Tree house view

Ah, simplicity.  No clutter to bump, no busy wallpaper, no need for a window.

I had one of those smooth and easy jobs today.  The kind I can't turn into a hike through the brambles, because there simply isn't a chance to step off the straight and narrow.  The client had seen a tree top mural on the HGTV website that was a simple silhouette against a steely blue-gray sky, and she wanted something similar done in her laundry/mud room hallway.  Her husband's only request was that I give it a suggestion of detail, not just a solid black silhouette.  He was my only worry.  He once inspected a chickadee I painted so closely, I think he counted the wing feathers.  He liked the tree as much as he liked the chickadee, so the day ended pretty well.

Just no way to shoot the full length, without removing the door to the garage, and since it's well below freezing out there tonight, that didn't seem quite the request to make.  This is about 2/3 of the tree.

It would end better if I could get a better shot of the wall, but being in a long hallway, it's not an easy shot for an amateur.  You really don't get either the realism, nor the graphic impact of it, but perhaps I'm just too critical, having spent the afternoon with my nose 12 inches from the thing.  The basic concept is that you are seeing a cross section of the tree, as from a second story window.  The scale and the proximity when you walk in the back door give it a wow factor that just doesn't show on the camera.  You'll have to take my word for it, or try painting one yourself.

The detail is simple, but just enough.

I worked late last night on collaging bookazine pages and got back up early to finish, so it was nice to have such a mellow paint job, close to home, for a really nice client.  Now, a couple of days of computer work, dropping the photos in, and the Winter Edition of 365 Being will hit the press!  Have you seen the Autumn Sampler? 365being.com.  Want to know more about how that comes together? 365being.blogspot.com.

Rather look at walls than pages?  My portfolio is at theartofthehome.com.

Want to try this paint technique yourself?  Leave your questions in the comments below, or email me at dawnmariedelara@gmail.com.