Thinking About Chair Affair '15

This is a borrowed photo....I don't know how to photograph a mirror without all the reflection that happens when I try.

I'll be rehabbing this old bathroom mirror and gifting it to Community Warehouse's Chair Affair + Event.  CW does some very impressive work and I am proud to be a part of this event.

I had hoped to contribute last year but events conspired against me and I couldn't get the job done. I hope to make up for that this year with something special.   I won't have time to really begin work in earnest until December...but keep reading the blog. I'll have updates about the coming Celebration of Art event and other projects.

The Dresser Needs a New Name!

I'm flirting with names like "The Perils of Pauline", "Calamity Jane" or........"Frustration Masterpiece."

As I mentioned in an earlier post, some damage to one of the mirrors occurred. I showed up at Pioneer Place to re-do the stained glass pieces, only to discover that the beautiful store front (awesome donated space!) had overhead lights but none of the outlets worked!

What's a frustrated artist to do?   

OK, I was desperate!  I took the mirror and my tools to the Women's Room... I balanced everything across one of the sinks, plugged in my soldering iron and half an hour later, the mirror was finished!

It was actually a bit of a sociological study. What do people do when they discover someone doing something strange in a public restroom?.....they pretend they don't see you! 

Back in the store, ready to assemble the dresser again and........ the mounting screws have gone missing!  REALLY????

I'll be back tomorrow with new screws....... maybe the dresser will be finished...FOR REAL!

Tamir the Apprentice

"AFTER"

"BEFORE"

TAMIR MAY BE THE YOUNGEST ARTIST IN THIS YEAR'S CHAIR AFFAIR. AT AGE 13 AND WITH ONLY A BRIEF SET OF LESSONS, HE STEPPED UP AND CRAFTED A BEAUTIFUL WORK OF ART. 

I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD!

IT'S DONE !!!!!!!

"PUT A BIRD ON IT"

PHOTOGRAPHING ANYTHING WITH A MIRROR IS A CHALLENGE! 

My mirrors reflect only a few of the many fabulous artistic donations that have filled the containment area of Community Warehouse!

So what's next? There will be a preview night on the First Thursday of March: the 7th at Pioneer Place!  Come on downtown and peruse all the furniture, dishware, and art. 

I am pleased my efforts and hope that this dresser will find a new home. What was once destined for the trash heap has regained new life. All the drawers are clean and lined, the glass sparkles, and you know you're in Portland....because it has a BIRD on it!

Come to the auction March 21st and be a top bidder....take home a piece of furniture or a set of dishes and know that your donation will help families throughout the metro area. Your money couldn't be better spent!

Mirror, Mirror on the Rug....

The mirrors have been removed from the backings and each mirror has been wrapped in copper foil.  The bird is assembled from about 20 pieces of hand-cut glass. Decorative soldering and copper foil holds it together and when the rest of the stained glass elements are completed, I will attach them all to the three mirrors.

Tomorrow I'll paint the wood frames for the mirrors and finish the stained glass work. It's been awhile since I've done stained glass and I find I'm really enjoying the different rhythm of this work.

Finished projects by other artists are starting to come in to the warehouse. It's exciting to see what has been crafted for this wonderful event. The end of my project is just a couple of days away...I'm looking forward to calling it done!

I could paint a house faster!

There have been many reincarnations of this project. The burgundy paint didn't adhere well in spots so I have had to lay down many coats. The stripes I painted looked nice while wet, but not so much dry.

I believe today I successfully applied the last coat of burgundy and the last coat of blue (although I may need to touch up the blue later?)

The picture doesn't do this piece much justice...but believe me....it's an improvement! 

Frankly, I probably could have painted a house by hand in the time it took to paint this!.....But I like it and hopefully so will someone else!

Chair Affair + PROJECT UPDATE

I'm taking a break from updating the Community Warehouse Chair Affair + project. I need new glass for the top of the dresser.....and the glass sale starts February 5th. Meanwhile, I will catch up on some long overdue commissions. I'll be posting those soon.

Some very messy construction to shore up our garage and deck have kept me out of the kiln shed....so hopefully Sunday, I will resume firing. Temperatures here in Portland have dipped below freezing.

It sounds a bit strange, but it is best not to start the kiln below 39 degrees! So I will simply assemble numerous pieces and head to the kiln as soon as it warms up. 

