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Multi Media painting

This is on a 4’x4’ painting on canvas. it is multi media because it isn’t just acrylic paint but added medium of gesso and impasto.

it took me a while to decide what paint on the canvas but I had the image of angel wings so I had to create it. I started with multiple colors all around the canvas and used a pallet knife to spread them out. At times the black took over so I had to add more colors, until I found what I needed. I even did the edges. I wanted this texture to be my background.

I did not sketch out the wings before hand but just went for it. I used gray paint to get the shape and then add some pearl white. Once I got the shape, I mix the medium with the pearl white and spread them on with a plastic spoon to get the texture of the wing. I also had a little gray added here and there. I had to go back-and-forth to make sure that both sides are equal. The hardest part was waiting for it to dry because when you add the medium it takes longer. Once it was dry I applied glue in random spots to flow with the wings and applied some gold leaf. When that dried then I lightly brushed off the excess gold.

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I will be the first to admit that this kitchen became a bit of a challenge. This is the original 1970’s cabinets and once I started to work on them, I realized the builder used the cheapest wood. It was a plywood and over the years they were dry and in some places, the finish was coming off. I am always up for a challenge though.

The homeowner decided to take advise, from several people, and give this kitchen a makeover. He called and said if I have anyone do this, I want you. I was very excited that he decided to get this changed. He was concerned that it would have brush marks but I reassured him that it wouldn’t.

I started with a degreaser and a scuff pad and rubbed the surface hard. I found some grease that didn’t want to come off so I scuffed and cleaned a little more. It was also time to remove the hardware and let the cabinets sit over night.

The part that I would do over is use a kilz primer. This wood was so dry and I was painting the doors in the garage and then it rained and the humidity made it take longer to dry between coats. I used a smooth surface roller to paint on the Dutchboy kitchen semigloss paint.

I also painted the window trim, the floor boards and the back entry way. If you look at the top before photo, it looks very dark in the back entryway. Painting all of this  white brightened this kitchen up.

He put in nice hardwood floors before I painted and I was using a lot of plastic to cover it. I wished he would have waited but it all worked out. He also installed new countertop and a back splash. Top it off with new appliances and sink it is like new. He is very pleased. I also like that he now has the microwave over the stove and not a big one on the countertop.

I have owned this corner entertainment center for a few years now. I bought it in a dark wood to match the woodwork in my craftsman bungalow. I sold my house and I didn’t have room for it in my current house. My doors were narrow so the crown molding had to be removed before removing it from my house.

My mom has always had her tv in the corner of her living room. After some long thought she decided she would replace her 80’s cabinet and wanted to paint it a gun metal flat black. It does look dark gray in certain lighting but it is actually dark. She bought a Behr paint from Home Depot and it did have primer included but it covered very nicely. Yes, I was going darker and that helps but it was a good paint to work with.

To prep the wood I used a degreaser to remove any polish I had put on it before hand. I used a scuff pad to rub over all of the surface and took off the finish, then wiped off with a microfiber cloth. I would have used a cheese cloth but I forgot to get one and the microfiber cloth worked well. I let it sit over night because it was brought in from a cold temperature storage. I did take the hardware off as well. When I did start to paint I used a small roller for smooth surfaces and had a small brush for corners and the molding. I don’t use flat paint that often so I am not used to not having a shiny surface but that is what the customer (mom) wanted.