After deciding in retirement I should explore and experiment with visual arts, I started making tile coasters. As a complete novice, everything I know I learned from a YouTube video. The coasters came out great. I have even been so bold as to feature them in my gallery.
I love making coasters. The process relaxes me and taps into previously neglected creative juices, but how many coasters does one need? So, I put the coasters in time out while I considered other artistic pursuits.
The backyard began to call my name. Other than vegetables and herbs, neither one of us is into gardening. We’ve been trying to spiff up the yard on the cheap, so I thought, why not add splashes of color with yard art? Focus on something useful. For inspiration, I turned to Pinterest, where I was beguiled by garden totems and started a yard art board.
Garden totems are super cool. Some are hand-painted poles or towers, and others are stacked bowls and globes that look like something out of Alice in Wonderland. Making a totem is my ultimate goal, but I wanted to start small and learn a few things along the way.
I found a scrap of cedar in the garage. I sanded it first and then added a coat of primer. I bought a set of acrylic paints suitable for outdoor projects and just kind of went at it freehand. The “front” side has all the colors, while the “back” is black and white. It took two coats, and then I protected it with two coats of sealer to add some gloss and help protect it from the elements.
When it was finished, I wandered around the yard trying to find a home for it. I thought about adding a dowel to make a sign I could stick in the ground, but I ended up hanging it on the fence. I even put in the little hanger screws and cut and twisted the wire! Dale says that makes me a certified tool user.
I like how my little artsy thing kind of peeks out from behind the Sego palms. I can see adding more pieces at different depths and different heights along the fence line. All in all, a very fun project.
If someone had told me I would be doing arts and crafts, I would have said they were doing drugs again. Art was just never my thing, and I’ve pretty much avoided colorful stuff most of my life. Beige works for the house, and black works for the wardrobe.
It just this second occurred to me my art truly does reflect my inner journey. One side wild and colorful and the other simple black and white.
The more I experiment with color, the more I find myself craving colorful clothes, but that might be part of my imaginary transition to eccentric Bohemian heiress who spends her life dabbling in things that amuse her.