Page 106 - The Decorative Painter Winter 2014

Old things—antiques, kitsch, neat junk—have always intrigued me. After settling in the States, I frequent- ly attended flea markets and auctions to hunt for
antiques. On Sunday mornings, with a cup of bad coffee and hot greasy doughnuts in hand, I dashed about spotting neat stuff. This became a ritual, not to mention a thrill.
One thing that has always eluded me, because of its rar- ity and cost, is a well-executed painted glass lamp, which can run between $1,500 and $2,500. Fortunately, like you, I am a painter. At those prices, we can paint our own, giving us de- sign choices and having some rewarding fun along the way.
In the shade shown, the thickness and the marble/alabas- ter effect both diffuse and obscure the painting, primarily when the lamp is not lit. In this case, the fog effect actually works with the design, it being a landscape on a hazy day and near water. But the fog effect may not always be desirable, depending on your design.
The positive is that the shade is frosted (sandblasted) on the inside. This ensures the best paint adhesion and thus lon- gevity. Another shade I worked on was frosted on the out-
dEcOratIvEpaINtErS.Org
OIL
Painter’s Checklist
SuRFACE
181⁄2" (47cm) lamp with frosted glass shade
PALETTE
SOlO gOYA ARTISTS’ OIl COlOURS* Alizarine Crimson
Cerulean Blue
green Earth
Raw Sienna
Titanium White Ultramarine Blue Deep Umber-green
BRuSHES
DA VINCI MAESTRO kOlINSkY SABlE* Series 11 no. 1 round
Series 15 no. 2 round
Series 1506 no. 6 round
Series 1805 no. 10 flat
SuPPLIES
Basic painting supplies (page 128) Japan dryer
linseed oil
Masking tape
Paint thinner
Permanent pen (black, fine point) Varnish (optional)
Vellum
SOuRCES
The Wildon Home Table lamp with Bell Shade (item no. 901207) is available from www.wayfair.com.
*These paints and brushes might be hard to find. Other high-quality oil paints and other high- quality kolinsky brushes can be substituted.
104 The Decorative Painter • ISSUE NO. 4, 2014