Hello!With the kids on vacation and summer heat building up, you may be wondering how to keep the little ones busy and entertained during these long, hot days.Here’s an idea that’s fun and creative on several levels: painting on rocks!You and the kids can turn a search for good rocks to paint into an outdoor adventure, then you can all come inside, cool off with some lemonade, and paint on your newfound rocks with nontoxic acrylic paints.
Need some ideas?Look for the book, Painting on Rocks for Kids by Lin Wellford, in the MyCraftivity Store. It’s on sale for $10.39 and acrylic paints are inexpensive to buy at the craft stores.You and the kids will have a whole summer’s worth of fun, both outdoors and in, and rocks painted to look like animals, bugs and other critters will be a big hit at Show & Tell time when school starts again!
Hello, painting friends!It’s finally summer here in the Ohio valley. We have had at least a week of 90s and high humidity.We call it the “soup” and boy, does it feel like it!After a winter spent daydreaming about getting outdoors to do some painting, I’m having second thoughts about that.Painting outside (en plein air) is getting harder to do, and if you like to do landscapes, it can become a big production, nevermind trying to find a place nearby that’s still in its natural state and special enough to be the subject of an afternoon’s painting session. Billboards and cell towers can be edited out, but subdivisions and office parks change the face of the landscape forever.
I’m a bit envious of my friend and landscape painter, Kitty Gorrell, author of a new book called Achieving Depth & Distance: Painting Landscapes in Oils (available now at the MyCraftivity shop). Kitty lives in the rolling hills and mountains of West Virginia and finds inspiration and beauty all around her.Several of the gorgeous paintings in her book are of subjects found in her local area, and she uses the terrain to demonstrate how you can achieve the look of depth and distance in your own paintings. Kitty has seminars and classes in her lovely new studio, so check out her website, www.kittygorrell.com for class schedules and a gallery of her work. You won’t be disappointed!
Hello!Here’s a cool thing to do this weekend if you’re into sculpture of any kind. There’s a Sculpture Show and Sale on the Ohio River in the Cincinnati/northern Kentucky area. Actually, the show is above the Ohio River, on the Purple People Bridge! This is an historic old bridge linking Cincinnati to northern Kentucky that has been turned into a pedestrians-only bridge and painted bright purple. It’s a great place to stroll, see the sights, look down at the old-time paddleboats cruising the river, and enjoy looking at great sculpture from around the world. The show runs from this Friday, June 19th, through Sunday, June 21st.Sunday is Father’s Day – maybe your dad would enjoy receiving something other than grilling tools or a new tie for his special day!So check it out if you’re in the area and let us know what you think.
Hello!Here’s a quick update on what’s happening in the faux painting industry these days: Everything! While other creative industries may be struggling in today’s economy, decorative faux finishes are exploding with new ideas, new products and new painting techniques. These are not your tired old ragging and rolling projects we’ve seen forever in the paint stores and home improvement centers. The professional faux finishers I’ve met recently are developing cutting-edge techniques that produce fabulous, breath-taking results you need to see to believe!And you will see them in a new book/DVD called “Simply Creative Faux Finishes with Gary Lord” due to be released next spring.
Metallics are the big thing these days—people are painting their walls, ceilings and furniture with gold, silver and copper metallic paints.Some metallics, like steel, can be activated to form real, organic rust.(Guys especially seem to love that one!)How about an entire ceiling painted to look like gold mosaics (no kidding—I’ve seen it myself).
Faux finishing is an industry in which the synergy between the creative people and the paint manufacturers drives the art form forward at a rapid pace. If you’re a decorative painter or crafter looking for a new venture that seems to be pretty recession-proof, look into faux finishing.
It’s summer and we all have lots of weddings to attend---and buy gifts for!But wouldn’t you love to give a very special gift to a special friend for her wedding, a gift you made yourself and didn’t just buy from the registry?
When toasts are offered to the bride and groom at the reception, imagine them holding up a lovely pair of crystal champagne flutes that you painted yourself with bridal-white roses and ribbons!And after the wedding, your hand-painted crystal stemware will become a treasured keepsake for the newlyweds for many years.
Plain crystal stemware can be bought at any department store, and glass paints in shades of white, pearl and ivory can be found at craft supply stores. If you’d like to see some nifty step-by-step instructions for this project, you’ll find them in a best-selling book called “Gorgeous Glass” by Arlene Swiatek Gillen. Click here to visit the North Light Shop and enter Gorgeous Glass in the search bar.
The artist suggests adding a pretty satin ribbon and bow around the stems of the glasses, either in white or in the color theme of the reception.
Your gift---created by you and given with love---will be remembered far beyond the wedding day.
