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April 12, 2018 by
reclaimed wood mermaid
"Wild girl from the sea". Approx. 6" x 26". Seahorses are stamped while mermaid is an original acrylic painting entirely done by hand by me. Attached sea shells come from various parts of the world. Acrylic on reclaimed cedar deck board. $50.00 (SOLD)

Mermaid on reclaimed wood art - SOLD.

Soon, home renovations will begin and all kinds of treasures will be tossed to the side of the road. Cedar decks and fencing planks will find their way to the garbage heap. Their weathered grey surface makes them ideal for painting all types of scenes. In fact, the more battered, the better!

I posted this mermaid in August last year. 

Unique gifts on reclaimed wood

My first attempt at reclaimed art occurred last summer when I was thinking of a unique gift I could give my son and daughter-in-law when they moved into their new home in the country. 

I found a photo of their new home on the real estate site and reproduced it so well that my grandchildren recognized it as their home as soon as the gift was unwrapped. I also added hills and trees to represent the area in which they now live.

I enjoyed the whole process so much that I sought out more cedar boards and painted this mermaid, and a few other different scenes on the discarded boards I was able to obtain.

I have often painted mermaids. I have painted mermaids on canvas board, on foam board, and in my journals.  "Wild girl from the sea" was a first mermaid painted on reclaimed wood.    

 

 

Last week, I was invited to a surprise birthday party, and I wanted to give something special to my dear friend and former work colleague. I knew she would get gift certificates and other items that are the standard gifts one gives to girlfriends. In fact, I had bought the gift certificate a long time in advance for this particular occasion. 

And then I thought, why not make her something that will be different and quite unique to her? I remembered all the conversations and teasing about her Winnebago that she has parked at the cottage. She bought it a long time ago, and now it is only used to store beer, hence the name...WINNEBEERGO.  

"Winnebeergo" on reclaimed wood
Acrylic on reclaimed wood. I added pink glass "jewels" for the front headlight of the Winnebeergo and the dots on the "i" to make this piece sparkle. The art and the colours reflect my friend's bubbly, warm personality.

 

Yesterday, two lovely ladies came to my home for a workshop and when one of them saw "A wild girl from the sea", she just had to have her. I told her about my travels and that the shells were not purchased, but that I had collected them from various trips around the world. This started a conversation about our different souvenirs especially those from Mexico.

I love it when my art "speaks" to someone. The owner will now have a very unique creation that will be a conversation piece.

Buy from artists you know

Before buying mass produced items to decorate your home or backyard, try to find local artists and support their work. 

However, your "community" now extends to include online artists as well. 

Many Canadian artists sell their work online so it is easy to find awesome, unique creations not that far from your own backyard wherever that might be!

Support their work rather than the mass-produced work made in some offshore factory. Then you will be able to tell your friends and family about the connections you have made with the artist, and the story behind the art you have purchased.

I would love to know about artists or artisans in your area.

What purchases have you made to support them?

Are you an artist who sells online or elsewhere? Do you have any tips for artists or for buyers of local art?

Please leave comments below in the "Leave a reply" box. 

Cheers from the Art Room!

2 Responses

    • Thank you Sally. Of course, everything looks much more impressive in person. The glitter I had added to the mermaid wasn’t really showing up on the picture. I look forward to hearing about our holiday when you are back home. Enjoy!

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