The original picture that I used for this project hung on my parent’s living room wall for at least 30 years. Ya, I’m dating myself. Probably more like 35+ years but who’s counting? I spent many lazy Saturday afternoons laying on the couch looking at the picture imagining myself living in that idyllic country scene.
Like many people in the seventies my mother was big into a brown and orange colour palette. This “painting” would of worked then but now it was destined for the thrift store or worse yet, the curb. Something in me didn’t want to part with my parent’s art but I didn’t want it displayed in my house as it was.
I found myself in the garage with the picture, a few different cans of mis-tinted off-white and greige paints, a brush and a curious husband. An hour later I had this new and improved work of art.
Part of the charm of this painting is the oversimplified flower. All the fine art work by the original artist shines through. Quite a lovely contrast to my meddling. Making sure to change the format from horizontal to vertical was also vital to the concept. The original frame was a bit too gold for my liking so I toned it down by painting white over it and then removing approximately 50% of the paint with an old rag before it dried.
I did not intend to turn this into a future blog post so unfortunately I did not think to take any before pictures or of the process. The picture I’ve used in this post to show the BEFORE painting is very close, same artist but not the exact same painting. I have been keeping any eye out for a similar picture at garage sales but so far no luck.
SUPER IMPORTANT *** READ THIS PART *** If you decide to take on this type of project make sure to TRIPLE CHECK that the picture you are going to paint over is not worth anything. Make sure that it is a cheap print and not an original painting or a stenograph or a lithograph. Happy painting!
