Outdoor Art Show This Weekend

This weekend I will be displaying my artwork in Old Lyme, CT. The Hidden Gallery is sponsoring the art show and there will be great variety of art and crafts. The show will be located on Halls Rd in the center of Old Lyme near the shopping plaza.
The photo shown here is from my last show in Old Saybrook from 2 weeks ago. I will have a good selection of art and hand painted furniture. This week I am working on 2 barstools with blue crabs painted on the seats. My goal is to finish these and have them on display at this weekends show. The show is Sat and Sunday from 10 to 5 both days. Stop by and say hi. Thanks, PJ Cook

Handpainted Decorative Chair - 1st Design For Nautical Series

I am working on a series of 4 nautical scenes for my hand painted decorative chairs. This first chair is of the Saybrook Breakwater Light with two sailboats, catboats to be specific. This lighthouse is popular in the state of Connecticut and is offered as a license plate Save the Sound.

I have settled on a whitewash color for the chairs. It has a white wood grain effect that looks very beachy. I have used acrylic paint for the painting because it is very durable. Once I finish a chair I apply a coat of clear protective finish. After that the chair can be sat in! Yes, these chairs can be used everyday if you so desire. I have used this same paint for other projects and they have lasted for years, some are even outside!

I have this chair for sale at The Lyme Tree Women's Exchange in Old Lyme Center (next to Subway). You will find it in the window.

Check back for updates on the next decorative chair in this nautical theme series.

Thanks, P.J. Cook

Seascape Painting Finished - Beach scene painted on chair

I have finished painting the wood chair. This chair will be auctioned off in May for a charity. For my seascape painting I decided to use a beach path surrounded by a dune fence and have the fence posts be the back of the chair. I painted sand texture on the seat of the chair and added some seashells along with the footprints. I had the footprints get smaller as the path went further towards the water so it looked like the footprints were receding. This added some depth to the painting. I have a beach umbrella and 2 chairs on the sand and seagulls and sailboats in the distance. The legs and back of the chair I painted white and then painted a yellow glaze over the white and then dragged a grooved tool on the glaze to create small lines. It is a faux painting technique and I think it added interest to the rest of the chair. I then painted a matte finish over the entire chair to protect the finish.

This chair will be on display at the Lyme Tree Woman's Exchange in Old Lyme for a few weeks. I will be painting more of these chairs and offering them for sale. I may be painting several different scenes on the chairs. I will also paint a particular scene if someone wants a specific picture on a chair.

For more details on the charity auction view previous posts for details. Thanks, and contact me at my email: pj@pjcookartist.com for more info on painting the chairs.

pjcookartist.com

Update: beach painting on chair project.

The seascape painting on a chair project is progressing. I am continuing to add layers of acrylic paint to my chair. In this photo I have my palette and paints and the chair all on my desktop. Sometimes I paint with the chair here or on the floor it depends what section I am working on.

The sand will probably take the most time to paint because I want all the footprints in the sand receding towards the water. This should create depth to the painting. I am planning to paint the rest of the chair with a gloss white paint in the areas without the artwork. It's coming along and I should be finishing up in a few days.




I have a art show next weekend here in Old Lyme, CT. It is the Expressions Art Show and I have participated for several years now. It is at Lyme Art Association and many artists fill the gallery walls with their art for sale. The proceeds for the sale of the artwork go towards non-profit organizations and are listed on the postcard. I have included all the details for the show and I hope to see you there!
Thanks,
PJ Cook
pjcookartist.com

Artist P.J Cook Paints a Seascape On a Wood Chair - Step by Step

Finished Chair will be sold at auction to benefit a school. See previous posts for more details.

Progress is being made on the chair project. I needed a bigger surface on the back of the chair for my painting so I attached a wood back as you can see in the photo. I had the help of Sam Willard who is an experienced carpenter. He suggested the type of wood to use and how to attach it to the chair. I decided to use an arch on the back and Sam suggested a handle for the chair.

After drawing the shape on the wood we cut it to size and then cut the arch. The handle was cut first with a drill and a jigsaw for the rest of the hole to complete the handle. We sanded any rough edges and then used clamps to curve the board to the back of the existing chair. Holes were drilled for screws so it is securely attached to the chair. I filled the screw holes and then applied primer . I am now ready to paint my seascape. I took photos of each step and a before and after picture. Stay tuned for painting the scene on the chair!
P.J. Cook email : pj@pjcookartist.com