Thursday, May 26, 2011

Can I Frog My Bathroom?

Can I "frog" the bathroom? Well, technically "No." Yet, I did nix the plan for "Cave Art," and go off in a different direction. I don't do this sort of thing very easily. I am like the bulldog that has a death grip on the bull's neck, and won't let go or let a project beat me. However, this was really turning into an example of Murphy's Law in action and it was snowballing and gaining momentum and power with each day. The issue that seemed to be behind it was that the paint was "re-wetting" and pulling off the walls. Although I left a fan running on the walls for days, and that helped some, it was not enough to do the faux work that was part of my plan. Besides that, my right wrist was having carpel tunnel fits and I was icing it several times each day. Being a massage therapist, this was a disaster. There were other problems too, like getting the tape off without pulling sheets of paint off with it. So, I decided that it would be in my own best interest to choose another decor style for the new bathroom. I allowed enough time for the present paint to cure (about a week), and then painted it all a chocolate brown. I was able to get the shower walls fauxed with some copper and bronze metallic, and left it to dry for over a week with no further ill effects. Now the other walls are done and the wrist is feeling better.

Life is just like this at times. We need to recognize when we are going against the flow rather than working with it. At least I can appreciate the experience for reminding me of this, and I am really loving the new look.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Cave Art for the Bathroom

It was supposed to be inspiration for a knitting project, but as that was so long delayed, somehow the project that I had in mind exploded instead onto the new bathroom walls. How did I go from "serene and uplifting" to this? How will I convert the bright golden yellow named "grilled cheese" and the intense orange companion I chose into "serene?" Well, that waits to be proven. However, burnt umber in glaze will quiet it all down. Thank goodness.


What I am contemplating is how it came to this. The Creative Spirit that resides in me was actively planning a pullover sweater. Frustrated at what seemed an endless delay, it burst forth in paint colors instead. My plan for a soft green/teal/or maybe gray/and silver color scheme got lost in a moment of temporary insanity at the paint store. Now that plan is all about a brilliant gold that morphs into a burnt orange, overlaid with burnt umber to calm and age it. And true to form, I must include some metallic bling. Gold, bronze, copper, and ...oh what the heck, silver too.
I worked with a sample board to see how the layering would look, and make sure that I would get the look that I had in my head to create. I might have begun by painting the wall a dark brown and layering a wash of the gold and orange over that, morphing the colors into a gentle blending, lightening as I went along. However, I decided to lay down the gold as a base coat, and go darker. This is about as far as I got until other life got in the way. Things like going to work and a dental appointment will set me back til later this week but I fully expect to have finished photos to share by the weekend! YAY!!!!