Evolution of a Simple Floral Still Life

I love to paint as a hobby and some of my little works are featured in my Etsy shop. Escaping into the paint box is just as magical as walking into the wardrobe closet and ending up in Narnia. It's like going on a road trip with no road map or any particular destination in mind. Here's a brief travelogue of one recent journey.

I laid out the "bones".

I added some color.

I put in the background.

Then added accents and highlights.

I went around the world and back and brought back a souvenir, all with out leaving my stance at my easel. I saved a lot of money on gas, but still had to wash out my brushes. It was so much fun!

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Staining Brick

I received a good education on staining brick last spring on this particular job in Redmond’s Union Hill Gunshy Ridge, a neighborhood filled with luxurious, Tudor homes, yet where so many look alike. It’s invaluable to be able to change the color of the brick (and the monotony of the neighborhood) without losing the visual texture of its underlying irregular surface which would have resulted if it had been painted with an opaque paint. Any custom color can be achieved by its tinting into either a clear, solid or semitransparent stain.

Here are the before and after shots. Isn't the transformation amazing?

The colors specs are: SW 2827 “Colonial Revival Stone” for the brick stain and the decorative trim, SW 2822 “Downing Sand” on the stucco, BM OC-130, “Cloud White” for the window sashes and gutters and SW 2801 “Rookwood Dark Red” for the front door.

H and C by Sherwin Williams offer excellent masonry products for just about any situation, both vertical and horizontal, where the ultimate aim is a decorative effect and EB Color offers excellent advice.

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As Unique As You Are

It has taken me four years and hundreds of consultations to have finally owned up to my true gift as an architectural color consultant. It's been slowly dawning on me as I see the look of relief, satisfaction and pure joy on my client's faces. I have always been confident about my color sensitivity, but it was my most recent color consultation at Tease Salon that confirmed this other innate ability. It was also proof of the power of color and its effect on human emotions. So you're wondering, what is it that I do? Well, I am a facilitator. I "get out of the way" and let my client discover the paint colors they truly desire. And then I make it work.

When we began the consultation at Tease, its owner, Judy was lamenting over the existing wall colors. In the work station, there was a yellow hue, with a pumpkin color undertone. She hated it and so did the stylists who work there. She wanted a complete change in color and feeling. There were already a lot of great elements going for the space - the corrugated galvanized half wall, the beautiful existing warm brown trim that surrounds the mirrors (painted in Ralph Lauren's "Turret Stair") and vintage black and white photographs.

This yellowish hue along with the lugubrious wine colored one on the opposing wall did not reflect "urban", "edgy" or "elegant", the feelings Judy wanted to convey in her salon. Quite the opposite. They gave a "homespun" feel and just did not match with the metal, leather and glass.

First of all, Tease's logo is awesome. (I always love a double entendre). Its Jetsonsesque retro, black and white graphic was certainly the point of departure in selecting a new palette. The black and white contrast demanded a limited palette and a warm grey wall seemed the answer to contrast the cool grey of the metal half wall. The warmth and complexity of Authentic Home's "Grey Stone" was the antidote. The stylists LOVED it, saying it will not compete with or provide any kind of after image as they are coloring hair.

For the other wall, we explored several options from various shades of greens to eye popping orange. But remember, besides urban and edgy, the third criterion to satisfy was "elegant". Judy said "what about blue?" No sooner as I had reached for the Benjamin Moore Aura deck, knowing there are some great blues in there, Judy's finger pointed right to AF-525, "Fiji". Voila...we nailed it. At that point, we were all giddy because this palette came together so smoothly and EVERYONE was happy about the new colors. We danced around the room holding a vision of the colorful transformation with the joyful expectancy of a new baby.

The creation of every palette is as unique as the collaborating individuals who make it. Tease's motto couldn't say it any better.

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