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Greetings!
Hello and wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!
Sometimes, it happens. The perfect technique, a client with vision and a location that couldn't be more on target. Magic! I am so excited to share this project with you.
First, let me explain the technique I used. The trees are created in bas relief (pronounced bah ree-leef). It's easiest to share the definition from About.com/art history. A French term from the Italian basso-relievo ("low relief"), bas relief is a sculpture technique in which figures and/or other design elements are just barely more prominent than the (overall flat) background. Bas relief is created either by carving away material (wood, stone, ivory, jade, etc.) or adding material to the top of an otherwise smooth surface (say, strips of clay to stone). This is a technique as old as humankind's artistic explorations.
Here is a close-up of my first sample. Click to see it larger.
I had an opportunity to show my sample to the owners of a new eatery opening January 22nd in Morris, CT. The place is called The Lazy Frog's and the tag line on the sign (Fast- Fun- Food) hinted that my trees would find a home on the walls here. Here's how the walls came out.
Click on all images to see larger. I've also included two close-ups of the pine trees.
The trees were a successful addition to the whimsical interior that celebrates the restaurant's location at the Four Corners (the intersection of routes 63 and 109) , which was home to a stagecoach stop in the late seventeen hundreds, connecting Litchfield to New Haven. Here's what the new restaurant looks like.
And do check out their website at www.lazy-frogs.com
Let's take a look at the rest of the interior. I applied a weathered barn finish to the fir trusses that nest a 19' rowing scull. Take a look
The blue and white markings on the oars are an homage to Columbia University which has had a long historical presence in the Bantam Lake area.
I used the same barnwood technique to "plank" the overlay plywood window bays.
Look a little closer at the wonderful distressed silver leaf finish on the windows sills. They were created by Bob Le Page of Bob's Workbench in Bethlehem,CT.
That's it for now. If you're in the neighborhood, stop in at The Frog's. Take a look at my trees. I'm sure they'll bring a smile to your face.
Me? I've got big plans for bas relief. The trees are just the beginning. Give me a call if it's an idea that appeals to you.
Wishing you the best of the season. Happy Holidays!
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