Old to New Again

I've been on a refinishing-old-furniture stint. You know when some idea gets in your head and you even dream about it? No, really!

The other day I found the most beautiful old wood banquet table at a thrift store. My heart started beating fast as I walked to take a closer look. Wow, dove tail drawers, beautiful lines....I could already picture the finish I was going to paint. As I searched for a worker to say I wanted to buy it, a cart pulled up to load it up. Apparently another lady had already snatched it up.

I was so bummed (I know, all this over a table!). That night I even dreamed about buying old furniture. Fortunately, the next day I found a gorgeous round table with carved legs and a cute nightstand that are just waiting to be restored for a new lease on life. Eventually, there will be some new before and after pics.

That is my current project obsession. I have also been working on some new paintings for my Etsy store.

For now, I've attached a photo from our recent trip to Istanbul, Turkey.

Summer Respite

It's been a wild and crazy summer. I love summertime....but I love the Fall too. Things seem to slow back down to a more manageable pace. I have a lot of new ideas I'm working on. For now, here's a piece that a friend commissioned me to do for her mom's 80th birthday.

We are off to Europe and I can't wait to be inspired to get painting when we are back.

See you in September!

Spring Fever

After having a taste of warmer weather and seeing the elusive sun, spring fever has got a hold of me. The birds seem to be singing louder and just now, I heard the frogs outside. I know I still have to survive March, but I'm thanking the Lord for spring bulbs that push through the cold ground to give us a glimpse of Spring!

With that spirit in mind, I created these two mixed media paintings this weekend. I added several thin layers of natural beeswax which seemed to pull all the pieces together. Also, if you recall one of my first postings with the vintage rubber stamps, I used those on the words. The tree images are from my original photography which I then used a transfer technique to incorporate them into the backgrounds. These were a lot of fun to make.

Both paintings are currently available on eBay right now. Feel free to search by K. Shigeno and folk art to find them. Enjoy!

Work in Progress

I've been studying new techniques. This is a work in progress that experiments salvaging an old painting by doing a transparent "white-out", adding geometric shapes and finally blocking in color. It's been a fun process and a great way to at least reuse a painting that I didn't like to make a new painting.

New Year, New Ideas

I'm looking forward to 2010 and all it has to offer. I love the idea of a new year....a fresh start. I'm looking forward to creating some new artwork.

It seems that over the holidays the closest thing I painted were cookies and some crafts with my kiddos. Now I'm looking forward to doing some real painting.

It Feels Good

It feels good to be painting again. I had a successful week after being absent from selling on eBay for awhile. I sold a few pieces, including the attached picture of this mixed-media painting/doll.

I have a few long-term customers that have touched base with me again. I love the feedback and encouragement I get from them. Thank you!

Treasure Seeker

Oh the excitement of finding "buried treasures"....by that I mean digging through junk and finding a gem!

Earlier this week, I found a huge bag of vintage rubber stamps. To top off my find, the bag was marked half off!

I'm thinking of doing some simple name cards (blank inside). Or a simple set of greeting cards. I just love the look of the classic type font on these rubber stamps.

I love the unknown history that comes with vintage/antique items. I find myself imagining what the item's life journey has been. I have this same love affair with old books, but that's a whole other obsession of mine.