Statue Restoration

This life size corpus statue was delivered to my studio in need of some restoration work.  The entire surface was chipped and flaking so it  had to be scraped and sanded, some minor plaster repairs had to be addressed, and the statue needed a more natural paint job.

Oh, and it had to be completed and installed in the church in time for Christmas Eve service.

I have worked on a few of these statues before and have learned that it is not easy to hand paint convincing blood drips.  So I have rigged up a way to attach the statue to my easel.  I just mix up a runny red paint and let gravity do the work.  It looks very realistic.

Here is the completed restoration.  I met the deadline!

 

Give the gift of art lessons!

 I will be teaching 2 classes at the Mechanicsburg Art Center this winter...

#1 Saturday morning will be Drawing 101. Designed to help you to draw an accurate representation of what you see, we will learn the basic fundamentals of measuring,

line, shading, and perspective. This class is for the beginner as well as the intermediate painter who would like to improve their drawing skills.

#2 Thursday evenings will be Oil Painting Challenge, a fun structured class for intermediate oil painters (beginners are also welcome). In each class we will explore a different "challenge" such as working with a limited palette or exploring a new technique. Each challenge will be designed to push you out of your comfort zone while learning in the process.

More information on both classes, as well as other classes offered by the Art Center, is at http://mechanicsburgartcenter.com/

Fireplace Fix

This week's project was to add some character to this plain outdated fireplace.

before

after

 Painting the mantle black gave it more of a Victorian feel instead of the staunch Regency look.
It also creates a wonderful contrast for the TILES...

 ...which are not really tiles at all, but are hand painted on the concrete surround.  I tried to mimick the designs of old Victorian tiles, even adding a subtle crackle finish which does not really show up in the photos.  The client requested monkeys, and each one if different.

If you would like to see more of my work please visit my website www.julieriker.com

Faux burl fireplace unit

This week I painted this fireplace unit in a faux burl finish.

 

 

When I do a woodgrain finish I always start with an orange base color - trying to match the vibrant undercolor of the wood.  I am always happy when my clients trust me at this stage. 

 

 I apologize for the glare in this photo.  Unfortunately there were no working lights in the house when I completed this work and I had to shine my harsh halogen work light on the piece.

Below is a detail of the burl grain...