Finally . . . I've focused!

For all of you creative types, you'll understand my quandry. I just couldn't decide which direction to take this blog. I love decorating. I practice feng shui. But I've made my living with decorative painting for the past 10 years. I've tried and tried to mesh these areas together, but it wouldn't flow for me.

In the past week, it's become clear which direction to follow. I've begun creating a line of mural kits - sort of a 'paint by number' thing. I've toyed with this concept for years. I knew it would work because I used to teach novices to paint. But as soon as I'd begin working on the kits, something else would inspire me and I'd be off in another vein.

Now I see how I can integrate feng shui into the kits, how they are used for decorating, and just focus on decorative painting. There are so many fun things to do with paint, not just canvases and walls. I've painted on tiles, fabric, made floorcloths, lampshades . . . the list goes on and on.

Any time you bring anything new into a room, the energy is affected. When you paint something, you get to choose the colors and elements and enhance the room's flow. This is an exciting, new way for me to look at decorative painting.

I think the major obstacle with the kits will be the people who think they can't paint, or aren't creative. I hear it all the time. They wish they could paint, but can't draw a stick figure. But that's the beauty of the kits! It's like using a recipe to cook. Only experienced chefs can just throw things together and make them taste good. The rest of us need a map, a recipe, to follow.

So while I'll be posting my artwork here, I'll also be writing and posting pics of kits as I create them. Any comments and questions are welcome, btw.

The mural to the left was painted on canvas in my studio and then we applied it to the alcove with wallpaper paste. It's approximately 9' high by 10' wide.

Painting on canvas and then applying it to your walls is a great option for renters and nurseries - any place where you don't want something permanent on the walls. By using removable wallpaper paste, you can take the mural down whenever you want, roll it up, and reapply it some place else.

I'm off to paint! Let me know any ideas you have for murals and kits. I'd love to hear from you.

Colleen