Thursday 21 September 2017

The Artist's Private Quarters at J.R. Art Gallery

Hello everyone,

Almost another week has gone by. Hope you are all fine. It has been days since my last post but I have been very busy working mostly on the Gallery. It seems like I can't get my hands of it. I am enjoying every moment of it. I have also been busy like always with my everyday life and making miniatures for clients. As from tomorrow I'll start with the old routine. Matthias starts his last year at Junior School. Quite a tough year for him but I'm sure we will pull it through. The girls have another week to go. I will be missing the lad. It's always heartbreaking seeing them going back to school.

The Artist's Private Quarters
I couldn't help myself from not starting working on the top floor room which will be the artist's private quarters. Like always a one room suite that has to have everything. One of the most difficult rooms to design is by trying to fit an entire home in one room.  The good thing about this particular room is that it's quite spacious. 

I started off by paneling the floor strips. It takes a while to cut and measure but like I always say at the end, it's worth every minuite.



Once the floor was done. I used a needle tool to make tiny wholes at the end of each wood strip to give the impression that the wood planks are nailed down. After that I stained the floor in dark oak color. 



Before wall papering the walls, I had decided to add an out door wall light to the side of the wall which required to groove the inside wall for the wiring.


Once that was set. I started wallpapering the walls. I used a very simple wall paper in a light green and cream color.



I had a very clear picture of  how I wanted this room. Believe it or not the inspiration for this room came much before it had for the gallery. I knew exactly what pieces of furniture I wanted and where to put them.

The first piece of furniture that I started working on was the cast iron bed. I have painted the head and foot pieces and built it. I have made the mattress and started sewing the bedding for it. Nothing too flashy just in simple cream with a little lace.



I had to do the bed first as I wasn't sure on which side I wanted it and secondly I had to take measurements for a piece of furniture that I intended to built myself. As it is a one room that will be having pretty much the necessary things to live in, I had to give it some character. I have decided to make a built in wardrobe just next to the bed. 

It took me quite some time to built and decorate but at the end I was very pleased.



I have also made a couple of shelves for Mr/ J. Rookie's personal stuff. 




Just like the wardrobe I also wanted to built a fire surround for the small Victorian style Range. The tiny stove came as a kit which I have built and painted. Once that was done and ready I started taking measurements and built the fire surround.





I have printed another painting on canvas to put on the mantel piece wall and added a few of my own hand painted miniatures.



There is still a lot of work to do in this room. I have to add a few more furniture pieces. lights, wood trimmings and accessories. 

Here are a few pictures of the room with it's new details so far.









I am pretty sure that Mr. J. Rookie will enjoy his room eventually when he moves in. So this is all for now. I have been also working on the gallery and it's filling up nicely. Keep tuned for the next update on J.R. Art Gallery.

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,


Rebecca xxx

Friday 8 September 2017

Adding more to the J.R. Art Gallery

Hello everyone,

Here we are once again. Hope you are all well and looking forward to the weekend. Today we got our first thunder storm. I was glad being indoors enjoying my miniatures. Have been busy like always but I have put my foot down to dedicate some quality time on my new project the J.R. Art Gallery.

I am really excited about this project and I can't not help doing something small for it everyday. At the moment I  am waiting for some supplies to continue working on the top floor which will be the artist's quarters, so in the mean time I have been looking for some nice paintings for the gallery. 

J.R. Art Gallery
Finally today you will get to meet the Artist Joseph Rookie. Mr. Rookie is quite an amazing artist in his late forties looking to seek his fortune with his artistic talents. He was made especially for me by the lovely Doll Maker Beverly Senatore. Beverly also made the delicate Miss Leah, Quelina and a few other acquaintances in Regent Street.  Thank you Beverly for the handsome gentleman. 

The Artist Joseph Rookie
I have so many ideas for the whole project and I always try to add my own creations. The artist favorite flowers are Gardenias. I never got to find any miniature Gardenia plant so I decided to make it myself using polymer clay. After almost giving up on the whole thing and with some special given advice, I finally pulled it through. Now it is placed in the gallery. 

The Gardenia Plant made with polymer clay


José's painting were feeling lonely in the gallery so I had to get to work to make more. There was no way that I was going to do any paintings myself so printing a few that I really like was more of an option. Still printing the paintings on paper didn't look realistic at all. So I decided to use canvas instead. With a few ideas, trial and error I got them right.



 My favorite printed painting that I have made is the painting called "The Painter's Honeymoon" by Lord Frederic Leighton c.1864. A heart warming painting I would say, that has so much detail and significance.

The Painter's Honeymoon by Lord Frederic Leighton
   Another painting that I really like is called "The Mill" by Francois Boucher c. 1751

The Mill by Francois Boucher
In the Gallery I will also be adding some of my own hand painted miniatures. Here are the first two.


There is so many more paintings that I want to add. So far I have added two pieces of furniture that I had for quite some time. I have had them for years and I never got to use them in any project but now it seems that they have fitted in perfectly. 

Here are a couple of pictures of the gallery with some of the paintings I have added. I think Mr. J. Rookie is very happy with his gallery.










I hope you like what I have done so far. I am really pleased how it turned out so far. There might be some changes as I keep on adding paintings and accessories. Definitely there is still so much more to add.

So this is all for today. Keep tuned for the next update on this project.

Take care and see you soon.

Hugs.

Rebecca xxx