Easy Textures you can do

With materials from the Home Improvement Store

This lonely little kitchen corner, in our Guest Cottage,  needed a bit of "interest".

This lonely little walk into my cellar needed a little humph.

My kitchen walls needed texture.  Straw from a nearby field was the ticket. 

The hall fireplace needed a textured chimney piece.

The entrance hall needed a stone wall. 

Empty spaces above windows needed a trumeau.

The "Fresco" to the Cellar.


In a hallway of the Castello Estense, Ferrara, Italy, you can admire an ancient Fresco at close quarters. 


What a surprise!  Except for the image, my frescoes have the same texture and appearance as those that I have painted and have shared with my students at our local college workshop.

All of the above examples I have created with dry wall compound  and builders sand.  

Here is how to paint a fresco swag.

Mix 12 cups of builders sand with one box of dry wall compound.

Apply with trowel in broad strokes (not circles). 

Let dry, draw design onto wall with acrylic paints.

Note: You can use a stencil if you're not sure of your success in free hand painting.

When dry, cover (yes) your art work with a thin layer of your dry wall mixture. Let dry. Wet an ordinary kitchen sponge and scrub across the parts you want to reveal or " bring out".  

Last layer, mix dark beer with colorant (artist gouache, universal tints, or dirty paint water) and with large soft brush, cover the entire surface.  Use colors such as burnt umber and burnt sienna for an antique look. 

See what you can do?  

Have a wonderful weekend my dear 

Blogging Friends,

Gina 

Lavabo and Straw Walls

The Lavabo, my other Kitchen Sink






Lavabo, "to wash hands". In many Mediterranean countries, the Lavabo serves as a means to gather water. When it rains, water is collected from rooftops. and stored in the upper basin of the Lavabo.

In my kitchen, the Lavabo serves as the "other kitchen sink". Hand painted Delft style tiles, similar to those from the 17th century, prevent water from damaging my straw walls.

Gene mixing wet straw into mixture of dry wall compound and sand. The tongue?

A trowel and a little elbow grease .... it is surprisingly easy. And, you don't have to finish the project in one day. The next day or the next week, you can begin where you left off.

I don't have to wait for rain. My water source comes from the mountains.

Gina