Finally, enough was enough and the pictures went up. I have been creating, collecting, thrifting and redesigning several things that finally have a place to hang. As it is the wall you see when you walk in (first, since you pretty much see every wall when you walk in) I had to get it right. Thus, the title "Progress."
It's not all the way done yet. As I was putting things up, I had to make tweaks. I saw a definite color palette emerging, one I hadn't really been thinking was there. When I first moved in I thought constantly about the colors I would use. I originally thought it would be bright and vibrant- rich blues and reds and yellows. However, it has become much more muted. I think with the right accents, it's exactly what I wanted. Because the bright color idea was actually in response to a desert scheme that I worried would become more reminiscent of the 1980s.
So, I think I'm going for the desert after all, but for the time of year when there are wildflowers, so I can still have those pops of colors.
This wall originally had one giant canvas on it with wood, but it was solo and sad. I love collages of frames and so that's where I decided to go with this, plus it allows me to put more things on the wall.
To start, I made a layout of the wall.
Then, I just put the nail in the middle of the paper and put the pictures up. This is how it looks when you walk in. (The pictures aren't very bright and don't seem to do it justice, so you might have to trust me on this one.)
This is more of the whole corner.
As I said, it's a work in progress. I think things will be added and slightly rearranged as I create and collect more art. You can see that there are even blank canvases, for which I have specific ideas of what I want to do. So, hopefully, there will be more "Progress" pictures to come soon. For now, I'm just glad to have something on that wall.
The large desert picture, which I think anchors the colors, was from a thrift store for about $8. It had a large frame on it, but I decided to either paint it or ditch it. I don't have it anymore, I think it might not have come off in a way that I could put the picture back on. But, without the frame, the picture takes less room. Maybe eventually, I'll get a thin frame for it- maybe in red? We'll see.
The wood on the canvas is a smaller version of what i had already done. I saw a picture online where someone put the wood pieces directly on a wall. It looked amazing, but not practical when you are renting. Now the canvas can travel with me from home to home.
Annie made a quick stop for me on the side of the road so we could pick up a large branch, then Anthony cut it all up for me. I wish I had a saw....
This is a picture of Grandma O in New York that I have always loved.
On the other wall, I have some random finds from thrift stores. Like the clock- it's amazing. I thought about painting it, but haven't decided if I really want to yet. Maybe just the squirrel. Maybe I shouldn't mix woodland and desert. Oh well, they're all the wilderness, which is ideal.
Another more woodland touch is the blue circle. My mom and I found it at a thrift store and it is a carving of a man leading cows through the Alps. On the bottom it says Switzerland. When we found it, it looked like this:
But, I decided to revamp it. It was too dark and old looking. The blue pulls out the details even better. It is a nice soft, but happy blue color.
As Grandma had been cleaning out her house, she gave out a lot of pictures. I need some more copies, for now though I got a set of Dad's school pictures. The color is so great in them. Sorry to say this, but it has the best vintage feel to it. I suppose my school pictures will also feel vintage eventually, for now they just look tacky. In this picture it all looks faded, but in life the red is more vibrant.
I don't have close ups of the flowers, but those are from our trip to Portland. I was determined to find something by local artists. I probably could have found something for every inch of my walls, but this is one that made the cut.
The gray canvas won't stay gray, I think I need something warmer, so that's in the works. Like I said, lots of progress.
Speaking of progress.... I'll end this (kind of long) post with a picture of a project to come. Hopefully, this will serve as motivation to me to really get to it. Besides, the "after" of my cover letter is done, so I can do a few other things without feeling as guilty now.
I won't show you the fabric yet, but my fingers are itching to get going.
