I had a bit of fun this past summer working on this hand painted chair for a fundraising auction. I really liked this chair, it had some great lines and was good and sturdy. Someone had already stripped most of the old finish/paint/crud off of it, but it still had quite a bit of character. I think the wrapping on the bentwood back adds such lovely character.

That’s my dog Byrdie lounging on the driveway- isn’t she cute?

Anyhoo- I had a few ideas in mind, but all started with several layers of color, distressing, more layers and finally some decorative hand painting to come up with a unique look for this decorative but functional chair:

I love the sunflowers, simple bird, berried branches and of course the reference to that old favorite song “You are my Sunshine”. The wrapping on the bentwood is accentuated with a pretty aqua blue, distressed a bit to allow the original red to come through.

I had a lot of fun, and was glad to help make some money for the arts. The Northville Art House had an auction of beautiful chairs, all created by talented local artists to raise money for their ongoing programs. It was a fun evening- great food, great music and some gorgeous hand painted chairs. Such a privilege to belong to such an awesome community.