Since the Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I have been working on restoring a lot of our vintage furniture finds to create an outdoor living space on the patio behind our garage. I'm happy to say that the project is near completion and we are down to the wire and working on some finishing touches.
View 1: The completed patio space, currently open to the neighbor's yard
One of those "finishing touches" is a 6 foot by 4 foot mural that will serve as a privacy screen between our patio and the neighbor's yard. The neighbor intends to install a fence some time this summer. This is all well and good as he recently removed the stand of trees that offered quite a lot of privacy to our space. Still, I don't relish the idea of looking at the back of his fence and I'd like it to feel more like home. Hence, the privacy screen.
The artwork will be done on 6 foot by 4 foot piece of plywood, sealed with a polycrylic finish, and mounted on steel legs that will be sunk into the ground about 2 feet. The bottom of the painting will be positioned about a foot above the patio's pad. The brushed nickel finish on the legs should make them barely noticable so the painting should feel as if it is a floating screen.
We're faced with a forecast for mostly inclement weather for the remainder of the week and so I am working on sketches to present to my husband for his consideration and approval. I am uploading the digital sketches as I have them completed but I expect to have them completed today.
The Farmer's Wife: Scaled to 6' x 4': Intended medium: Acrylic on plywood
Mock Up showingThe Farmer's Wife in place as a privacy screen
The Hostess: Scales to 6' x 4': Intended medium: Acrylic on plywood
Mock Up: The Hostess
Bringing Up Dolly: Scales to 6' x 4': Intended medium: Acrylic on plywood
Mock Up: Bringing Up Dolly
WallFlower: Scales to 6' x 4': Intended medium: Acrylic on plywood
Mock Up: WallFlower
Prodigal Matriculation: Scales to 6' x 4': Intended medium: Acrylic on plywood
Mock Up: Prodigal Matriculation
06/14/2008
We finally settled on the Farmer's Wife so today I took the opportunity to sketch her onto the previously primed, 6' by 4' piece of plywood that will used as a privacy screen.
Once I was settled and happy with the sketch I drew in the outlines.
The 6' x 4' privacy screen, primed, sketched, & outlined. The original 18x24" painting that inspired the digital version as well as this piece is hanging on the garage.
The outlines dried quickly so I was able to start color blocking the art.
The Farmer's Wife, color-blocked on the 6' x 4' privacy screen.
Once the color-blocking was dry we were able to build and bolt her to a frame, created from [3] 6' pieces of angled steel. This frame keeps her floating above ground level and will also prevent her from warping in the weather.
Back View 1: Post holes were dug and filled with quick setting cement.
A wooden frame holds her in place while the cement dries and cures over night.
The next morning, 06/15/2008, the cement was covered over with ground and I finished painting The Farmer's Wife.
Once the painting was dry the wooden frame was removed.
I am allowing the painting to cure for a few days before she is fixed and sealed with an acrylic overlay. This overlay will protect her from the weather and insure additional lightfastness. The use of high-grade acrylic paint also helps.
A diary and photo album of the project is posted in the Su Casa group if you're interested in following along with the development and getting a better view of the space itself. The finished project also appears as a "Before & After DIY".
Polo Ralph Lauren
These are all fabulous!! How will you ever choose?
1Thanks Wren! I sent the same images to my husband. He has to choose but I'm feeling the Farmer's Wife above all, I think. Thematically, and from the perspective of color, I think she works best. My husband has already said he rather like The Hostess. She works too. I'm just not crazy about all that black-ground.
2I love them all - especially the farmer's wife! Maybe you could change it each week? That way, you can use all of them!!!
3I agree that the Farmer's Wife's colors better suit your patio space.
4Thank you for liking my artwork so much but storing five paintings that were created on 6 foot by 4 foot pieces of plywood [and toting them around] would just be torturous.
Thanks again, Wren! My only issue with The Wife is that she's already hanging in our bathroom. She was originally drawn on an 18x24" oval canvas. What you're looking at here is a vector version of her.
Which to choose... I just don't know.
