... creating a "faux" stained glass window ...

Having an older home ... oddities, quirks and the like are a given - - and in abundance in our home, which was originally built as a duplex and turned into a single family home many years ago.  With that layout, we have two staircases flanking both sides of our living room.  A quirkiness that I like :)  Originally, octagon windows lead up the stairs on both sides.  We have since replaced them with your typical square, double-paned vinyl window - - thrilling, I know.

After they were installed, they were screaming for character ... something appealing, other than a boring square outlined in white - - Blah!  After painting so many wine glasses and the like, I thought to myself - - why not try to create a stained glass look?

Painting on the actual window was out for many reasons.  So, I decided on plexy glass.

In order for the plexy to stay within the window, I measured the inset of the vinyl window frame.

Our local hardware store was able to cut the plexy to the exact measurements for me - - a huge help!

Next, I poured over ideas and patterns on the Internet ... and settled on incorporating a few different clip art forms, as well as my own designs therein.

Now, the paints ...

My experience has been solely with pebeo vitrea 160 - absolutely LOVE their product and have been very happy with the application, drying and cured outcome.  My wine glasses are top-shelf dishwasher safe ... so this paint is durable.  Of course, painting on plexy omits the baking step ... but this paint is still very durable even after air drying for 24 hours - - and I figure, I will not be placing it in a dishwasher!  :)

I ran into a slight hiccup when purchasing the "faux" leading.  A disappointment fell upon me when I found that my Michaels store is no longer carrying this line.  Arrrgggh!  So, I trusted in another brand that is well known in quality ... DecoArt's Americana line.  I purchased the White Translucent Gloss and the Opaque Gloss Writer in Black for the leading.

The difference in brands is that vitrea dries much faster.  So, if using Americana Glass Paint - - prepare yourself that your project will be drawn out due to drying time. 

Back to the project: 

FIRST THING FIRST ... After taping your pattern to the backside of the plexy - apply rubbing alcohol to the entire front piece. This removes any dust and oils that might be present on the glass and adds to the durability of the piece.

Once dried ... painting can begin.

You must begin with the leading ...

 

I began at the top and worked in sections down to the bottom.  I then let that dry to the touch (about 3-5 hours ... when I say that there is a difference in drying time - - I mean it.)   

Because I had two panels to complete, I attempted to do one step at a time on both pieces, rather than creating one whole panel and having to go through the whole process again with the second.  This took a couple days, just for leading ... to ensure that the paint was dried and cured.

Once all leading is completed and dried ... the fun really begins!  The paint!!

 In order to create the sky background, one, thin coat of white paint (vitrea white cloud) must be applied with a flat brush.  Once dried, I poured the Americana white gloss paint onto a section (see below) and swirled with a rounded paint brush.

The slow drying time of the Americana paint finally became a benefit, as swirling the blue through the white was fluid with no worries about drying paint becoming tacky and pulling away.

 

 The one way to keep up my stamina in completing these panels was to hold them up to the window to see the progress ... because this project took much longer than I anticipated.

 

A key to working with glass paint is to always be mindful of your brushstrokes ... because they will be seen.  Of course, you can use this to your advantage to create different looks ... swirled for the sky, dragged for a wood-grain effect and circular for the rounded stones that surrounded the piece.  Different brush styles provide for difference effects.

 

 

With the panels finished, I was left to deal with the framing of the window.  I am not a fan of white vinyl and have been known to paint it.  As long as it sticks ... I'm good.
 

So, I taped off the wall and the inside of the vinyl frame.  Inserting and removing these panels would most likely damage a painted trim.  Therefore, I only painted the front of the vinyl trim - - and truly, you do not notice it at all once the painted panels are in place.

 

In order to make sure that the panels stay in place ... especially because my 7-year old seemed mystified by them and little fingers are sure to investigate ... I applied sticky Velcro rounds to the corners of the panels, which will stick to the unpainted vinyl framing and should .... "should" ... be easy to remove later. :)
 
And, alas!  The transformation ...

... much better, I think. 

 And by the way ... the strip of white above the window frame is not my mistake - LOL.  It is the left over scar of the old window, which will be fixed when I attempt the painting of my living room - - which will be after my kitchen.  ("sigh")  All in good time ...   

 

People are like stained glass windows, they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when darkness sets in, their true beauty is only seen if there is a light within.

