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as the song goes, "Everything old is NEW again"
I have started painting a new mixed media series and am having sooooo much fun. The inspiration for these paintings started several years ago upon discovering an old much-used metal box far in the back of a cabinet in my garage. It contained a most interesting collection of skeleton keys. Obviously vintage, they went from small to large and were dirty and rusty. The keys, with attached tags bearing hand-written addresses of properties, were on rings. Maybe they belonged to a long-ago landlord.
When last year I saw a collection of reproduction vintage keys featured in a Pottery Barn catalog, they reminded me of those keys in the garage. I couldn't seem to get the catalog keys out of my mind, so I finally gave in and ordered a set and then retrieved the old box of keys from the garage.
I have just been enjoying these keys as a collection....then suddenly they "popped up" in my head as paintings needing to be painted. I "antiqued" some watercolor paper, added some vintage-style calligraphy (something else that has really been piquing my interest) and voila ! the paintings began to "flow."
I began painting just keys. Then I started doing some research on vintage hardware and that led me to keyhole covers, padlocks, door plates and so on. I found some great articles on clocks and old pocket watches and then I got into "gears."
A browse through the Restoration Hardware showroom in Tampa reinforced my interest in gears...... lots of industrial influence in their current decor, both furniture and accessories.
A trip with the grandkids to the fabulous and funky Children's Garden in Sarasota really got me into "gear"................. gear flowers greet you at the door.
Who would think? Decorative GEARS everywhere!
Out comes the paintbrush.........
time to "shift gears"......
Hope you have had a good "time" reading this post. It is obvious that I should stop writing for a while and get back to the drawing board and that is just what I am going to do now - more gears are churning in my mind. My Etsy Store, featuring "now-in-the-works" modern-vintage paintings will be open soon. I'll let you know!
Hugs, Marcy
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