Watercolor Memories Made

This past summer I took a one-day, "boot camp" watercolor class, which I enjoyed. This is a new medium for me, which I think I'll get to like the more I practice. What I especially like is that you can keep going over any mistakes you make, so anything you paint is never really "complete." This is probably true for just about any art form, and one of the most difficult decisions any artist makes – "Am I really done with this piece?"

This was my first watercolor attempt, based on a photograph I took of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir at sunset this past July.

Summer Sunset – Chestnut Hill Reservoir
watercolor painting, 11"x15".

Here's the photo:

Chestnut Hill Reservoir sunset photograph

I first drew a rough sketch, then painted over it. One of the most difficult challenges is learning how to mix colors to get what you want. Making the dense black parts in the center was the most difficult to achieve, and I more or less settled for brown.

I do like landscapes, but they're kind of the cliché subject matter for watercolors, so for my next two paintings, I wanted something a bit less typical and more challenging.

For my second watercolor, I found this image online.

Image of model falling on the runway

Though the colors are drab, I decided watercolors would help to enhance the subject matter a bit.
I drew this out in pencil before painting it. Getting the face and hair the way I wanted them proved to be the most challenging. Painting the shadows was yet another challenge.

Model Crush
watercolor, 11"x15".

For my third watercolor, I found this online image:

Another image of model falling on runway

This image is extremely complicated, with a lot going on in her outfit – "creation" is more accurate. There's mesh, lace, fishnet, feathers, crystals, sequins and more – as well as the elaborate headpiece.

I had to draw this out in pencil first to get a sense of what's going on.

Pencil sketch of Model Crush II

This watercolor painting took weeks to complete. To get the black, I experimented and mixed brown with blue, which worked out pretty well. The most challenging part was getting the chest portion painted because there's so much going on in that area. The areas with crystals and sequins were really difficult. To enhance these areas, I used glitter glue for sparkle.

Model Crush II
watercolor with glitter glue, 11"x15".

Up With Lighting

It takes two to start a collection, so it's official. I'm now collecting vintage TV lamps, those heavy — some say "hideous" — 1950s ceramic behemoths that used to sit on top of TV sets back when televisions were usually encased in large pieces of wooden furniture.

Egyptian Queen (Nefertari, perhaps?) TV lamp.

The Egyptian Queen is a bit unusual. I haven't even seen this one on eBay. The most common ones I've seen are Black Panthers (one of my grandfathers had one on top of his TV for many years), White Swans, Covered Wagons, Ducks, Owls, Siamese Cats, and nonfigural shapes like the second TV lamp in my collection.

Non-figural "Leaf" TV lamp.

So, you ask, who would ever want to collect TV lamps?

Me.

I do appreciate their sculptural features, and, in the case of the "Leaf" lamp, it adds a nice bit of mood lighting for a semi-dark spot in my nighttime kitchen. So, why not?

To continue the lighting theme, I also found a vintage Sunbeam alarm clock at the same local antique shop recently.

Vintage ceramic TV lamp and Sunbeam alarm clock.

The brown and orange hues definitely date the clock from the 1970s, and the alarm still works!

My other fun find at the same CT antique shop, was this lemonade pitcher and pair of glasses, just in time for summertime picnics.

Vintage lemonade pitcher and glasses.

I'm hoping at some point I can find matching glasses for the pitcher, assuming they exist.

But, the real showstopper from my antiquing day — alas, it wouldn't fit in my Honda Civic — was this FABULOUS mid-century sectional with built-in end tables!

Vintage tufted sectional. Note vintage ash tray on built-in side table.

Also love the globe tree lamp.
For this setting, I'd definitely replace the coffee table with a more organic Naguchi one,
and change the rug to something shag-a-delic.

Tufting close-up. Great colors!

I have a feeling this piece held court in some grand lady's large, posh apartment. It may have been a custom-made piece, and it looks as though people rarely sat on it. Maybe it was covered with clear plastic a la My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I'm grateful it doesn't have a clashing, crocheted throw and pillows covering the back.

Happy Vintage Dreams, Darlings!

How Do You Like Your Eggs?

In New England, they're hard-boiled with a grey tinged yoke and a bit too much salt.

In Key West, they're sunny-side up with a side of avocado.

Fortunately, I recently had a taste of the sunny side of the world with a quick getaway to Key West, where I didn't see a single snowflake, Windsor chair, or braided oval rug.

Part of a wall mural at the back porch of DJ's Clam Shack.

Ahhh... I feel better.

I did see lots of beautiful colors, including this lovely coral:

Seeing red? Not sure where this was.

