I love my job. For many reasons.....one of them being the element of surprise almost weekly...like unexpectedly "geode painting" on furniture like this piece!
I often have a vision for my art and the finished product is just as I imagined.
However.....just as often I have a vision....and the finished product takes a drastic turn to which I am usually crazy excited about the surprise finish that evolves.
This china hutch is one of the surprises!!
I took on this commission for a friend and co-worker. I have known this young lady for years as she was a college roommate and fellow cheerleader with my oldest daughter. I now have the pleasure of working with her daily as a part of the Team Tracey's Fancy!
This early American hard maple china hutch belonged to her late grandmother and Chelsea is honored to have it in her home....however it just wasn't working with the overall decor.
So she and her very accommodating hubby drove it from New Mexico to Texas in hopes of a restyle!
And that is where I come in.
Early American pieces are difficult to refresh. They have a very distinct style with their spindles and curvy trims and such. Often times I will remove the spindles but with this being an heirloom that wasn't an option. My goal became to offer a focal point on the overall hutch that the eye would be drawn to rather than the spindles and trim on the upper hutch.
Meet the offset asymmetrical geode painting pattern.
I could NOT be happier with it and I hope to paint many more in different colors!
I honestly didn't plan this look. I knew I just needed to get a coat of paint over the orangey maple....so I started at the top of the hutch with Dixie Belle's French Linen and did a gradual shift of colors on the way down.
I incorporated Hurricane Gray and blended that on down into Bunker Hill Blue (which is now one of my favorite blues by Dixie Belle) and straight into the depths of In the Navy! That was as far as I got with design.
I walked away from it for a few days.....and would just stand in front of it from time to time.....hoping a design idea would show itself to me!
And then it did....just like that!
I believe it came from a geode carpet I had seen recently at a local resort (only it was in browns).....in addition to the idea that I really wanted to add a touch of metallic gold.
I just pulled multiple colors of gray and white and even a touch of pink from my paint stash....and gathered probably 20 little artist brushes.....and then like a crazy person.....I decided to do this on LIVE video!! And you can see it here...
I first drew out the boundary of my design with chalk.....and then I just began making squiggly lines...rotating and blending colors....one after the other....until all the space was filled!
The final touch was going back in and adding the thin lines of metallic gold for the win!!
The geode itself is filled with the following colors: Cotton, Tea Rose, In the Navy, Bunker Hill Blue, Hurricane Gray, and Liquid Leaf Gold.
I finished off the hardware with Liquid Leaf Gold as well.
I did some light shadowing of the hutch and shelves with Best Dang Wax in Brown.....and some very subtle highlights on the hutch corners with Redesign Decor Wax in Eternal.
The entire piece is sealed with Dixie Belle's Clear Coat in Satin.
I really love this piece!!!
I honestly don't even think about it being early American now. I really do think the lower asymmetrical glamorous finish is exactly what it needed to bring it into 2020. See my malachite desk for another gorgeous geode look!
And what is most important....is Chelsea LOVES it too!!!!
I love my job!
See you next week!
XOXO,
Tracey
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