Sharing Shadymont, My Mountain Cottage

I found a photo somewhere online, maybe Pinterest that showed 2 stools painted black and a bird nest on one of them.  I loved the colors used, and decided to paint the same picture on canvas.  I started by using a pre-primed canvas, and blended black, brown, and white for the background.  Next I laid the canvas aside to dry.  Once it was dry, I painted on the tree limb and a bird nest.  So here is the finished canvas. When I first saw the photo, I immediately fell in love with the simplicity. The other picture is a tree limb with a bird.  I used the same procedure to paint it. (UPDATE:   Per Jann Olson, the benches were painted by Lynda Bergman).  She's an artist, which I am not, but her benches inspired me with the colors she used. Jann had featured them last week, so that's where I saw them.  Lynda blogs at: http://lyndabergmandecorativeartisan.blogspot.com/ My paintings are not the quality of the inspirational benches, but my...

Today, I want to share a couple of my current favorite vignettes here at Shadymont. This first one says Fall, but can be used anytime too, because it doesn't include the traditional Autumn colors. Lots of textures are found in this vignette.  First there is the wood of the table, then the white doily.  Next is the tarnished silver tray which holds the white pitcher with the fretwork.  The grouse is ceramic, and the vase holding the potpourri is metal.  The dried hydrangea brings in a natural element, as do the potpourri contents, which includes, nuts, cinnamon sticks, and various other natural pieces.     Using textural items creates interest. In this wider shot (below) you can see how all the elements work in the area. In this vignette, I have used the traditional Fall colors, but grounded them with white so they are not overwhelming. This display sits on the book case in the family room, and directly above it on the next ...