~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

 

... no place like home

One of my favorite things to paint are homes. Now, if my family read this, they would say, "What??" Well .... okay - - to be honest, painting homes are the most challenging, which usually accompanies a little bit of stress and a little bit of procrastination ... BUT!! They are the ~MOST REWARDING~.
I love that people cherish their homes ... their childhood homes ... their parents' homes ... really, any place that holds special meaning, which usually comes from the warm memories contained within that structure.

I have this love affair with both of my grandparents' homes, as they have been the constant in my life - - never changing no matter how many times our family moved.

My one grandma is still in her home where we visit every other Sunday for supper, along with my dad and sister, and spend most, if not all, of our visit seated around the table where we solve the world's problems. :) We joke that a collective book should be written ... maybe someday.

This is her home that I captured in a children's illustration. Our little Cape Cod has had numerous renovations. My favorite was the buttercup yellow siding with black shutters - - I can still picture it when I close my eyes.

But, it is within those walls that I remember playing on the kitchen floor with my yellow toy telephone, taking pizza orders from imaginary customers ... watching Gram make homemade donuts and getting to shake the bag "real good" to ensure the sweetest donuts ever ... sitting on Gram's bed, as a teenager, listening to "Request & Dedication" on Sunday evenings, pining over a crush ... propping my daughter's bouncy seat on Gram's kitchen table to feed my new, baby girl ... washing dishes in the sink (because Gram doesn't need a dishwasher ... "she has us!") and watching from the paned windows as my son and dad play wiffle ball, just as we had as kids ... and sharing every Christmas Eve over Wagilia Dinner and breaking holy bread with Gram's blessing. See, this house is not just something that provides a shelter ... it is years of love & memories that bind those cinder blocks together ... that's the mortar that holds our family together.

And, I know what it feels like to have that home not be yours anymore to claim as a haven. When my other grandparents sold their home to move into a retirement village, I thought my heart would truly break in two.

I remember walking through the house after the movers took everything and having those childhood images flood my mind as I went from room to room - - a fire crackling in the living room on a winter's day, with a card table set up in the middle for a craft with Gram of sequins, straight pins and Styrofoam balls ... holiday dinners closing with family card games of PIG and spoons - the walls seemed to vibrate with laughter ... shoeing Pap from his bedroom to bunk with Gram, so that I could sleep in his cozy, twin bed, using the opened, paned window at the foot of the bed as an alarm with its cool breeze, warm sunlight and chirping birds ... taste-testing Pap's mashed potatoes on the back of our hand for enough salt and buttery goodness ... and spending hours on the back porch, swinging in between my grandparents and singing into the night by red-hued candlelight from Gram's cranberry glass globes.

My heart didn't break fully that day, but did so a few years later when my Pap passed away suddenly. I remember walking to the house, which was a long-winded trek from where I was living, and simply standing before it ... sobbing. That house still holds such a heartache for me that I've never painted it. Writing this now ... I am thinking that perhaps I need to do that.

I wonder if my customers feel as tied to the homes that they commission me to paint. I'd like to think so. But it is by my own heartfelt relationship to places that I love which draws me to capture that connection for others.

For the piece below, I was contacted by a lovely gal, Susan, who currently lives in Japan with her husband and children. She and her siblings, Tracy and Curt, wished to have their parents' home portrait painted as a gift for Christmas. What better gift than one that signifies "family."

Their wish was to have their parents' home painted for the winter holidays. I know that this home is completely different in architecture, but I visualized the home from Home Alone, and immediately wanted to capture a moonlit night ...

I painted the beginning layers of the night sky, and decided to go ahead with the sketch of the home before placing in the moon, as I did not want the moon obstructed from a peak of the roof.

Then, came the trees ...

... almost eerie at this stage. When I paint commissioned pieces, I usually send along progress photos, so that my customers can see how their painting is coming along. With this one, I confirmed with Susan (& Co.) that this was not a mistake - - I was not painting a Halloween portrait for them ...

(although, I was probably inspired to do so for all of the Halloween Candy that was laying around at the time!) ... it was just the beginning of layers.
With the initial background layer completed, I began to work on the brickwork.

When painting brick, it is all about texture and shading. I am not quite as timid when commissioned to paint brick as I was in the past ... there is always a learning curve and room to play to get it right.

Then, my favorite part of painting these home portraits ... embellishing, especially the winter homes. :)

And, after painting the foreground and covering it in snow ... Susan, Tracy & Curt's tribute to their family is complete.
"How beautiful! Thank you so much for everything! The progress pictures were a very personal, fun and unexpected touch! I can't wait to see it in person!"... "my parents absolutely LOVE their portrait!" - Susan W.

