Sunday, June 28, 2009

Containers




Is it possible to get inspiration, both when it comes to create art or redecorate our living room from a container? Trash for some - inspiration and art for other people.

Look at the rusty and amazing colours! They give me inspiration to colourwash on one of my walls or on a canvas.
Please find this brief explanation of the technique colourwashing:
To build up translucent layers of colour, one colour on top of the other.
The technique means that one or two thin layers is added on top of a basic background colour to create a translucent, soft rank and colour effect. The thin layers may be shades of the same colour or carefully selected colour combinations. You can both use oil-based or water-based paint. The color on the wall becomes stronger the more layers you paint.
Please try this at home!

Saw table





A friend have this Art deco table that he modified with an old corroded saw blade.The saw blade was found abandoned in a carpark in the middle of Oslo.On the table there's an installation of a rusty, broken car part and rusty object he found at the beach.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Rusty, worn and amazing








Look at the amazing textures and colours on these photos I have taken of walls and doors just around my neighboorhood blocks and in my backyard.I especially fancy the way the rusty details break through the worn colours. My wishlist is a whole wall in my apartment that is reminiscent of these, or on a big canvas in my living room.
Something to work with....

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Terracotta pots project


I like my terracotta pots with a well used and old look. Terracotta pots become amazing works of art when they are really old and have a worn appearance. But who has time to wait that long?
Nicely aged terracotta pots you can buy in stores are expensive!


Some I have helped by using filler and various oil colours.

A couple of easy, but relatively time-consuming tips are digging pots down in the earth for a while. But it takes quite a long time before they transform into antiqued look pots.
Give the pots lots of water, and the chalk content found in the terracotta will give a nice patina..
The best tip is to use a homemade mixture of plain yogurt and cut up some moss from the garden. Apply the mixture to your pots and let them stand outside in the shade for a couple of weeks. This will add som nice character and give your terracotta pots an antique look.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Ibiza streetsign


Nice rusty streetsign!

Still life - My hallway


The flower pot - a found treasure. I got this beautiful pot for 2 euros at a local fleamarket last week.
Got an old gold-coloured brothel-looking mirror from a friend, a white coat of paint and it looked so much better.
A rather dull looking cupboard was bought for ten euros at a local secondhand store. A sloppy paintjob and replaced the handles - and voila!

Doors from Sardinia










Some inspiring doors I came across on my trip to Sardinia last year.
The Mediterranean climate gives worn and exciting colors and structures.
I especially fancy the way the rusty details break through turquoise and teal blue nuances.

Mexican doors








Some amazing doors I photographed at my trip to Mexico last fall. Inspiring worn colours and structures. These beautiful Mexican style colours had been fantastic on my wall (using colour wash technique) or on canvas.