My Pastoral Landscapes

A pastoral landscape I painted is seen in this photograph featured in Romantic Country

magazine, Spring 2017 issue.  I don't think I have shared many of the paintings I created.

So lets have a look at them, shall we?

Pastoral landscape paintings are soothing and restful.  When I decorated

my home office I decided to paint some landscapes on the wall instead of 

hanging up artwork.  I framed them out with an exterior border so it looked

like a piece of artwork, and then I painted the interior area with various 

landscape scenes that conjured up the European countryside.

These were the first paintings I created and I absolutely loved them.

I made a mini movie in time lapse photography on how I created this painting,

and its on my Facebook page for those interested to see more of the process.

(Find my Facebook link on the sidebar of my blog)

They were such fun to create, so I ended up painting three for the walls in my office.

This was the staging area, where I covered the sideboard with a drop cloth and just added all the paint I owned.  I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to do these scenes, and lots of water and different size brushes to get the paint to flow.  I also used rags to create a mood on the borders.

Matthew Mead photographed the office for Where Women Create magazine in 2017.

You can see how the two landscapes anchor the back wall, creating a focal point behind my desk.

This was my favorite landscape painting.  I added a small building to the landscape,

trying to simulate a structure I saw at Versailles, in Marie Antoinette's Petite Trianon.

 Belvedere I believe it was called. Not exactly the same, but my interpretation.

These were all in the WWC magazine last year. 

Now this room has been repurposed as a guest bedroom.

  But I may be taking it back as my office this year as I miss the space.

This was a painting I did directly over another store bought painting, and it fit my living room so well.  One nice thing about painting pastorals is that they seem to fit any space, and you can add the colors that work well with your palette.  Imagine a pink sky if you had a lot of pink in your room. 

Here it is in progress, I start by doing the background with the horizon line separating the blue and the green. Then I build in the trees and highlight with light and dark shading. If I wanted to add some lilac or pink to the sky, you can imagine how different you can make the painting look just by doing that.

This large canvas was a fun painting project but a challenge.  I had to paint it outside.  Because it required so much paint, I used various paints, many of which were wall paints for the house.

Doing that also kept the colors within the palette I have going on in my home.

This huge canvas actually hides a door we don't use.

The room used to be so awkward, and this large painting served to make

 the room pretty and eliminate that door! Art with a purpose!

Most recently I painted a pastoral scene inside of my white piano. 

After painting the exterior to look like blue and white toile,

the idea came to me to put a landscape inside.

I have a feeling I will be painting more pastorals.  

You might want to give them a try yourself.

creating your own artwork is very satisfying. 

Look at how different the piano looks from plain white.

I even did a mini landscape on the music stand in the front of the piano!

An aged pastoral painting inside the piano and Reeve

My French Piano and a slice of life. 

 Last post I showed off how I painted the exterior of the piano with stamps and a pattern to give it a toile effect.  But I still was unsure how I wanted to finish the interior to give it even more of a French look.   I had a few days in a row off from watching baby Reeve, and I decided to tackle the piano.  The thought of putting a pastoral landscape for the interior came to me as I went to sleep that night, as often many creative ideas do.  The next morning I got up and took the piano lid off its hinges and started to paint a landscape similar to the few that I have been painting around our home.

This pastoral landscape, my largest, was painted on a big canvas.  

Searching for the landscapes that I have painted to show you, I realize I 

may not have posted on them at all, so look for that post shortly.

Back to the piano...

I unloaded the cans of Annie Sloan paint I had and started to paint a scene

 from my imagination.  After painting the landscape, I brushed white paint 

over the whole thing to give it a dreamy look.

The painting took me about four hours and I was thrilled with the results.

It was soft and elegant and old looking, something out of an old painting from

 the French countryside.  It is really pretty now that it is all finished! 

I wasn't sure if I should gild the edges, but for now I don't feel it....

and I always say: Doubt means Don't.  At least for now.

 My life is more balanced towards a family life these days, and when I get a chance

to do something creative its all the more enjoyable and special.

Reeve is nine months old and is such a JOY!

The weather has just started to creep into the fifties in Boston, and you can see the baby

carriage in the dining room all ready for afternoon walks with Piper.

 Piper and Reeve are such a great pair! 

 They both look forward to being together, and they are side by side most of the day. 

 Piper is so gentle, and its true that Goldens are great with kids!

Click HERE for how I painted the exterior of the Toile Piano.

My Painted Toile Piano

Some of my most creative ideas come out of the blue like a thunderbolt,

like the random idea to paint my white piano with a toile pattern.

After watching some amazing makeovers using a stamp product line created by

Iron Orchid Designs, I was interested in trying it out, but wasn't sure where.

After repairing a leak in the ceiling and repainting the wall, I just thought to myself

I would use up more of the wall paint on the piano with the stamps from IOD.

 Stamping is a way to create a one of a kind personalized decor effect on

walls, furniture or fabrics.  I watched several of the videos from the IOD website

and found myself becoming so inspired to create something using a stamping method.

After purchasing two packages of different patterned stamps for IOD retailers (see below for links)

I created a toile pattern that fit the shape of the piano, kind of winging it as I went along.

 Because the paint is the color of the walls, the overall pattern is restful, instead

of busy.  I couldn't be happier with the result, and it only took me one day!

Mr. Maison Decor is away on a trip, wait til he gets back....

I actually don't think he will notice for a few weeks.  Then he will say

in a surprised voice, " When did you paint the piano!??"  

Our living room had been in disarray since the leaking ceiling, and tonight

he will get back and check the wall and ceiling that I finished up after his repairs.

And there will sit the Toile Piano, unnoticed.

But for me, she is a SUPERSTAR, and I am in LOVE with her!!