When my husband got home from his office last night we talked about it and he agreed that The Wife just pops in the space. But he also said that he likes them all. Then he gave an additional nod to WallFlower as well. Of course I can adjust colors as I like but first I have to decide. Oh. Well.
The weather forecast is creepy [hazy/hot/humid/t-storms] through Sunday so I guess I have time to decide.
5
Faboulous
6The Farmer’s Wife does blend with the patio and the yard behind it – maybe that is what your husband likes about it.
what is a “creepy” weather forecast?!
But The Hostess provides a nice contrast, which is making me lean towards that.
I pretty much like them all, but for use outdoors, I think The Hostess works great.
If you are prepared to paint each one of them and store them, I would also say, do all of them and change it every week!
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I just had another look, and I really like the colours you’ve used in “Bringing Up Dolly” – it works in any conditions: whether the sun is bright, or it’s grey and cloudy, the colours just go with anything.
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Farmer's Wife is my first choice, and The Hostess is my second choice.
9Thanks for all of the ideas, Ladies. The weather is horrible right now: Very hazy, hot, and humid. 95 degrees with dew points in the 70's just isn't good weather to paint. I'd so love to start working on this project and get it done but I'm so totally drained. We're looking at Wednesday before the weather calms down enough to consider starting it.
10I like Prodigal Matriculation. The greens in the sky blend in well with the natural greenery.
11Prodigal Matriculation: dude, how do you get your clouds like that? It looks amazing!
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Thanks WiphlashGirlChild and Astro_Nerd. Our weather is still way too hot and humid to think about painting so it's on hold. We're expecting strong T-Storms tonight and to be about 10 degress cooler tomorrow. This is good. Believe me. I'm burning to get going on this.
Astro_nerd: The painting that you see before you is a CAD of may original painting. The clouds for this version were created by breaking down a scan of various organic brush strokes between Adobe PhotoShop and Illustrator. Short course:
13Create random bush strokes [black] on white paper.
Scan dry work.
Import scan into PhotoShop.
Mess around with the levels until you have what you want.
Select the black areas and export as paths to Illustrator.
Open paths in Illustrator and tweak for custom digital brushes and fills.
***It sounds difficult but once you do it a few times you get hooked and it seems so easy-peasy.
I never got the hang of photoshop.
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I love all of them and also thought you could possibly interchange them according to what's happening out back at the time. For instance, if you were having a girly get-together, you might use one of the last three. I could see where your husband would want something a little less in-your-face feminine and more neutral while he was out there. Men! Would it be very hard to change the screens whenever you wanted?
15Thanks so much, Robinesque! I am not opposed to the idea of interchangeable screens. I just have to get one done first. Our weather has been horrible over the course of the last 3 days: dew points in the 70s; temps above 93 degrees. It's becoming more seasonal now so I started priming the first of the screens. Once 2 coats of the primer are done on both sides and I [finally] decide on the art I will have something to show you. Perhaps tomorrow or the day following.
16The artwork and the whole idea of a painting outside like that looks like something my dad would totally do! He paints in that style too and always decorates his huge balcony with artwork! Your patio looks awesome
17Thanks so much, littlemissme. I'd be very much interested in seeing your dad's work if you have photos. Interesting this: Not too long ago another artist/designer asked me where I got the inspiration to paint in that style. To me, it's a total mix of inspiration from Picasso, Matisse, [early] Pollack and Lee Krasner added into my organic style. The artist that was commenting to me then made mention that his father used to paint like that and he always felt it was so original so mine really caught hiim off guard. I am seriously hoping you'll share.
18I'll see if I can find a picture
19Yes! Please do. I'd love to see his work.
20I do like the energy in the farmer's wife as a first, and I like the quiet mood the Prodigal Matriculation sets.
Great Idea!!!
21Nice Work!!!
you know what - I could not make a decision - they are all great!
22Thanks so much, Ladies. She was quite the project.
23I have been wondering something: that edge of ground where you have cemented your finished screen. Is that where your property ends?? Is that step down onto the grass a step onto the neighbours’ ground? Or is that your fence, and you just need a screen because they can still see you guys eating?
You did a fantastic job, as always! I really hope to have a home as interesting as yours one day, soon.
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