Isn't it Marbelous?

No matter what the mistake, it can always be fixed.  Well, when it comes to paint anyway...

Click to enlarge, click again to show detail...and I invite you to play a little game of "Find six things that are different" in these pictures of my own porch...answers next week!

The front porch columns in the first photo are pretty realistic, but with so much white in them, they don't really relate to the stone bases, and thus, not to anything on the porch.  Luckily, the weather has been cooperative this week, not counting the hideous soup known as Minnesota humidity that boiled over on Tuesday...really, you could swim in it, if only you had gills.  So, for the entertainment of the regulars at the Sparetime Tavern, just across the street, I re-marbled the columns to more closely match the color of the stone bases (sad that so many have nothing more interesting to do on lunch hour, than sit and watch paint dry...twice).

With the dark veins the columns are a bit more theatrical, but glazes aren't really an option for something that gets so much sun.  I actually don't mind that they aren't too realistic, because know how I know I got it right?  I asked three different passersby what they thought of the columns, and none realized at first that they had been painted!  Each had stopped to compliment me on the beautiful porch face lift (ego strokes are just one reason to work in such a public field of art! ;) ), but although the columns are the most obvious change, and although they have been white for over one hundred years, not one of the three realized they were different! 

Am I offended?  Not a bit!  To do something that fits so well that it seems like original architecture is usually what I'm aiming for.  I don't want people to say, "Oh, you painted!", I want them to say "This house is gorgeous, and so welcoming!"  That's my definition of success.  So, no, I don't always get it right on the first try, but that's the beauty of paint:  it's 100% custom.  And just so you know, when this happens on a paid job, the quoted price stands.  Figuring out the perfect solution for your house is just part of the service I offer.

Now, for something more realistic, here are three marbleized columns painted to identically match existing marble, with a little hand-sculpted plaster detail, to make up for the fact that they are standard issue fiberglass units.

Click to enlarge, click again for close-up detail

Have a perfect week, no matter how many tries it takes!  I'm headed over to keystonewomenscircle.blogspot.com next, to share what I learned about sleep (one of my favorite things), this week.  Join me!