Painting a Few Placemats and the final Garden God

After a two week wait, I've finally got around to pulling out the paints. 

To begin, Beau drilled a hole in the last concrete Garden God so we could hang on a tree (the hook didn't appropriate setup in the concrete) and asked that I go ahead and paint it.  

I don't think he's going to give him a name. 

I decided to warm up by creating a couple sets of table placemats.  I'll perhaps, put a couple in my shop and one set I want to send to a niece who is getting married in August.    (After here, I plan on moving to the 3 guitars that I've picked up recently).

Creating these placemats is a multiple step process that I've been working on over the last couple days.

• Cut  4 strips that are 72" x 20" from the roll of artist canvas.   
• Paint the front of the canvas with acrylic paints (with a couple different techniques).
• Apply a wash to the backside of the canvas. 
• Apply layers of spray paints
• Add writings .. some freeform, a Lancelot Poem, etc. 
• Add stampings in a variety of colors
• Two coats of Polyacrylic to seal.

I like to work the canvas all in one piece, versus cutting down to placemat size for continuity.  I'm wanting these unplanned.  The same patterns and ideas on each placemat, put not in specific order ... like graffiti on a wall.

I should finish up on the painting phase tomorrow.    Here's a couple examples so far. 

1st layer of acrylic paint and 2nd layer of spray paint

3rd layer of stencils, stamps and doodles.   I decided to leave the writings out of this set.

Here is one of the canvas that is complete.

I'll be working on these more tomorrow.