I have been having fun trying a totally new surface to paint on. It started with a commission to paint a home portrait on an old, probably antique, metal tray. That has turned into a fun series with my favorite subject - butterflies. I will post more soon, but here are a few to start with. On the left you see my first round of oil painting, after filling in the background dark purple. Part way through I lightened the purple to a lavender, but left some to show through. This is the American Painted Lady, an amazing butterfly you probably have seen but not noticed. It moves fast and looks like a fritillary. Supposedly they have the highest altitude of migration of all the known butterflies! And they are pretty too. |
It started here with "Cathy's House"This is an oil painting on a tray that was mostly black to start with, but with some rust. So after some sanding and Rustoleum sprayed on, I got to work getting a likeness of the winter scene and colonial home. The outer rim is stamped with a store bought rubber stamp using acrylic.
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Spicebush SwallowtailThe next tray was given to me by my neighbor who works at the Historical Society tag sale each year, and couldn't resist this one dollar metal tray. My passion for butterflies was unleashed, now I look for trays everywhere I go.
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Spring AzureThis was a small metal tray we had in Vermont, with a rusted and scratched print from the Currier and Ives nostalgic prints. It was only worth about $5 so I just painted it over. I like this since it is magnetic, a strong computer magnet holds it securely to the front door.
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