right.... 

I think you can get a little bit better feel for the color in this picture, but it will show up much better once the stain is applied.  I should have the mirror soon, and the doors, shelves, drop downs, boxes, etc. are all coming together separately, so I will reveal those once they are installed.  Thanks for checking in.  Until we meet again....

The Finale of "The Butterfly Bookshelf/Toybox"

FOR SALE    $799.00


 This bookshelf was a custom design and build project I came up with to go in a room I painted for  a client.  Due to size constraints with doors, I ended up not putting the wings on at first and it was painted different colors, but in the end, it didn't work out for my client to be able to purchase the piece, so I decided to go ahead and finish it out the way it was designed originally, and this was what came to be.  The bottom part is actually quite a roomy toybox and the shelves accommodate large books, small ones, and even little chotskys that every little girl has setting in their room.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

The Butterfly wings fold out or in.  The idea was that they make it less boring when not in use, but in my "Little Girl State-of-Mind", I would fold them out and drape sheets over the whole thing and play behind the wings, or make a place for my dolls to play, but you and your little one could use your own imagination....

It stands 5 feet tall and 36" wide when wings are closed,  wings are 16" each and it has extra large bun feet with furniture sliders attached for easy moving...

Before Picture of Narnia Wardrobe

THE JOURNEY BEGINS....

The Mini Bar Transformation continues

 Okay, so I have been a little tied up with client furniture renewals, book illustrating, various volunteer projects, kids, etc., so I am making slow progress on the mini bar, but I have got the drop down shelves ready to paint, the wine rack shelves cut, but not carved, the boxes assembled, the back enclosed ( it is awaiting mirror) and I have ordered the wine glass rack that will suspend from the top and some swivel lighting. I am looking for a drawer that will pull out of the former VCR opening, but if I can't find one, then I will build one.  I think at this point, I am going to go ahead and paint the inside, before I assemble everything inside.  So, as soon as I get the inside painted, I will post again before all the rest is installed....  Stay Tuned... Also, I am going to post a before of another project I am working on....  "The Narnia Wardrobe"  as well as an after of one I just finished, the Butterfly Shelf/Toybox combo.