See you all again as soon as I have some photos to post!

Goodbye Fuschia, Hello Burgundy!

So pleased to discover some leftover paint....much deeper and darker......YAY!

It may require one more coat but then the burgundy paint days are done!

I'll be back at the warehouse on Thursday or Friday to get the other colors of paint going.

Tuesday will be glass shopping day and then I will begin making the stained glass overlay for the mirrors. I've enjoyed the break from painting but am totally jazzed to get back into it now that the dresser no longer screams 

PINK!!!!!!

MIRRORS GO ON VACATION

Taking off the mirrors was a 2 person job!

This dresser couldn't look much worse right now!
...but good times are ahead!!!!

I'm grateful that my husband could come help me. Once a few screws were removed, each mirror needed to be braced so it wouldn't fall. 

The paint color is still of great concern but I will get to that next week.....Wednesday?......maybe? Burgundy and burnt umber to the rescue.

I imagine the mirror work will take 2-3 weeks to complete, but if I can get caught up on my commissioned art work, I might be able to get the mirrors finished sooner.

On another note, the warehouse desperately needs some financial donations in these next few days....$5? $25? $100?

Every dollar donated is used carefully to support the needs of those who would like to have a reasonable home with a bed, a table, some dishes. Their goal is to raise $2000/day for the next several days....please help!

communitywarehouse.org  in Portland, Oregon

When 2 Coats Are Not Enough!

Magenta is not burgundy!

I want Burgundy!

                       

Two coats of paint on some of the dresser helped. I laid a first coat

on the drawer faces. The color definitely deepened, but the difference between magenta and deep burgundy is huge. Basically this color screams HOT PINK! I do not like hot pink!

So what's next? On the advice of an artist (painter), I will investigate streaking the surface with burnt umber. That should deepen the tone. If that doesn't work, I will mix my own paint and start again.

I still haven't had a chance to get everything coated with at least one layer of paint, so it's time to remove the mirror and have at the back facing of it. 

It'll be two weeks before I get back to the dresser. Meanwhile, my mirror plans are firming up. See you on the 19th!

A White Washing: necessary deed!

Today's work involved priming everything but the top in boring white primer. I plugged in my music, grooved to some Janis Joplin and the task was quickly converted to a pleasant....no, joyous experience!    

I'llbe back next week to lay down some color. I can feel the excitement mounting, although there is so much left to do. Check back next week. I'll have more pictures.   

In the meantime, you should get yourself down to the Tualitan Store and check out what they have in their estate section. This area is open to the public and you can get great deals on some amazing furniture. I was astonished at the bargains. I am picky! I found myself lusting over several beautiful pieces of furniture and I'm now trying to figure out where I could put some of it! I want to buy some!!!!!!!!

Getting Down and Dirty!

 There's me peeking at myself. I am so glad I remembered to bring along a dust mask!

                This piece may be old but it has "good bones!"

Today was a messy cleaning up kind of day. I washed down the mirrors in an effort to find out was was bad silvering and what was just plain dirt. All the drawers came out and were cleaned (yech!).

Sanding was the major effort today....just getting rid of bumps and heavy stains. Fortunately the Warehouse had a good shop vac so I was able to make short work of all the dust!  Next week....primer!

Pretty Beat Up!

Errand Day! Shopping at my local ABoy Hardware store for sand-paper and primer.

Next week will be devoted to cleaning up the shappy exterior, cleaning up the interior of the drawers, replace a missing drawer stop, and blanketing the whole thing in white primer. 

Ran into Shellinda LeMert, another local artist who has been a devotee to the Chair Affair. She's got a pretty nifty project going as well!

I have a few commissions in progress...need to finish those next.

Check back next week for more pix of my progress!

My Chair Affair Project 2013

I am so pleased to show you this piece of furniture I plan to rehab for the Chair Affair Auction in the spring of 2013.

This will be my 6th year working on a project for this special cause. I have never made a chair and it doesn't look like this year will be any different.

Last year the auction brought this amazing community agency $127,932! If you are unfamiliar with what they do.....check out their website.... Really.....go look!!!!!!

Project #1 was an old ladder-back chair that I converted into a water fountain. #2 was a side table I made from a bar stool. Project #3 was an old stool turned into an outdoor bird bath. My fourth project was a coffee table  and #5 was a small side table.

This year my attention will be focused on this very old and very well-used bedroom dresser.

