With most of our major projects now complete, my husband and I have been spending quite a lot of time on our patio and he's been continuing to encourage me to add another piece of artwork to the set, telling me that the space between our storage fridge and the grill "seems a bit too bare".
After due consideration I agreed with him and we've been discussing the theme of the painting over the course of the last few days. Given that the primary use of the space is to be an outdoor dining room and entertainment area, I thought that a still life of vegetables and fruit might be the most appropriate and that the subject would balance well with The Farmer's Wife privacy screen.
This is a work in progress and, as always, I am happy to share my creative processes with you.
As I wrote, I thought that a still life of fruit and vegetables would best suit the space. But I also needed to balance the style and color with The Farmer's Wife privacy screen, which has already been set in place. This presented a bit of creative challenge as I am working with a plywood substrate that measures 24" wide by 48" high and considerations of composition began to cloud my creativity. Since this is one of the smaller pieces I was able to bring it indoors so I could sit comfortably while I wallowed in the mire of my thoughts.
When I'm stuck I tend to pace, upstairs to the studio - downstairs to the kitchen - out to the patio - ad tedium until I noticed the Mother's Day mannequin hanging in the my studio gallery.
Mother's Day: A series of acrylic paintings that inspired the Pomme D'Amour
"Yes! That's it" I exclaimed to the furry feline kids, my creative assistants, and they whole heartedly agreed. The style is dynamic enough. The colors are right. It's also different enough to hang on its own, opposite of The Farmer's Wife.
With primed substrate in hand, I began the process of sketching and color blocking which were both completed on 06/30/2008. After dinner the piece was hung in place for finishing.
Color blocked "Pomme d'Amour: Feed the World", 24" wide by 48" high. Acrylic on plywood
Pomme d'Amour: Feed the World, set 1 hung for finishing work
Pomme d'Amour: set 2
07/02/2008
Pomme d'Amour: Feed the World: Complete
Pomme d'Amour: Feed the World: Hung in place for signing and sealing
She'll be signed and sealed with clear acrylic top coat by the end of the week - Early next week at the latest. The paint must cure and the humidity must be right. It is well worth waiting for.
As an aside: "Pomme d'Amour: Feed the World" is the formal title of the piece. Translating from the French, "Pomme d'Amour" means "Love Apple" and refers to a tomato.
Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti
Lol...I love tomatoes! Have you finished yet? Looks great against the brick.
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1_copyright_
Thanks, chica. No. I haven't finished her yet. I will do that after my appointment. It'll be a good way for me to de-stress. I'll be posting pics of the finish tomorrow.
2Fabulous, and such a great companion to the screen!
3I love it! Can't wait for the finished photos!!!
4I like it... it's a nourish and nurture idea....
5i love it.
6Love it!!!
7I like her colors even better. I found it especially wicked on the vinyl form! Loved that!
8What brand of acrylics do you use?
9Haze - I think you put all the joy of your life in your paintings! really amazing!
10Thanks so much ladies! I was just telling my husband that it kind of reminds me of 70s album cover art. That's all for the good as far as I'm concerned. I like *Pop* and I think it works in the space. I can't be all serious all the time - at least I keep trying to tell myself that.
Mandy: I use either Liquitex acrylics or Windsor-Newton Galleria. Liquitex was formerly produced by Binney & Smith but is now owned by Windsor-Newton. I think Liquitex has a higher grade polymer base and holds up extremely well especially for outdoor work.
11Thanks Haze i use Windsor-Newton Galleria put found on flower pots outside it doesn't hold up to well. I'll have to try liquitex.
12If you're painting on glazed pots you have to try Glossies. Paint them. Let it dry. And bake them at 250 degrees for 15 minutes. To be sure though you must read the directions - I am saying this from memory.
The Glossies paint adheres well to finished pottery. Acrylic does not. The polymers in the acrylics bond tight [like plastic] and need a tooth to hold onto. This is why your paint is peeling and not doing well. It's not the brand.
13Funny that you call it that way... Because the Austrians call it the apple of paradise... SMILE
14i use just plan terracotta unglazed pot, plus i put a layer of gesso. thins work fine unless the pot get a lot of water then i get bubbles.
15The gesso [ground chalk] is suspended in the same formulation of acrylic polymers as the paint. While the clay is somewhat porous it's not pourous enough to stand up to a lot of exposure to water. This is where the bubbles are coming from - the paint is lifting from the surface. The same thing happened with the green paint on Ginger Glass in the intial painting. I wet it down to clean up the graphite and the paint bubbled and seized because the polymers in the paint were [somehow and mysteriously] compromised. You could also try sanding the pot a bit [120 grit or so with a light hand] do you design and then fix it with clear acrylic topcoat. You can choose matte or glossy but I personally think the gloss holds up much better. This should guarantee permanence no matter what brand of paint you use to do the original design.
16ok i've not tried sanding but will try it next time. i think a trip to micheals and NYC to go to blicks is in order.
17Woah - you have to go all the way to NYC to find Dick Blick?! I'm probably spoiled. Do you maybe have a Pearl near you or Utrecht?... But Michael's should have just about anything you need for the project.
18micheals is the only chain, we have a couple of localy own art stores, one is more a craft store, the other is out of the way a bit. where we stay NYC blick is a block and a half away. i could order online but shipping is more the then order, more of the time.
19I can relate to the shipping issue. The cost kills anymore.
20This is absolutely fantastic. I love the tomato!
21Ha-ha. Thanks sgdish!
22I'm so impressed by all of your art. The Love Apple is fantastic. I hope it is protected from the weather.
23Thanks tdsollog! She is protected under a very good coat of clear acrylic sealer. I've been using this stuff for years and it has not failed me yet. My brand of choice is Krylon. It dries quickly and produces a hard, clear, non-yellowing finish. You can't beat it.
24Haze do you keep them out all winter?
25Mandy, Yes. I do. The side table on the patio has a hand-painted top, created with the exact same methods and materials that I have been using on these pieces. That table has been out of doors for almost a year. They are 100% weather resistant. I have no worries.
26Here's the direct link to a closeup view of the table I am making reference to: http://teamsugar.com/gallery/view/1660692?page=0,11,0
27ok thanks i'll have to try this at our next place.
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