The Autumn Leaves

This past weekend we celebrated Homecoming Sunday at my church, the Magnolia UCC. It was a chance for anyone who has ever had any connection to the church to come together and connect, and in some cases reconnect.

I wanted to create something celebratory in the sanctuary. I knew that the service would be focused on the 'great cloud of witness' from the reading in Hebrews. But, I also wanted to highlight community and autumn. Recently, a tree that had shaded the stained-glass windows in the front of the church had been removed.
This meant that they would have a stronger impact then they had been having in the space. I wanted to respect that, too.

I was inspired by a banner that read "I am the vine, you are the branches".

I used 8" ribbon segments and tied them around a couple of pear tree branches to represent the leaves - and the members of the community.

The colors were dictated by the stained glass windows. I graduated the color of the ribbons, starting with red at the tips of the branches moving to orange, yellow, chartreuse and ending with green at the base. This echoes the changing leaves of the trees outside.

The 'falling' leaves are taped to the wall as well as hanging from wire from the branches to add another dimension. They represent the "great cloud of witnesses", those members that have gone before us.

The effect of these branches ended up being very simple visually and, yet, they were able to embrace all of the concepts I had set forth.

I like this idea so much I think I will do something at home like this. It can be done in colors to match any room or occasion. It could be interesting to do a branch all in black or purple for Halloween. Or all white or silver for Christmas or winter. Be inspired, be good,
Scott

Everything old is new again

This past fall as I was cooling down from one of my morning runs, I came across 'free stuff'. You know, the pile of stuff by the side of the road with the handmade sign saying 'FREE'. One of the houses in the neighborhood was being renovated and each day something new, rather old, was put out for the taking. This particular day I found a piece of furniture that had been a built-in desk. I liked it but couldn't really justify taking it. What was I going to do with it?
But, that afternoon I was still thinking about it. So, I got into my car and loaded it into the trunk.
It had sat in the garage for the last 5 months, in pieces.

I finally decided to tackle it. My friend Elynne had sent me an electric fireplace insert, which I ahd used as a heater, but it lacked character. The desk would become the new home for the fireplace insert.

After getting the desk back together, I still had a bit of work to box in the sides, build a 'hearth', make an inner frame and paint it, antique it (there was no way it was going to ever look new and fresh) and wax it.
It turned out beautifully.I used the scalloping of the leg and drawer shapes to dictate the design. I selected a print of one of my paintings that has similar shapes and covered the inset frame with it. I was even able to maintain a working drawer.
Be good,
Scott

Somewhere Over a Rainbow

Cathy, The Pastor of my church left to move to Montana.

When I was presented with the opportunity to create a festive yet meaningful setting for the Godspeed service I began by asking Cathy "Which of the past settings have you liked?" There had been many over the years. She recalled the large floral arrangements that another church member creates. She also mentioned some banners I had painted and several large creations - from fabric rivers to greenery jungles. Then, as if it were a footnote *"I like rainbows" she casually threw out to me.
I knew then that a large (it needed to make a statement) rainbow of some kind needed to fill the space. I initially thought I would paint a rainbow on a fabric banner. It was a fine idea, but I wanted something that wouldn't completely hide the beautiful stained-glass window at the front of the church. I also wanted something that would have more interest. So, I put it into the mix of 'things waiting for inspiration'.
I'm not sure when it hit me, I think when I was running one day. I would create a ribbon rainbow. By using various shades and sizes of ribbon I would hang them from red to orange to yellow to green to blue to purple.
The final banner ended up being about 7 feet wide by 16 feet tall. The ribbons hang over a pole and are taped to stay in place. The part of the ribbons that hang in front I cut in a large arch to represent the bow. It had a much greater impact than even I had imagined. It did end up being festive and meaningful.

Outside In

I am home now. My time at the cabin in Wisconsin was restful and fun. Well, as restful as could be. My parents are do-ers. My father, Ron, is happiest when there is a project to be done. For this last visit the list of projects included: pulling in the dock, getting the boat ashore, finishing the floor trim, and splitting wood for the fireplace. We accomplished all but the wood-splitting. My mother, Pat, spent hours piecing a quilt, doing laundry and preparing meals.

I can relax for only so long and then I, too, need to find a project. I blame them.

When I realized that the one blank wall in the cabin needed to be painted, it became my project. Now, just painting the wall one color wasn't going to be enough for me. In fact, Ron is a painter by profession, so that would be a job he could easily do (almost with his eyes closed). I figured a mural would work beautifully.

It didn't take much, if anything, to convince Ron and Pat. I didn't even need to describe what I had in mind. I figured that this blind trust is partially a result of my teen years. I had my own bedroom and my parents allowed me to paint and paint again whatever I wanted on my walls. Since then I have painted several murals from the simple to the ornate.

I wanted to do something simple for the cabin, yet something that echoed the surroundings outside. The result was this hazy hilly forest scene.

The process is fairly easy. First Ron prepared the wall and painted the base coat using the lightest color. Starting with the next lightest color I painted the ground and trees in silhouette. Once that dried, I took the next slightly darker color and painted the next hill and tree silhouette slightly larger on top of the first. I repeated the process each time getting darker with the color. The fifth and final layer contains no trees, just ground and a bit of brush and grass.

You can create a similar mural. (I know you can) You may want to sketch each layer or not depending on your confidence.To start select a paint chip at the store in the color that you want. There are often 4 or 5 colors on a chip that go from dark to light. Use them as your gradation. Use the lightest color as your base color and layer from there, lightest to darkest. If you want to be a little more daring you can chose colors from different chips within a color range. I used varying greens from light mint to olive to pine green to brown. They should still move from light to dark.

Try mountains, or rolling hills, or pine trees, or just tree trunks without the foliage. You can add as little or as much detail as you want. It is a nice, simple way to add depth and interest to a room without being too distracting. Have fun. It's only paint!

Be good,
Scott