Animal Wednesday: Does a starfish count?

This is what I've been busy doing this past week. It's a birthday surprise for my friend Barb while she's away on vacation in Arizona! She said to do whatever I wanted, but trust me I had some limits here.

Barb is ultra traditional and her kitchen has been the same for the past twenty-two years! I did the last theme as well, black cats and red/white gingham touches.

I took all of the kitty pictures out of the frames and replaced them with four lovely poppy paintings, one of course by Georgia O'Keefe. Then I went to work on this wall, all free-form with very little pre-drawing. (I hate to have to erase lines after!)

This is a very small wall so I kept the design light and flowing. This wall is to the left of the step up into her kitchen. The starfish, sand dollar, beach glass and shells were added because of all the time Barb has spent on Cape Cod at her family's treasured cottage.

(Here's a bit of detail. I hope they enlarge.)

I had a hard time with the shadowing because the wall kept resisting the glaze. Shadowing is my favorite part! That, and detail. Oh well, it will have to do.

And YES, this is what I was painting when I fell backwards and hit my head.

I can't believe I didn't drag my red paintbrush down the wall.

 

So, Happy Animal Wednesday from me and Grady, my helper ;)