The Jury's Still Out...
That's right. I cannot resist painting a flat surface... It calls to me. And suddenly, I must pick up my paintbrush and like a wizard's hat with a mind of its own, my brush pulls me to the un-decorated surface...
Similar to Disney's sorcerer's apprentice (aka Mickey Mouse), I watch as the broom (or in this case, the brush) takes on a life of its own.
I cannot help myself.
For this reason, my husband consented to removing the pocket door from our RV so that I can transform it into an "antique" French Screen or room divider.
Indeed. I suspect he simply wishes to humor me.
To which I reply, "Oh, ye of little faith..." Ha!
Since we are currently awaiting the completion of two major outsourced projects--the reupholstery of our RV Sofa and the building of custom cabinetry--I thought I'd start this particular "pet" project of mine this week.
And so, this morning, I actually began to tackle in earnest this sure-to-be enormous painting project. Given that the end product will require a multitude of layers and therefore, stages, I plan several posts updating my progress for you.
Along the way, I will also offer some recommendations for all of you who claim you cannot draw or paint a "stick figure." Yes, you can achieve something similar to what I create without attempting to paint "fine art."
"So, what is a French Screen?" you may be asking yourself.
Ahh... I'm delighted to show you some photo examples and inspiration here. Of course, my screen styled door will take on its own particular style because I will adapt the general idea to suit the door size, the rv's decor and, of course, my personal, landscape painting style.
But here are some of my inspiration photos...
For the art portion of the door, my intention is to paint three individual landscape paintings. However, I will first paint the "frames" of my faux, three-panelled door in what is known as the trompe l'oeil tradition.
If you have had the opportunity to visit an historic, European Estate, you may have observed trompe l'oeil motifs used to embellish the walls and doors. Since woodwork, marble and other materials were often expensive and in short supply, wealthy patrons frequently employed artists to paint walls and doors in a manner so as to "trick the eye," or give the appearance of those materials.
Since I wish to create the illusion of a three paneled door, I will be painting three frames on the door in the trompe l'oeil style in order to achieve a three dimensional feel.
Why not simply add molding to the door? Well, the depth of any molding would interfere with the pocket door's mobility once the door is reinstalled in our RV. Quite frankly, there isn't enough space to attach molding to the door. If attempted, the door would not clear the wall behind which it hides when not in use.
Before I begin my trompe l'oeil, however, I'm giving the edges of the door an aged finish. Once that is complete, I can begin creating my faux frames.
In addition, I have yet to gesso the surface of the door where I intend to paint my landscapes. For those of you who are not familiar with fine art mediums, allow me to explain.
Gesso is a paint preparation used to prepare canvases and other surfaces for fine art painting. Its longevity outlasts that of regular house paint. I'll gesso the surface after I have completed the aged finish.
Below, you can see my photo record of progress made on the door so far. It actually took me about a week to decide on the colors that I would use for the under-painting and final finish for the door's frame work. Likely because of the current pandemic, I couldn't buy locally all the colors and products from one manufacturing company, and so you'll see that I've mixed my brands.
I don't anticipate any problems from mixing brands. But we shall soon see. I may be crying here over the end result six months from now. Stay tuned.
Oh, and so far, I have simply taped off the individual "panels" with painter's tape, and applied the undercoat and crackle medium.
My Starting Point...the Before...
The Materials on Our Workbench...
Application of the "Legendary" Tape...
The Underpainting and Crackle Medium Applied...
If you have noted that the "panels" appear off-center, you are certainly correct. The reason for placing the panels off-center is actually a fairly simple one: approximately 3 inches of the door's width will remain in the "pocket" even when the door is fully open.
For this reason, had I placed the "panels" in the exact center of the door, they actually would have appeared off-center.
Tomorrow, after the medium has fully dried, I will paint the white finish coat over the darker undercoat. I hope that it will crackle as my practice piece did. Here's a photo of my trial run in order to give you an idea of what I hope will occur.
I'll be back to show you more progress on this project once the trompe l'oeil portion is complete. In the meantime, have a beauty-filled week, everyone!
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