Thursday, August 4, 2022
Sunday, July 31, 2022
Paint the Universe!
Paint the Universe!
Every year or so Swan Studios Inc advertises with a new tagline. The most recent has been “Paint Everything”. You can’t get more “everything” than the entire universe! And what a fun project this was. I’m a bit of a space geek myself and follow NASA, the space station, and Elon Musk. It helped that one of the owners was heavy into sci-fi (joy! angels sing) so we slipped in a nod to the two major sci fi franchise shows. Love them both but true confession here- my first celebrity crush was Captain Kirk. Here’s a look at the space room at Astro-Durance created to make you feel weightless in space. First up – lights on:
Ready for your own
customized mural? Swan Studios Inc will make it “out of this world”. Contact me
at Swan Studios Inc
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#spacemural #outerspacemural #blacklightmural
(Personal side note to the universe: Personal goal is to have my art out in space. Perhaps on Mars, the Moon, and even beyond!)
Sunday, July 24, 2022
What Do You Get When You Cross a Cabin Plank with a Raisin?..
What Do You Get When
You Cross a Cabin Plank with a Raisin?... Mahogany Wood. No joke, you get a mahogany
wood look.
Being blessed to live
in SW Florida, we live in perpetual summertime with a humidity level that will
curl your hair. As in, literally it curls your hair. Our humidity level has
been hovering in the 90 % plus mark. This green house level air along with all
day sunbeams (exception being each afternoon there is a 5-minute downpour in
Biblical proportions) brings challenges when faux painting wood-tones outside. Wood stains deplete and fade too quickly. Oil
paints turn to dust. Kits ready made are ready made for anywhere but here.
Never fear, there is a Florida sunshine solution. Let’s get into it.
First, if your garage door (or front door has old chipping paint you’ll want to remove that). Typically, I also wipe down the surface with denatured alcohol. Assuming doors are operable and not rusting away (paint won’t fix those situations), you’ll want to apply a quality primer (Bulls eye 1-2-3, Kilz, Valspar bonding just to name a few). Yes, these are all bright white, but it is necessary to prime to ensure proper adhesion. Next up is a base color. Depending on what look you want to end up with, you may want to test out combinations of colors. The combination discussed today is how I created the look below. I used Valspar Duramax (outdoor paint) in Cabin Plank as the base. However, to add a little more depth to the end result, I swirled in into the paint tray (not fully mixed but swirled) Valspar Duramax Amber Sienna and Sherwin Williams Oakledge. I brushed the base on (not rolled) since I wanted just ever so often for the swirl colors to appear. Let the base color dry. Then the magic, create a mixture of Valspar Duramax Black Raisin (I love this color !!) with Faux Effects Aqua Crème (you can use other glazing mixtures- however, if you are painting outdoors you need to have an outdoor graded glazing medium). Brush the glaze mixture be sure to get the mixture into the wood grain grooves of the door (assuming the garage has these and is not smooth). Wipe off any access just be sure to wipe in the direction of the woodgrain (even if the surface is smooth, pretend its wood grain and wipe just as if you were gently wiping an oil-based stain over wood). Joints in garage doors can take a moment longer since paint needs to cure. Move the doors up and down exposing the joints giving them time to dry. That’s it! Using Florida grade exterior paint your wood finish should last for years.
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Here are some other
wood finishes I created for exteriors for your inspiration:
Ready to give your
garage doors a lift? Contact me at Swan Studios Inc
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#fauxwoodfinish
#fauxfinishmahogany #mahoganyfauxfinish
Sunday, July 17, 2022
PickleBall
Pickleball
The first time I heard the term Pickleball I giggled. You have to admit it sounds funny. Its actually quite the rage down here in SW Florida. So much so, that some of our city parks have Pickleball courts set up. I had no idea so many people love to play pickleball. Kudos to all those willing to hit the courts this time of year when our humidity hovers the 90% plus mark. I prefer painting the sport. This art piece I simply titled “Pickleball”. The original piece was painted with acrylics on art panel then converted to a digital art piece.
