Monday, February 11, 2013

John 20:6

I realized not too long ago that I've totally abandoned my Blog, and this is my attempt to get back into sharing.   I think the rest of this story is special - when I've told this story to others, they have felt everything from chills to tears.  Enjoy.

This post is about a project that was completed two months ago (December 2012).  I was commissioned by an individual to paint for a church, a mural of the empty tomb, similar to one I had painted years earlier and much smaller.  This mural is large, as you see it on the wall; it's 10'6 high and 16'6 wide.  I purposefully made the canvas larger than the space it was going onto, so that just like wallpaper, it could be trimmed to fit. 

There are benefits to painting a mural on canvas, like being able to work on it in my pajamas at any time of day or night.  Painting on canvas was also good in that my client was in Kentucky - thank you FedEx.

To begin, I sketched out the main shapes and blocked in my colors.  To cover this amount of surface, I used a 6" whiz roller on a pole.  You'll notice I tarped everything. 
 
And now some progress shots...  



 This is where the neat part of the mural comes in.  I had been communicating with the client via  telephone calls and pictures throughout the process.  Toward the end of completion, she shared the 'final' image with the minister; who asked, where's the cloth that was wrapped around Jesus' head?  So she and I both looked up John 20:6-7 as directed: 

"...Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself." 

Well, I had something to add because it's significant.   After doing some research about the significance of the folded napkin and there are several, I have copied one of their explanations:

"...In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. 
 
When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.  The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not touch that table, until the master was finished. 
 
Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table.

For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm finished."  But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because the folded napkin meant,... "I'm coming back."





So here's the folded linen, separate and apart from the other linens.
 
There are a few other thoughts on the folded linen; one that if tomb robbers had taken His body, they would not have bothered to fold the linen.  And another, that you could envision Jesus rising on Easter morning and as a matter of routine, folding the linen cloth.  Either way, it's significant ... and John made note of the way the linens were found.  I like the explanation:  I'm coming back.
 
 
 
 
My apologies for the small image, it was sent to me via cell phone. It is always a bit nerve wrecking to ship your artwork and entrust the installation to someone you know only through referrals and emails.  However, kudos to Lillian (and company), who professionally installed the canvas over a pool - it's installed behind the baptismal font - and did a fantastic job.  In case you're wondering, the mural has several coats of clear acrylic protection.  
 
I think a road trip may be necessary in the near future - it appears to be about a six-hour drive.   Thank you for reading - I always appreciate comments.
 
Gina
 
 

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Dreamy Bedroom Ceiling



This is a ceiling in a master bedroom. Before...the ceiling was just plain white. No progress shots, simply pictures from various angles in the room. By the way, the walls are finished in a plaster called Stucco Lux, a smooth, luxurious feeling wall finish in the color 'vanilla bean'. The thought was to create a subtle finish on the walls that would compliment the elegant ceiling without competing with it.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The Continuation Mural




This is a project that involved following another artist's lead. As you can see from this first picture, this began as a three-panel canvas mural - not my work - that was hung on a very large wall. The client asked if I would continue the mural onto the wall to better fill up the space.




Of course! I love a challenge.














And I really did enjoy this challenge. Matching colors and style of another artist was exciting. It was fun creating and dreaming of what the rest of the landscape held in store for us to see.

An additional challenge to this mural was that it was a second-story level painting. This meant painting on scaffolding; you'll see in some of the following photos all of my stuff.
















This is the view from an upper level balcony.



My challenge was to match the setting, colors, and styles so that the scene seamlessly continued without an obvious line. I wanted to add a bit of whimsy, so there's a vested monkey on the right side. He's teasingly offering a piece of fruit to a nearby birdie.














Close-up of the peacock.



















View of the mural from the doorway as
you enter the solarium.






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This gives you a view of the ceiling we previously painted (scroll down) and how they relate to each other. I hope you enjoyed this post, please feel free to leave comments.










Friday, May 23, 2008

Solarium Sky Mural

I truly enjoyed creating this ceiling; great clients, stunningly beautiful home... it was my pleasure to work here once again.
The ceiling of this solarium is roughly 30+ feet high and has quite a pitch to the center, which boasts a peaked sky-light. The room's decor features a New Orleans/French flair with wrought iron details throughout - which was the inspiration for the trompe l'oeil wrought iron supporting the 'happy sky.' Thanks for viewing - I always appreciate your comments.


Gina



























Sunday, February 3, 2008



Defiance Regional Medical Center - Oncology Infusion






Some of you may know about the murals I was working on for the Oncology Infusion center of the Defiance Regional Medical Center. The project is complete and will be part of a story on the Fort Wayne – 21 Alive local news Thursday at 6pm (February 7th).


I am so glad that I was able to do my part for such a great cause. I share this broadcast with my friends and clients to help bring awareness to the tremendous work they do. The project was funded entirely by the Hospital Auxiliary – their goal: To improve the care and treatment of cancer patients.


The murals were painted in the studio on canvas - then installed (much like wallpaper) at the Oncology center. The picture above is an 'in process' photo. I feel blessed to have a studio in which I can create and be as messy as I like! The beauty of this 'system' is that I'm not disrupting their center by painting on site and that many years from now if they want to rennovate again, they can remove the murals and do with them as they'd like. They can be remounted at another site as well.
Here are a few detail shots:


This little girl has found all sorts of interesting rocks along the shoreline. Treasure hunting to be sure!

This is just a small corner of one of the murals. This parrot always makes me smile when I see him - I hope he has the same effect on others as well.

This little boy has discovered a little green lizard after tethering his boat to a tree. (You can see the bottom edge of the canvas in the picture.)

Complete photos will be posted to the website:

www.finishesbygina.com

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Introducing our newest creation - a concrete carpet - created with exterior grade materials specifically made for concrete surfaces - with an artistic approach - custom colors and original designs. Perfect for your home or business, consider a new treatment for your entrance, porch, or patio - the possibilities are endless. To read more about the process, scroll down to view the project while in process. Contact us at www.finishesbygina.com

Thanks for visiting! Gina

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Elegant Finishes Studio introduces Concrete Carpets!

Whether it's faux tile, granite, slate, marble or a very intricate inlaid carpet, design options are endless.
Elegant Finishes Studio uses Faux Effects RS Crete products which are designed for exterior applications - providing you with many years of beauty for your home or business.






The following is a step-by-step progression:



Before -not very inviting!





















Even the base layer is quite an improvement!

Several textural layers are added. This step gives depth and dimension to the finish and will look polished when complete.
The Modello masking stencil is then put in place. We centered the design with the center of the door rather than the center of the floor, as the door was slightly off center.

After the Modello is in place, stains and colorants are added. Custom tints are mixed on-site to ensure a perfect match to the brick, siding, and columns. Fine mica powder that glints in the sunlight and the element of green are embedded for added interest in the design.
When satisfied with the color patterns, we begin weeding out the masking material - it's a one-use stencil that is thrown away when we're finished.
Almost finished, a monogram is to be installed in the center.

Detail of finish. Once dry, several protective clear coats are applied to ensure durability.

Thank you for viewing our project. Contact information may be found on our website at: www.finishesbygina.com

Gina