Completion of Birdsacre FRame

This tramp art frame was finished while enjoying spring break, yard work and the start of the softball season.  After a tweak here, a little more sanding there, and many coats of varnish later, the Birdsacre: Winged Ones tramp art mirror is complete.  This mirror has been donated to the Birdsacre fire recovery fund and will be a part of the facilities' raffle on August 2nd, 2014  to celebrate their annual Cordie Day.   So happy we could help!  Please go to their website at http://www.birdsacre.com/ to read about all of the wonderful work this facility does and help them in any way you can.  It's for the owls!

After creating the pattern pieces for each piece and layer, I transferred and cut out each one.  Here is a piece check I did before picking out my palette.  Some thicker pieces with some thinner wood for the detail pieces.

 

 

With this piece, I chose to leave some pieces un-notched hoping to give those elements some pop.  After a few changes here and there, I was very happy with the whimsical elements of this piece and how close it matched my original design.  After considering several different color options, I decided to make the tree elements a brown that gradually gets lighter towards the top with a darker background to help give the piece more depth and achieve the "dusk in the forest" look.  The owls were painted my favorite orange and the toadstools an antique red.  I gave some elements that glow or sparkle with metallic paints and light antiquing, and did tryout my woodburner on the toadstools.  Here is a picture of the final piece.

 

Birdsacre: Winged Ones Tramp Art Frame/Mirror



 

 

 

Sleeping Owl detail

 

Moon and Owls detail

I hope this piece finds a good home and helps make the fire recovery at Birdsacre a little easier.

 

Happy Tramping, 

Angie

 

Winged ONes: Springs arrival!

It always amazing to me how the arrival of spring changes every ones outlook on life.  Mine included!  Even though my driveway is a mucky mess, I'm thrilled with the ability to start getting outside and puttering about.  After our everlasting winter, we sure have earned a good one!  Cooper is also enjoying the warm rays of sun and posing for some portraits.

 

 

Now where did I leave off on my project?  I'm trying to create a piece that has a deep, warm forest feel and a good home to my folk art winged ones.  Kind of a nestled in feel to it.  I'm thinking with the help of rich colors (greens, browns, reds), some thicker woods, and some thinner woods, I will get the look I'm looking for.  Maybe some wood burning details on the owls and toadstools?

I've created each individual pattern piece for each layer of the design.  After redesigning the trees and the layer pieces within the trees a couple of times, I think I have settled on a more free flowing design.  Here is a picture of the dry run of my pattern piece check.  I tweaked the pictures colors so that the pieces are more visible

Next on the project plan:  trace each pattern piece onto the wood and scroll cut each piece.  I'm using mostly poplar on the creation of this piece and plan on creating eyes, wings and beaks with Baltic birch. 

Off to hang my first batch of winter worn comforters on the close line!  Spring cleaning is happening!

Happy Tramping,
Angie

Winged ONes

The design process is well underway for the tramp art frame, Winged Ones.  All proceeds from the auction of this tramp art piece will be donated to Birdsacre: Stanwood Wildlife Sanctuary.  Birdsacre is one of my family's favorite local treasures that suffered a devastating fire recently and has many years and dollars of recovery to go.  We have many amazing family memories on those wooden boardwalks and really want to help in anyway we can! Please check out their web page ( http://www.birdsacre.com/index.html) to find out all of the amazing work they do for our "Winged Ones".

I've come up with a design, a frame base  and a basic plan for the piece.  I am shooting for a piece that portrays the local owls nestled in the deep Maine forest, and combines several different tramp art techniques that I use throughout my pieces.  A dark, deep Maine forest, with chunky leaves and toadstools, and a sprig of flowers or ferns popping up from the corner while being watched over by curious owlets.  With warm, rich color and a pop of red or yellow here and there.  All antiqued and glazed for that much loved look.  I'm creating this piece to be a mirror but it will also be able to be used as a picture frame if so desired. 
 

Here I took an outline of the frame so that I could make pattern pieces that will be mounted directly on the frame base.  These will be the base layer of each element.  From these pieces I will figure out which pieces will be the deeper tramp art pieces and which will be the more detailed pieces like the owls. 

This is my first shot of the look and design of the piece.  Leaning towards more rustic cut pieces with painted details and maybe even some wood burning detail. 

  

Now off to pick out colors,, sure up the base frame and finish making the pattern pieces.  Hmmm...what kind of wood to use???  Old crate wood, poplar, oak....lets see what's hiding in the basement!   Can I work in some decorative nails or tacks??  So many possibilities!

