Drop Cloths Rock!

So…what have I been up to in the last few weeks: Painting enormous canvases!Six to be precise.  Over five feet high and four feet wide, these were one of my biggest challenges yet!  Now, you must take into account that my house is the size of a dolls house, not to mention the fact that the only place I have to work is the family/work/junk room in the basement.  Not a happy household for a while I can tell you!  But it was definitely worth the disruption just to see the look on my client Gloria’s face when we hung them yesterday.

I was on a bit of a tight budget so buying pre-stretched canvas was a no no.  Way too expensive for a project this size.  Guess what I used?  Drop cloths of course!  Those things have a multitude of uses as we all know, and are perfect for making a custom sized canvas.

I purchased 1 and a half inch width furring in 8 foot lengths and cut it all to size, then screwed and glued it all together.  I washed all my drop cloths so that they would shrink and so that I could stretch them more easily onto the frames.  I think it was at this point that I lost it!  Have you ever tried stretching canvas onto a frame on your own?  Not a pretty sight!  I think I went through about 50,000 staples, 6 band aids and a trip to the chiropractor! 

I primed all the canvases with 2 – 3 coats of primer and then started the background painting.  I was lucky that Gloria gave me pretty much free reign on the composition which gave me a lot more freedom to work.

Sizing everything up was tough as I had  to prop the canvases up on any and every flat surface including in front of the t.v. and the sofa (my husband was still on it at the time!).

At this point I’ll let the pictures tell the story:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And yesterday they were at last in their final resting place and boy do they look impressive if I say so myself!  What makes me happiest though is that Gloria and her husband Sean LOVE them!  And if they are happy, so am I.

If I ever decide to take on a project of this magnitude again I think I would have to charge a gazillion dollars - or move house!

Hope everyone is having a great week!