It's big, it's old, it's beat up and it's heavy! It is currently living at the Community Warehouse, Tualitan Branch. My work space is too cramped to deal with it at home but the folks at the warehouse are sooooo nice- they are letting me work on it there. I am determined to get on it quickly.

Stay tuned. I will be updating my progress frequently!

The Chair Affair: An awesome event!

If you have been reading my previous blog postings, you know how passionate I am about one of the most significant community treasures in Portland. I am talking about the Community Warehouse; a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting people to live independently with decent furnishings. I am talking about children having beds to sleep in!!!!!!
This is a picture of LAMENTABLE - my donation to this year's fund raiser. 

This is my fifth donation to the Chair Affair- the annual fundraising event that allows this stellar organization to meet the needs of a growing client list.


There are all kinds of way you can help:
1. Buy a ticket and come to the event!
2. Come to the First Thursday event in March and leave a donation
3. Write a check and donate to a worthy cause
4. Look around your house.....spare blankets, furniture, sheets? Donate them!


****It's lamentable that my blogging skills prevent me from a adequately enlarging the text on the poster I included with my table donation. The laments on the poster are as follows:

Lamentations from my Studio

• Ach! I couldn’t find the right table
• Ay Caramba! No fresh ideas emerging!
• Darn it! I bought the wrong paint!
• Oy Vey! My test piece didn’t work at all! Now what?
• Auwe!  A great Hawaiian lament. Wish I was in Hawaii now!
• Mon Dieu! I wish I was in France right now. I could use some wine! (whine?)
• Good Grief! A piece of copper shifted out of place
• OMG!  I am done... !!!!!

COMMUNITY WAREHOUSE- Chair Affair Part 1

About my project:
This is the first of two posts!

I eventually had fun with this project. I found the small table at the warehouse. It wasn't what I was looking for, but there it was...looking lonely and sad (which is why I can't go the animal shelter!) and it was begging me to pick it.

I brought it home and stared at it. Just when I thought I had time to work on it, a family emergency came up and so the project was put on hold....and out on hold....and put on hold! Then came the dreaded email that talk abut deadlines....and well.....

LAMENTABLE was born. Below is the handout I crafted to go with the project. I think it sums it all up.
I also hope it is legible on this site!

Look for my next post to see how you can contribute to a great organization!

Here is the "Before" Shot

Not sure yet what I will do with this former night stand....but I know it will have glass on it soon!


If you are reading this and don't know about the Chair Affair and Community Warehouse...please read the last posting..... and please.....consider making a donation now!

3969 Northeast MLK Jr. Boulevard  Portland, OR 97212-1117 (503) 235-8786

Community Warehouse Needs Your Support!

This organization is one of the most fantastic non profits anyone can imagine. They hook up unwanted furniture with people who want/need furniture and other household goods. Portland, Oregon is soooo fortunate to have this volunteer driven organization. Even members of their paid staff volunteer here (they are sooooo artistic!)


Every year they host a mega fund raiser called The Chair Affair. Artists gather at the warehouse , pick out a piece of furniture and artistically rehab it. We turn our new creations back to the Warehouse and they host  an auction. This will be my 5th! 


SO HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.....the warehouse was sadly empty! Without donations of all kinds of household items, needy families will continue to be needy. Imagine not having a bed to sleep on or no chair to sit on! 


You can make a cash donation and/or donate some household goods. It is just that easy!!!!!  I don't have any furniture to donate right now so I bought some shower curtains and rings...and am looking around for some other useful stuff to donate. You could do that too!
How?   just go to : communitywarehouse.org/


Tomorrow I will post a "before" picture of my project.   


So nu? Donate something already!

CHAIR AFFAIR 2011

This is my donation this year to the Chair Affair.....a major fundraiser for The Community Warehouse.
These are my before and after shots.

To learn more about this fabulous organization and how you can support them go to:
communitywarehouse.org


you can get a sneak peak at all the donated art work going for auction on April 7th...First Thursday!
details at their website.

The Avian Spa

Signed, glued and delivered....
My donation to chair affair is a piece of outdoor art. It's a bird bath... Just add water!

What more could a bird ask for than a shallow pond from which to drink and bathe?

Come to the Chair Affair...look at the amazing chairs, and unchairs and bid! One of the finest chairities you'll ever meet!

You'll be glad you did.

More info to come!