Although the original
artwork is unavailable for purchase, the digital art piece can be purchased at
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/pickleball-marty-wisher.html
It is now available
in variety of print sizes and types, as well as, tote bags, phone cases, and
greeting cards.
If Pickleball is your
thing check out the link above. The variety of items also make great gifts for
friends who love Pickleball.
Have a favorite sport? Let’s create your own unique custom art. Contact me at:
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#pickleball #pickleballart #floridaartist
Sunday, July 10, 2022
Big-Bold-Blue- and Beautiful
Big-Bold-Blue- and
Beautiful
Small spaces needn’t
be shy and timid. Use the intimate space to make a bold, very bold statement.
This week we are featuring a bold graphic design that encompasses every inch of
wall and ceiling space. Rather than shrink the space down it expands the space
allowing the occupant to breath:
The home’s overall palette is shades of gentle blues and greys. The base color for these lanai walls is a Pure white. The graphic design is down in Sherwin Williams Bluebird tipped with just a touch of Valspar’s Skyspace:
I created a pattern as
a guide to chalk on and paint certain sections. Some had to be painted freehand
as the lanai walls bent.
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Although there will
be a mirror hung over most of the space above the sink, the graphic was fully
painted onto the space. This allows for the mirror to be changed in the future
without having to fill in any gaps:
Have a small space?
Let’s create something Bold & Beautiful! Contact me at Swan Studios Inc
Follow all of Swan Studios Inc's art adventures on:
#custommural #boldgraphicmural
#oversizedleafmural #blueandwhitemural
Sunday, July 3, 2022
Standing Free- Standing Strong
Standing Free-Standing Strong
We are truly blessed
to live in such an amazing country. America was founded on freedom, limited
government, and individual responsibility. Our founding fathers would be astonished
to see the state of affairs our precious country is currently in. Or would they?
God has blessed this nation throughout her decades with men and women who have
continued to hold up the beacon of hope and light for everyone. It was never
said that life and the decisions we make would be easy. That every day would be
sunbeams and lollipops. What we have each day is a commodity so dear and in the
world as a whole so scarce, but we often forget it. No matter where we each
came from, no matter what events happened in our past both recent and long ago,
all those combined together to bring us to this point in time. We have Freedom
and the Right to pursue and pave our own path. You may recall a document written in 1776 wherein
it states:
We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights,
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish
it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles
and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect
their Safety and Happiness.
So here we all are,
at this point in time. And when the day comes that we stand before God at judgement,
He won’t ask what weight we carried of our forefathers, what woes we suffered because
of those before us. He will ask what we have done with the gift of life and
freedom that He gave to us in the time He appointed to us. Who did we help? Did
we continue to hold up the torch of Freedom and light the path for those yet to
come? My prayer is that we will hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and
faithful servant…” – Matthew 25:21
I debated posting
this painting recently completed due to its political nature. I never wish to
offend anyone. Yet, I also know my own beliefs and why I believe them and I’m
not ashamed of those beliefs.
Titled Heroes of Freedom: Acrylic on Canvas Panel . 24x36. All rights reserved.
#GodBlessAmerica
Sunday, June 26, 2022
What A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts
What A Lovely Bunch
of Coconuts
Yet another reason to
love SW Florida, our incredible palm trees. There is such a wide variety from
Royal Palms that line the famous road of McGregor, ponytail and fishtail palms
that grace almost every yard, the king palm, and the sago palm. (Beware of that
Sago Palm though, a prick of its palm can cause an allergic reaction). I
learned that the painful way. Of course, one of those most coveted is the coconut
palm. It is also one of the most
requested to be painted onto lanai walls and interior mural scenes.
The fun thing about a custom painted palm tree is zero maintenance. No watering, no trimming, and no bugs. Almost every home has that empty canvas like space that the slider door pockets into. That is a great location to have your favorite palm tree or tropical scene painted. Here are a few to inspire you:
