DIY: Enchanted Tiki Room

If you know me, you know I love Disney(land, preferably) and I love all things retro. So it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that I love the Enchanted Tiki Room. I know, it's so cheesy, you better bring the Ritz crackers but I just can't help myself! When I was a kid, my grandparents would take me, my Aunt Judy and my cousin Ang to a little place in Florida called Tiki Gardens. While the grandparents got all sorts of happy on Mai Tais, we explored the faux Hawaiian terrain, squawked at the parrots and picked out oysters to have pried open for pearls. I have such happy memories of that time and such a love for that sort of kitschiness, that it inspired me to create a wee corner of my crafting room into an Enchanted Tiki Room. 

True Confession #147: I often buy things at the thrift store because I find them interesting/inspiring/neato-mosquito but don't have a clue what I'll end up doing with them. Case in point, those faux bamboo frames. I think I've been hoarding them for at least four years just waiting for the perfect project. And I'm so glad I did. They inspired this Tiki-Tastic corner! 

My other inspiration came in the form of a trip for toilet paper to Target. You know the story, walk into Target for t.p., walk out with $146.76 worth of stuff that you JUST HAD TO HAVE. That's exactly what happened when I spotted these fun round frames at Target. Did you know they now have a "craft" isle? Y'all. I am in SO.MUCH.TROUBLE. After flipping through my Tiki Pop book for inspo, I threw back a glass of my version of Mai Tai (red wine, anyone?) and started blocking in this painting. Man. How I've missed painting. 

 After a couple of nightly painting sessions, Blue Bernice was starting to take shape. I have currently been inspired by Vladimir Tretchikoff  which is why Bernice is that lovely shade of blue. If you follow me here, you've seen the nightly progress. 

True Confession #148: I did struggle with painting that cleavage. Mostly because I don't have one and I was all, "what is that SUPPOSED to look like?!" In other news, I love painting, have I mentioned that? I'm just using craft store grade acrylic here. In college, I got my degree in oil painting and I love to slap that paint on. I don't have the patience for the dry time or tolerance for the smell of oils but cranking out these acrylic paintings sure does scratch that itch. 

Once Bernice was complete, I moved on to a shameless copy of the Disney image of the Enchanted Tiki Room. 

Just a wee process photo. I start with a super quick sketch and then a blocking in of the colors. I always limit my color palette because I LOVE ALL THE COLORS and therefore want to use ALL THE COLORS. So limiting that temptation is for the best. 

 I sit entirely too close to my paintings which means they get all sorts of crazy up close. 

I tried not to get carried away with detail knowing that I would be viewing these from a distance that was not six inches. 

Since those two previous paintings took quite a bit of time, I was determined to bust out the two tiki paintings. I pulled together a few of my favorite colors and did some dry brushing in the background. 

Once dry, I lightly sketched out my tiki head and then just set about painting with not too much of a plan in mind. 

 Most tiki masks found online were pretty scary looking. I wanted mine to be of the friendly variety, so I painted them kind of silly/happy. I just imagined them being at Disney...and came up with these cheesy faces. 

 Originally, I was going to hang them square but when the moms came to visit this weekend (we had a double dose visit of my mom and Mitch's mom), my mom suggested hanging the squares like a diamond. I really liked that idea. It added a bit more fun and funk to the arrangement. 

This guy was painted in the same way: dry brush, one color tiki mask painting. 

Currently, these bad boys of tiki town, hang in my craft room, right above my favorite vintage chest of craft supplies. For more of a tour of my crafting space, check here and here. Until next time, kids! 

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What the Art Teacher Wore #41

Batty Monday: Try to ignore the nappy hair and the messy background and focus on that batty dress. Holy guacamole, I love it so. I picked it up at Audrey K's while on vacation in Cali. tights: Target; shoes: Softt

Happy-Belated-Wardrobe post, friends! I'm just in and recovering from an art teacher conference held in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. What does an "art teacher conference" entail, you ask? Well, lemme tell you, it involves catching up with friends, making new ones and creating lots of stuff. And I'm totally an art conference junkie, so my weekend was just artsy-fartsy perfection. In fact, I got so involved in the fun that I completely forgot to snap a photo of Friday's outfit. Me so sorry! However, I do hope that this little bit of history on one of my favorite portrait artists, Vladimir Tretchikoff, will make up for it. Enjoy and I'll catch up with you later this week.

I have to tell you, Vladimir Tretchikoff's life reads like some sort of long-winded romance/adventure novel. The artist was born on December 13, 1913 (apparently the number 13 played a big part in his life) in Pertropavlovsk, Russia. I had no idea where Pertropavlovsk was but after some googling, I found that it's a peninsula on the far eastern side of Russia. Interestingly, it's the second largest city in the world that is unreachable by road.

Miss Wong. During the Vladimir's childhood, the Russian Revolution broke out causing his parents and eight siblings to move to an area in China that was Russian-ruled. It was there that Vladie discovered his flair for art. His talent eventually led him to Shanghai where he met his wife Natalie and fathered a daughter Mimi.

Day of the Dead Tuesday: On this day, kindergarten and I were talking Roy G. Biv. When we got to the "v", I asked the students if they could tell me the name of the color that looks like purple but starts with a "v". Surprisingly, they got it right! But soon after, one boy said,"My mom says I'm not allowed to watch violet movies. Violet movies are bad for little kids." They are so stinkin' cute. dress: made by me; tights and flowers: Target; shoes: Dolls by Nina; sweater: Anthro

Balinese Girl. Eventually, Vladie and his fam moved to Singapore where, in 1941, the Japanese invaded and took his wife and daughter. He was not to see or hear from them for five years. Vladie managed to escape by boat that was torpedoed. He eventually found himself with several others, struggling to stay alive on a small life boat.

Happy Halloween, Wednesday! Full outfit details here.

Chinese Girl. This painting is probably Vladimir Tretchikoff's most famous. But you want to know if he got off of that life boat, doncha? He did, arriving in Java, only to find that the Japanese had already invaded there. He was captured and thrown into solitary confinement for three months. His artistic abilities were actually what set him free. Impressed by his talent, his captors released him.

Art Conference Thursday: I never thought I'd buy polyester but this dress is just so awesomely cut. And I love the over-the-top pattern. What surprised me about polyester was how warm it is! I was perfectly comfy in my flammable frock. dress: vintage, Buffalo Exchange; belt: Anthro; boots: Seychelle's; double layer fishnet and tights: Target

Balinese Dancer. Once freed, Vladimir couldn't work fast enough. It seemed word got out in Java of his amazing portraits and he had clients out the wazoo. One such client, Leonora Moltema, became a muse of Vladimir's. She's the one featured in many of this portraits of Asian women. It was Leonora that took him to a seance that revealed the whereabouts of his wife and daughter.

Lady from Orient. Eventually, Vladimir found international success. His painting, Chinese Girl, has sold almost as many prints as Leonardo's Mona Lisa. Many write off Vladimir's portraits as kitsch but I find them absolutely beautiful. The artist, who lived to the age of 92, said near the end of his life: Express your passion. Do what you love. No matter what. Gotta love that.

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