Happy Tramping,
Angie

My Last Day of Winter INspiration

For my next challenge, I have decided to make a piece in honor of local destination that had suffered a devastating loss rencently.  Here in Ellsworth, Maine we have a bird sanctuary that rescues, cares for and loves our local injured birds.  Birdsacre - Stanwood Wildlife Sanctuary, in Ellsworth, Maine, has rescued, cared for and loved our local injured birds while providing an amazing network of walking trails for local use.  On March 2,2014 , Birdsacre suffered a devastating arson fire that destroyed the main house with many of its artifacts.  My family has many fond memories involving Birdsacre and the fascinating birds in their care, not to mention the network of walking trails we have enjoyed for many years.  It's an amazing facility that does incredible stuff, and should be enjoyed and supported by all!!!   Please check out their website at: http://www.birdsacre.com/ and help in any way you can!


So how do I help?  No question!  I have to make a frame in honor of Birdsacre and donate the proceeds in help restore the damage.  Every little bit helps and if I can help get the word out even better!

Now I needed a little inspiration to get me started.  It needs to have owls of course!!!  But what colors, size, a mirror?  So I was off to our local Goodwill store hoping to find a little spark on this sunny last day of winter.

And low and behold...I found my spark.  Check out this family of owls I found wrapped in scotch tape!

My spark! My inspiration for my next project!  Not sure how or if I will use them in the final project but they definitely have pointed me in the right direction! 

Happy Tramping,
Angie

Owl Love Tramp Art Frame is COmplete!

Since I have a hard time blogging mid project, I have some catching up to do!

Let see.  Where did I leave off?

After painting and chipping the pieces, I did a quick dry run to make sure all of the colors where working together and that I liked them. I've started painting before I chip.  I think that painting them first then chipping gives the pieces more definition. More of a color variance between pieces.

Yep!  Looks good.  Can't wait to see how they look antiqued! The pieces were then chipped and individually sanded.This step is the roughest on my hands.  I've learned to protect them with gloves and such but they still tend to get sore and a little stiff.  Probably due to those wood chipping marathons I have which usually include many episodes of Downton Abbey.  Highly recommend the show! 

The frame was assembled and a few pieces were tweaked here and there.  A couple of new elements were added and it was ready for antiquing.  I had read about a different antiquing technique and tried it on this piece and have to say that I am quite happy with the results.  With lots of love (buffing and rubbing) the colors are all amazingly rich and warm.  I Love Him!!!!  I am finally getting the warm and rich pieces that I have been looking for.  This frame is my favorite creation so far!

 

 

 

 

Well...I will be able to enjoy him for the next week or so until he finds his new home.

I can't wait to start my next project!  I've got some great pieces looking for their new purpose.  Will it be the round antique table top made into a round tramp art frame?  Gotta call my glass cutter on that one!

Happy Tramping,

Angie

Owl Love Tramp Art FRame

I have survived the holidays, several snow storms, an ice storm, and the kids being home on vacation!  These busy times don't really leave any spare to work on my creative projects.  I tend to create a design, start the project and slowly pick at it when life allows.  This creative time is so important to me.  Not only do I love to create these pieces of art, I have also learned that I need my creative time.  I'm a much easier person to live with when I'm getting my dose of creative stuff.

I have started my next frame which I am calling Owl Love.  I am making this Owl love tramp art frame for a friend whom is also an owl lover and has supported my creative development over the last year tremendously.  This one is for you Marguerite!

I have sketched up a simple design on paper and have cut out the pine base frame which will be backed with a simple  4 x 4 frame.  After tweaking the design slightly to include a heart,  I created the pattern pieces for each individual piece. Every owl needs a heart, Right?

 

 

For this frame, I decided to only use the wood and supplies I had on hand.  After considering many different pieces of repurposed wood pieces, I decided on a combination of  an old panel, poplar, and birch plywood.  Harder wood in the places that needed the support and that were at risk of being broken.  Here is a picture of my dry run of all wood pieces.

Now, off to start the sanding, painting and wood chipping, while thinking about all of the yummy color options for Mr. Owl.  I'm seeing burnt orange, browns and of course blue highlights!  Maybe some metallic gold.....checkerboard pattern?

Happy Tramping 

Angie

The World may never knOW!

Remember this guy?? 

Boy! Am I dating myself here?!  This is Mr. Owl of course.  "Mr. Owl, How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop?"  Another owl from my childhood that stands out and takes me back to simpler times.