The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.

~Maya Angelou

... winterscape ...

How appropriate to post this latest portrait, since it seems that as far as the eye can see -everything is, once again, covered in white. This latest storm took everyone by surprise - even the local meteorologist ... HUMPH! How does that happen with today's technology? Oh well - just another school closing for the books.

This home portrait was commissioned for the McCandless Family. As you can see, their home is a lovely, two-story BRICK dwelling. ... Oh my ... all that brick. I was anxious to challenge myself with this piece, as brickwork can be tricky to capture with all of its shadings of color and texture.


I settled on the above photo to use as a reference for their painting, as it gives a respectful perspective of this home's grandeur and grace. Of course, the final painting will have this home nestled in a winterscape.

If you have followed my previous posts, you will know that I must ... and I mean "must" ... paint to movies. It's silly, I know ... but movies tend to be my artistic muse when creating. Depending upon my mood and the subject that I paint usually dictates the movie selection. In this case ... I was feeling a bit English. I know - the house favors more southern architecture, but it feels a bit regal with its columns - and when "regal," I think England ... and well, you catch the drift.

So - the movie pic? The Holiday ...

Not only does this movie have fantastic actors (Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz & Jude Law) plus a bit of humor and so much heart, but it also embraces the beauty and coziness of winter that I like to keep in mind when painting this season. It's a must see if you enjoy romantic comedies ... one of my ultimate favorites!

So, with the film rolling, my coffee steaming and my pencils sharpened, I began sketching their home ...

The challenges here are angles, size and placement ... Thankfully, I do have an eraser!!

Now, I began the trickiest part of this painting ... you guessed it ... the brickwork. Yikes...

There may be an easier way to do this, as I create through trial and error; however, I find that in order to create the depth of shading and texture, I must paint in layers and then add in the detail of mortar.
This pic is taken on an angle, therefore it appears that the house is leaning in on itself - I assure you it is not. :)
Next, the windows and trim to give that cozy-warmth and detail.

It's funny ... one would think that a winter scene would be the easiest to paint, since everything is just white -- when in actuality, it is more time consuming, as the foreground must be created in order to lay the snow over top. Otherwise, no depth is achieved. At this point, the front lawn had not been painted yet ... what you see is blank canvas - not snow.

And, alas, the final painting ...

... a winter's blanket covering the McCandless's home in white, while warmth of golden light filters from within.

I consider this painting one of my greatest challenges to replicate, considering the brickwork, trim and detail. Because of this, it is one that I truly cherished ... thank you, Nancy, for the opportunity to confront my hesitations, explore my craft and create this painting for your family. It was an experience that I treasure.

Challenges are what makes life interesting.

Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

- Joshua J. Marine

... my wishes painting ...

It was time to begin tackling the two remaining painting orders that were requested to be held for after the holidays. The first is for Elaine ...

As soon as I pulled out our old plastic table cover to set up at the kitchen counter (you would too, if you saw my studio! LOL), my son immediately recognized the task at hand and grabbed some cardboard and his brushes. :)

I just love when my kiddos get bitten by the artsy bug!!

After setting up a movie for us (you know me & my painting routine ... ), pouring a cup of creamy vanilla coffee and grabbing my painting tools ...

... the canvas began to come alive in hues of green, blue.

This painting was challenging in that it was to duplicate a prior painting that I had sold at the show. Knowing that there may be differences in the sky's light and shadows, because painting a sky always takes on it's own flow of color and personality, I felt it most important that I create the same inspiring feeling overall that the original painting possessed ... that to search your soul with whimsical wonder. :)

Next at hand was to add "the girl."

This girl represents each and every woman who feels that tug on her heartstrings and a flutter in her soul of ideas, promises and dreams of who she is, who she wants to be and what she wants to accomplish in her life. I believe, wholeheartedly, that every woman experiences this during her lifetime. Mine is currently ongoing and really blossomed when I became a mother.

When painting the original, my initial thought was "first snow." I have always found the first snowflakes to fall so magical and delicate .... much like wishes that I would send up to the night sky. But when I added the "flakes" to the upper sky, they reminded me more of twinkling stars on a brisk night when the overcast is clearing ... and one's dreams become more formed and possible in her mind.

So, I give you my wishes painting ...

Should this painting speak to you as well ... prints can be ordered on my Etsy :) ... or perhaps you may wish for a painting of your own ... :)

Our deepest wishes are whispers of our authentic selves.

We must learn to respect them.

We must learn to listen.

- Sarah Ban Breathnach