New Decorative Chair - Hand Painted with Lynde Lighthouse, Old Saybrook, CT

 

I am just wrapping up a new hand painted chair of a lighthouse on the Connecticut River. I will be adding a few boats to the painting along with some finishing details and it's done. The Lynde Lighthouse is at the mouth of the Connecticut River where it flows into Long Island Sound. In the painting you can see Long Island, New York in the distance. I have the dock painted on the seat of the chair similiar to my previous decorative chairs.

This chair will be in a set of two, I will be painting another chair of the Saybrook Outer Light with the same colors. The chairs will be on display at Artisans Harbor 188 Main Street, Old Saybrook, CT. This Wednesday I will drop off this chair so stop by and take a look!

Latest Hand Painted Chair Design

In the works  - latest hand painted chair design. I have been working on this sunset painting of a dock with the Old Saybrook Lighthouse in the background. I will be adding an adirondack chair on the dock.

Stay tuned for further updates.

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

Footprints Leading To The Beach Painting On Display

The chair with the Footprints Leading To The Beach Painting is in the window at The Lyme Tree Woman's Exchange of Old Lyme. I painted this chair for a May 9th charity auction in New Haven. The proceeds from the sale of the chair will go towards St Marten dePorres Academy located in New Haven, CT. I enjoyed painting the chair and I hope there is a fury of bidding on the chair because the proceeds will go towards the school.

I will have similar chairs for sale at The Lyme Tree shop soon. I am working on a series of beach, shoreline art scenes for a set of 4 chairs. Also in the works are designs for children's chairs. I will continue posting my progress on the chairs so check back!
For more information on purchasing a chair or artwork please email pj@pjcookartist.com
Thanks,
PJ Cook

pjcookartist.com

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

Next Step In Seascape Painting on a wood Chair

I have started painting with acrylic paint on the chair. My initial goal is to layout the composition and see how it looks on the chair. I will continue to add layers to build up the paint while adjusting the values as I go along. To add some bright colors I may paint a beach umbrella, beach chair, towels, beach ball etc. I have painted a nice beach umbrella in watercolor in the past. View the painting "Dog Day Afternoon" it can be viewed at my website on the gallery page in shore scenes at pjcookartist.com
I could add a similar umbrella to the chair painting. Does anyone have any ideas? Comment with any suggestions for adding something colorful to the beach painting.

Thanks, and check back for my next painting update.
P.J. Cook

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

New Seascape Sketch from P.J Cook!

My idea for painting a scene on a wood chair is a seascape. The chair will be sold at auction to the highest bidder. Read my previous post for auction details. The chair will look great in a beach cottage.

The scene will be the view walking towards the beach on a path through the sand dunes. The path is surrounded by sand dune fences with the shadows coming from the fence across the footprints in the sand. The ocean will be at the end of the path with a few puffy clouds and maybe a few birds and a sailboat in the distance.

I will need to design a piece of wood that will be attached to the back of the chair. Then I will paint the scene on the wood. I want to be able to still sit in the chair so my wood back will be sturdy. The painting on the seat of the chair is the beach sand with footprints going towards the water. I will work from the seascape sketch to layout the painting on the chair.

Look for my next post later this week for a photo of the wood back to be attached to the chair. Follow along with my project!

Painting a scene on a wood chair for charity

I have been asked to paint a scene on this chair. The chair will be sold at auction on May 5 in New Haven, Connecticut. All proceeds from the auction will go to a small private middle school in New Haven called St Martin dePorres Academy. 75% of the students attending this school enter below grade level and come from low income single parent households. 90% of students that attended St Martin DePorres Academy go on to graduate high school with 62% attending college. These percentages are much greater when compared to similar students in other schools. With such a success rate I was surprised to hear that this school operates from 93% donations. I am happy to paint the chair and hope that it sells for a big price so the money can go towards a great cause.

My plan is to paint a shore or beach scene on the chair. I will post photos of my progress here on my blog showing each step of the painting. My next post will be a sketch of the scene that I intend to paint on the chair.

Thanks,

P.J. Cook

pjcookartist.com