Welcome to day 3 in a series designed to take a closer look at some of the beautiful benches we received for our Create-A-Bench Auction to benefit the Open Door Mission’s Coldwater House. Bidding on all benches takes place HERE until 3pm Saturday, October, 20, 2018. You can also vote for Best in Show HERE.
100 Years
By Lynn Miller
Lynn Miller is a local artist and quilter living in Pittsford. She has been inspired by Rochester’s connections to women’s rights and suffrage movement. Knowing that 2019 will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th amendment allowing women the right to vote, Lynn chose this as the theme for her bench.
100 Years is painted in stately grey and navy that will fit almost any décor. She painted a banner across the top that says “19th Amendment” and stenciled the years 1919 and 2019 on either side. Elegant yet simple stenciling completes the design along the bottom of the seat back.
With so much pressure to freehand lettering today, it may be surprising to find an artist interested in using stencils, but Lynn has a history with them. When I was a child Lynn (aka my mom) stenciled borders around the tops of the walls in my sister’s and my bedrooms. They were not simple patterns either. Lynn cut her own stencils and used multiple colors in each room. This was a time consuming but rewarding task. I loved my stenciled trim.
Thanks Mom, for stenciling my room so patiently and for using your talents to benefit others.
Dream Big!
By Jackie Gasbarre
Jackie Gasbarre has three simple phrases hand lettered on her bench, Fly High, Touch the Sky, and Dream Big! These 3 encouraging phrases could be written for every person on earth to read, but are they speaking directly to you today?
Jackie’s bench is full of movement and texture and it’s not just in the almost dozen hot air balloons soaring through the cloudy blue sky. Each balloon is full of hot air and rising steadily toward high hopes and dreams. It is these balloons that capture the attention right away with their detailed adornments. Take a closer look at the rest of the bench though.
The seat and seat back are painted with detailed shading in creamy grey making it look like folded fabric from a distance. The back of the bench is done in stripes of the same cream and darker grey adding whimsy to the back that compliments the detailing on the front seat edge. Here Jackie has painted some wonderfully fun black and white checkers with a bit of gold pulled through mimicking a pattern we will not name similar to a style we also will not name. Just below the checks is a row of elegant goldish fringe that is about an inch and a half wide.
So much time and though went into all the little details and shading of this bench, it is sure to be a high earner for Coldwater House. Imagine entering someone’s house and being greeted with a seat like this to sit on and take off your shoes. You would be sure to have a delightful visit.
Beatles Come to Rochester
by Paul Button from Salvage Monkeys
The first thing I learned about Paul Button is that he has a great sense of humor. For one, his business is called the Salvage Monkeys, and two: the motto is, “We rescue the discarded and make cool stuff.” This is so true. Everything Paul makes starts with another man’s “trash,” and every one of his “treasures” takes on a double meaning or requires another way of looking.
Paul’s bench, the Beatles Come to Rochester, is no exception. All the lettering and locally recognizable but outdated sponsors’ logos were cut out of adhesive black vinyl. The caricatures of the 4 Beatles themselves are also digital images.
Disclaimer: there is no Beatles concert at Midtown Plaza on October 11 from 2-5 this year or any other upcoming year. Please don’t be disappointed. Instead, bid on Paul’s bench as a souvenir for the concert that wasn’t to be.
Flower Garden
by Julie Wasson from tidbits & scraps
This is the easiest one for me to write about, because I don’t have to interview anyone. I made it. I will try to pretend I am not biased and it is not my favorite, but it is. At least I can tell you more about my process. I hope you find it interesting.
I gave my entire bench a base coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite, two coats actually. Then I covered the seat back and the inside of the arms with ephemera, old papers, book pages, sheet music, tickets, etc. Then I did a wash of the whole thing using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Coco and Provence (or Duck Egg, I don’t remember). A wash is when you water down the paint. I wiped off excess liquid as I was working.
Next was the most time consuming part. I cut or tore all the flower parts and leaves and stems using papers that I had previously mono-printed using mostly acrylic paints (that’s a whole other story). I adhiered all the pieces with Mod Podge both under and over the papers. After all my flowers and butterflies were in place and dry I went in with charcoal and Stabilo pencil to add shading around everything. This is the point when I stepped back and discovered I was seriously thrilled with the outcome.
I decided to seal the whole thing with a clear glossy spray by Krylon that dries super fast. I had to do many layers before it becomes truly glossy. There you have it. The entire week long process in a nut shell. And yes, I do custom orders!