Just A Little Paint: Process
Every now and then, I like to just do something fun and light as a quick piece to clear my thoughts. Maybe there’s an idea or inspiration with meaning behind it, maybe not (and that’s okay, too). Lately, I’ve been making wood charger plates - mostly drawing and painting on wood or, as was the case with the charger plates inspired by my time spent living in Alaska, carving the wood and then painting it. These guys end up looking pretty cool as a funky party table setting, though I hear some folks are just displaying them on the wall or a shelf. I’ve also done a few other decorative items in this same style lately, mainly pizza peels (just for decorative use) or signs.
For these, I just draw something with pencil (or pen, depending on which I can actually lay hands on in the moment), and then paint it with acrylic paint in a sort of quasi-tole painting style. I really like using Varathane charred wood accelerator for the body of the charger. It ends up giving a velvety appearance when it reacts with the tannins in the wood. I also get a different tactile feel than I would get from just painting them black with acrylic paint. When it’s all done, I seal the wood with a clear polyurethane.
Not incredibly time consuming, and pretty simple compared to some of my other stuff, but a nice change of pace.
Like I mentioned earlier, oftentimes these things are just one-offs where I decided I just wanted to make something. Mostly it’s just me messing around - occasionally, there’s a little more to it.
Take for instance, the Haida Bear charger. There is an idea behind this one: To indigenous peoples, Bear is the most powerful coastal animal, revered as the “Elder Kinsman” and treated as a noble guest. Bear represents physical strength, power, courage, and leadership. The bear is thoughtful and independent, self-contained, and strong-willed in nature. He makes lonely periods of life far easier.
When the Bear constellation is bright in the sky and the feather of the Thunderbird is just touching his nose, spring has fully arrived. The bear has essentially come out of winter hibernation.
Raven, the Creator, made a pact with Black Bear that he could live in peace for all eternity if he allowed one out of every ten black bears to turn white.
So, yeah, there’s that. While everything is of course, on some level, subjective, I do sometimes like to make note of where the idea for a piece originates.
Ever since I got my IPad and Apple Pencil (kicking myself for not doing that sooner), I’ve been using the wonderful Procreate to draw and paint with, digitally. I’ve been slowly working my way through the Norse Pantheon, tarot card style. The process is the same, sketch to drawing to shading/painting to print, even if the tools are a bit different. These drawings/paintings can be purchased as prints (or in some cases, on pillows or tote bags) on my Etsy shop, Olensdóttir and on Merch by Amazon under the brand name Olensdottir, if you’re looking for some unique swag.
I’m thinking about using the sketches to make a coloring book in the near future, so keep an eye out for that if you’re interested!
Wooden pizza peel, deco lion (initial drawing)
Wooden charger plate (Norse dragon)- drawing and painted
Digitally, the process is the same, as shown in this drawing then shading/painting of the valkyrie Herfjotur (“War Fetterer”).
Wooden pizza peel, deco lion (painted)
Haida Bear wooden charger plate, carved and painted
Same process for carving - draw design then start carving/chiseling
