Charity Auction!-Art Chair

Several weeks ago a friend approached me asking "Would you be interested in decorating a chair?" The town of Morris, IL was trying something new; an "arts festival." The idea was to gather local artist, musicians, actors...really anyone creative and art lovers and celebrate the arts in the first ever "Liberty Days Arts Festival." The cumulating activity would be a auction of decorated chairs with the proceeds going to the charity.

Stores in town were encouraged to sponsor the decorating of a chair which would be displayed at their store during the festival and then auctioned off for the charity of the stores choice. The charity chosen for the chair I was creating was the Christian Youth Center of Morris. I volunteer at the Youth Center couple of days per week and was excited to help them raise money.  I immediately said "yes" but with a bit of "fear and trembling." I had an idea in my head and hoped it turned out as well in real life.

The first step was finding the perfect chair to paint. For this feat, I visited our local Habitat of Humanity ReStore. I love this store. Not only can you find fun furniture pieces and building materials on the cheap. All proceeds go to help Habitat for Humanity build houses for our neighbors in need!

Finding a fun chair with some character at the store, I set out to sand it down, and tighten some joints with wood glue and prime it for painting. I decided that my theme was "It's about time" and wanted the chair to allude to the inner workings of a clock, with gears, cogs, and springs, and numbers.

Priming with black, I planned on having a graphic mosaic design, so I used tape and vinyl number stickers from Elmer's to mask off areas that would then remain black when I removed them after painting. I used Liquitex professional paints, both heavy and soft body, because I didn't want to have to repeatedly add layers to my design. After the  colors dried, I then stenciled gears and cogs onto the yellow paint using stencils from Deco Arts' "Americana-Mixed Media" Collection.

After the paint job, I knew I wanted a gloss coat to seal it.  Talking to DIY guru Mark Mantano, (Thanks Mark!) I went with Minwax PolyAcrylic, because I love the durability of the product and the high gloss shine!

Painting and sealing complete, the only thing left to finish was the decorative touches. I  love the look of the coiled watch springs, so I created some with flat jewelry wire from "On-a-Wire," coiling it around at first a dowel rod, then itself. These springs I glued along the bottom of the back. Drilling a hole in the upper part, I installed a battery operated clock movement on the back of the chair.

Supplies used: Chair-(ReStore), Liquitex paints-professional heavy body and soft body, DecoArt Stencils-Americana Mixed media; gears and cogs, timeless treasure, Minwax- PolyAcrylic, Elmer's -Board Mate Vinyl Letter and Numbers, Art Minds (Michaels)-Clock Movement Kit 5/8", On-A-Wire(Hobby Lobby)-5mm flat aluminum wire, Scotch-3M fine line tape, drill, dowel rod.

The chair will be on display at Harrington's Fine Jewelry Thursday June 25-Saturday June 27, 2015. The auction will take place at the "Liberty Arts Festival" After Party, Saturday June 27, 2015.

The Most Magical Place on Earth--CHA Show Recap

When you go to a magic show are you the type of person that wants to know "how did they do that?" I sure am. While I understand, a good magic show takes skill, technique and a whole lot of practice, I also realize you need to know "how the trick was done."

I recently returned from what I consider to be the "most magical place on earth." While I did go to Anaheim, California, my purpose there wasn't to visit a mouse, my purpose was to attend the Craft and Hobby Association trade show commonly referred to as CHA for short.

Art for me is magical. It transforms the creators thoughts, feelings, emotions, memories, ideas-- into a tangible and visible form, able to be shared with others. Before you get into a big debate with me over the word "magic" consider the definition:

mag·ic/ˈmajik/

noun

1. the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.
2. wonderful; exciting

Art for me is wonderful and exciting, I love how someone's work can take me on a mysterious journey into their inner thoughts, it can convey emotion, art shares a memory. Art can also be a form of self expression or a way to make "cool stuff" and bring beauty to the world around us. Yet sometimes that whole creative process can be a bit mysterious, therefore, art to me is magical. 

While I appreciate art and love creating, and I do not consider myself an artist, yet somehow, the creative industry has embraced me as one of their own, because of this, I am able to attend the Craft and Hobby Association trade show. The purpose of CHA is to bring together; creative professionals, businesses and manufacturers to further the creative industry. At the CHA show we learn about the latest products, learn new techniques, and connect with others in the industry. I like to think of it as my chance to learn the"how did they do that?!?!" to the magic of creating.

Sometimes the "how did they do that" comes from a fabulous new product designed to make something easier or create a cool effect. Other times the "how did they do that" comes from learning from other creative professionals that share their techniques, and skill with us. All the time it's a chance to connect with old friends and make news ones and celebrate the "magic" that is the creative industry.

So come with me to catch a glimpse of the 2015 Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show and see why I call it "The most magical place on earth!"

 

For those wanting to view via You Tube you can find it HERE