A Restful Break, I'm Happy to Be Back, and a Little Plywood Modern Art

I enjoyed my little vacation from blogging, and let me tell you, I've enjoyed January!

Christmas... it's glorious... but I am loving this normalcy.

During my time away (which is funny to say because I've really only been right here in my own house), I've completed a few projects, written a couple of dozen lists of projects I want to complete, and embarked on a more natural, healthful way of eating. I'm hoping to share some recipes with you soon.

I was a design major in college and have always loved art. I wish we were in a place right now to be able to support artists and buy beautiful, original works. In the meantime, I decided to create my own art.

I used what I had on hand-- plywood, latex paint (as a base for the other colors) and various acrylics.

If you want to create your own (sorry that this isn't really a proper tutorial), start with a clean piece of plywood. Using a tack cloth to clean off any little bits works very well.

My first coat of paint was a beige wall paint that I had left over from another room. I wanted my final piece to look a little rough so I applied paint sparingly and didn't coat the entire piece. Holes of true wood grain peeping through paint was what I had in mind.

Then I blended colors roughly on a pallet before coating my brush. In other words, I wanted a very blended look for my second layer. 

To add dimension and movement, I used bolder colors (especially toward the bottom) and applied thickly. I used straight unblended color sparingly and continued my focus on blending-- even with bold strokes.

It was a satisfying project. I loved that my oldest son was outside with me the whole time and I could share a little of my past with him while he tinkered around the driveway.