And, of course, typical Florida pastels, as seen on this antique car:

There were plenty of examples of Art Deco splendor, similar to Miami, as seen on the Tropic Cinema and the Strand Theater (sadly, now a Walgreen's Pharmacy):

Tropic Cinema. Yes, that's Marilyn at the lower left.

Strand Theater facade.

I also loved the purple signage with architectural cutouts for the Orchid Key Inn on Duval Street:

And this mid-century marvel I spotted on a local side street (I'm wild about the cutouts):

I also liked the funky randomness of island life, as depicted in these snapshots:

Random cleanliness on the streets of Key West.

Fleming Street flora.

Cock lookin' for a fight.

Even though it's a crowded tourist spot, a visit to the Ernest Hemingway mansion on Whitehead Street is a must. The plantation style facade is appealing, and the grounds are especially pleasant.

Hemingway House - back view.

There's even a mini cat version of the mansion on the grounds, where I met a few descendants of Hemingway's cats, including Mrs. Hadley (all-black, with six toes on her paws), Audrey Hepburn (white and caramel patchwork) and Clark Gable (a beautiful, light dusty grey).

Kitty Hemingway House

I also noticed additional indigenous architectural details, such as this front porch with unique archways. I saw these exact style railing cutouts on many houses all over the island:

House on Whitehead Street.

Another common Southern detail is the blue painted ceiling, shown here on the front porch of the Eden House, where I stayed.

This tradition apparently originated out of the fear of "haints," or restless spirits of the dead. Many Southerners believe painting your porch ceiling a light blue will protect your home from evil spirits. I also noticed some "Haint Blue" ceilings last year in New Orleans — definitely no surprise there!


By the time I left Key West, I was a bit "fried" from the flights, but I really enjoyed the getaway and its many fringe benefits:

Winter Blues Table

Wintertime... and the living is cold and rather bleak on some days, though brightening up my table with another vintage cloth helps.

I like this one because the colors are atypical, as is the pinecone design. I complemented the cloth with pieces of my vintage pinecone dinnerware and my snowflake candles, which I will probably never light.

Anyone for coffee and ice cream?

A Very Vintage Christmas

This year's Christmas tree — imported from South Windsor, CT once again — is decorated using all C-6 bubble lights in multiple colors.

The challenge with the bubble lights is getting them to stay vertical because as the days pass, the branches start to droop. In any case, the bubbling action never fails to delight, and a whole tree of them actually produces a calming effect.

Most of the ornaments are vintage 1950s to 1970s, with newer ones mixed in. I made the paper chains out of leftover wallpaper from several years back.

One of the new vintage Christmas items I purchased at the Brimfield Antiques Show this year is this double-sided plastic Santa.

And, this year's kitchen table centerpiece combines vintage blue ornaments with pinecones gathered from my sister's yard.

The vintage tablecloth is from last year, and I'll probably use it every year for as long as it lasts.

These photos show various vintage Christmas items decorating my play room. My friend Amy made the beautiful red and green pillow.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Pachydermatology

I had this plain black lamp in my hallway, sitting on top of my painted octagonal table.

Plain black lamp

Even though it sits on a patterned table, I decided it needed a facelift, so I invited the elephant into the room. I decoupaged it with a vintage wallpaper called Caladium, which features beautiful, oversized elephant ears painted in various greens, gray and black.

Before the stampede

The difficulty was working with the sloped shape of the shade. I cut out the wallpaper pieces and experimented with how I wanted them to overlap. I first used small pieces of masking tape to see how the finished layers would look, and made adjustments accordingly. Then I layered on the pieces with acrylic gloss medium.

For the finishing touch, I decided to inject a bit of whimsy by adding a stampede of elephants to the bottom of the shade.

Elephants enter the picture

I found an image of African elephants online, so I printed it and cut out the elephants.

The stampede ensues

Here's a closer shot so you can see the pattern better...

Pachyderm Pride

Roses On My Plate

My most recent Connecticut visit yielded the beginnings of a new dinnerware collection. This fab mid-century pattern (circa 1955) is called Rose Duet by J & G Meakin. I found four luncheon plates and four berry bowls in Collinsville — just $12 for the set!

I especially like the irregular shape and the gray latticed background, which resembles fabrics of the time.
The backs of the plates have an elaborate black crest that says, "English Staffordshire - Rose Duet," "Genuine Hand Engraved By Britain's Finest Craftsmen - Permanent Colours," and "J & G Meakin, Estd. 1851."

I actually had the glasses already.  The pattern is called Yellow Rose by Anchor Hocking, from the late 1950s-early 1960s. I think they complement the dinnerware rather nicely.

Have to go now! My butler James is saying, "Luncheon is served, Master Joe."