I'm thinking that my old crate owl frame definitely resembles the all knowing Mr. Owl.  After a coat of antiquing medium, several coats of varnish, decorative tacks for eyes and hanging hardware, my Mr. Owl is complete!  The antiquing medium really deepened the teals and yellows, and found all of the cracks and crevices to give this piece a well worn but loved look.  You can really see the old wood but still have that warm time worn color to liven things up.

 

 

I really tried to make his backside as pretty as the front while leaving the crate label as much intact as possible.  A piece of colorful antique cigar box was used as a frame backing with frame buttons for an easy photo change.  The way Mr. Owl was made, he is able to be hung on the wall or sit nicely on a desk.

I'm hoping to enjoy him for the day and then send him onto his new home! And of course, Mr. Owl's answer to every child of the 70's question about tootsie roll pops....

The world may never know!

Happy Tramping

Angie

Old Crate Owl: What a hoOT!

I am fully enjoying the creation of the old crate owl frame but of course, am struggling with keeping it simple.  This is one frame where less is definitely more.  Rough, vintage wood calls for a simple, primitive design.  Not a refined, precise design but simplistic, chucky pieces. 

I've cut the frame pieces out of old crate wood that has lots of wear and character. I've tried to include the nail holes where I could and have left the grain of the wood lightly sanded.

What a great surprise to cut into the pieces, to have the amazing smell of this hard wood waft into my face.  I'm slowly learning how to identify different types of wood, but am quickly learning how amazing most of it smells.  Is it normal to catch yourself smelling pieces of wood??  I didn't think so!

The pieces have been painted then chipped not my usual chipped then painted.  I think by creating the pieces this way has given the piece more dimension, gives it an outline of sorts and also resembles feathers in a way.  I think I like the variation in this piece.

Here is the dry run before assembly.  I've used teal, antique yellow and dark burnt umber, and will antique them once assembled.  They will be a warm,  and a nice shade of YUM!

Happy Tramping,

Angie

Old Crate Owl Frame Design and PAttern

The base frame for the old crate owl frame has been assembled using the side of an old wooden crate and a basic 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 square frame.  I've attached the 2 pieces together with wood glue and some wood screws for a sturdy base. I plan on leaving the back of the owl form unpainted in order to show off the vintage crate label that is partially still attached.  The graphics and colors are amazing!  With the frame being lined up with the bottom of the cut out, I believe that he will be able to be placed on a desk or on the wall!

 

 

The pattern pieces for the eyes, beak, feet, ears, and wings are complete and have been traced onto some old crate wood.  The grain, patina, and the wear and tear on the wood is amazing!  Hard to duplicate the real look of old wood. 

 

 

The pattern pieces will now be traced onto the crate wood and cutout.  Then the wood chipping begins!  Its going to be a fine balance of wood thickness, chipping and paint in order to maintain the chunky and rustic look I am going for.  Enough paint to give it some vibrance; yet preserving the patina and wear of the wood.  We'll see how it goes.  Keep it simple stupid. Keep it simple stupid.....

Happy Tramping

Angie

Owl INspirations

My next challenge is to create an owl picture frame for one of my family members.  The real challenge for me is to keep it simple, kinda chunky, and more rustic than some of my latest pieces.  Keeping it simple and not over thinking it will be the hardest part for me. I've created a quick drawing, found a base frame, disassembled an old crate and come up with a basic design.

I'm excited to create this piece because I know it will be treasured by a fellow owl lover. Owls have always held a special place in my heart.   Starting from way back, they have always sporadically popped up in my life.  Always providing that feeling of being watched over ...taken care of.  They have always provided direction for me when I needed it. Strange, I know!

I can remember back in the 1970's when I was like 8ish, my favorite outfit was a matching owl shirt and green bell bottom pants.  I loved it and I think I wore it just about every day my mom would let me.  I pretty sure that back then, most of my school clothes came from the Sears and Roebuck catalog, but boy did I stand tall when I wore my owl outfit!

When I was 11, I painted this owl sponge painting  which went on to win a local contest and traveled all around the state of Maine for 2 years. I was so proud of my masterpiece and still have it today.  I truly believe this owl fueled my love of painting!

Owls have also played a big part in my journey in creating tramp art frames.  Here are a couple I have created along the way.

To this day, I still enjoy my strolls around the Stanwood Wildlife Sanctuary, admiring the birds and owls that have been brought there to heal.  I especially enjoy the feeling of awe, peace and security they still give me when I've had one of those days or weeks when only the wise old owl can get me back on tract.

I know that owls will continue to help me along my life path and that is comforting.  Here's to hoping that my old crate owl picture frame will inspire others to love and appreciate these amazing creatures also.

Happy Tramping

Angie