Painted Furniture
Just about anything made of wood with a
flat surface is fair game for Judi’s designing skills. (Some
not-flat surfaces work well, too – as well as surfaces other
than wood.) Give her a chest, a stool, a chair, a table, a
dresser or bookcase – just about anything, in fact - and she
will happily create something unique and unusual.
A Director’s Chair
This canvas-and-wood director’s chair became something special when Judi added a draft Newfoundland doing his job. The chair was commissioned as a judge’s gift at an Oregon draft test. In keeping with its clean lines and design, the wood was left its natural color, and the design was painted on the off-white canvas.
A Coffee Table
One day, Judi and her friends were talking about things you no longer see. Things that were common “in the old days” but have fallen out of use. One of the women said, “Do you remember cedar chests? Every unmarried girl had a ‘Hope Chest’ that she filled with linens, to furnish her new home when she got married.” That got everyone chuckling, because that was a very long time ago. One of the other women present said, “You know, I still have one, up in our attic. It’s a huge thing, and it’s all dinged up, and I should probably take it to the dump.” Judi jumped in – and in no time, the cedar chest (huge, dented and bashed) was in her car and on its way to Judi’s. After a little TLC, it proved to be the perfect massive coffee table – and with lots of storage room inside as a bonus. Judi couldn’t resist adding her own touches: an ocean scene with crashing waves, a beautiful mermaid in the shallows, and a Newfie at rest on the rocks, keeping an eye on her and quietly making sure everything is okay.
Keepsake Chests
For a very brief time, a local craft store stocked beautiful plain pine chests, with a domed lid and brass clasps. They were big (15 high, 15 deep, and 30 inches wide) and reasonably priced. Judi bought every one in stock. And over the next ten years, she painted those two dozen chests for special clients. Each featured a scenic design that of course included Newfoundlands. Each chest was unique. And rather than having four separate paintings, one on each side - each chest’s design wrapped seamlessly around the box, from front to side to back to side to front. A river might wrap around three sides, a forest wrap around a corner, a farmer’s fields around another. The two designs above are from two separate chests. The village-and-sailboats scene featured Newfs in a fishing village; the lighthouse version featured Newfoundlands and their families having fun at the seashore.
Three Wooden Stools
A short wooden stool makes a great gift for a child or grandchild – especially when it’s embellished with a Newfie design. Judi has painted several dozen stools over the years. They are durable and they just get better with age. (One of her earliest painted stools is still in use by the family’s third generation.)
A Personalized Toy Box
These best friends – a playful young Newf and a busy corgi - inspired their owner to order a hand-painted dog toy box. Judi painted the two dogs on the front and both sides of the chest – heading off to an adventure or just hanging out together.
A Personalized Toy Box
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This toy chest was commissioned as a gift, to welcome a first Newfie puppy to the family. The purchaser threw the owners-to-be a “puppy shower” and each guest brought toys for the pup. (Water toys were suggested but not mandatory.) And those toys, of course, went into the toy box to await the new baby’s arrival.
A Hand-Painted For Sale Sign
Judi and Ellis raise chickens, and they advertise their surplus eggs via a road-side sign. A simple “Eggs for Sale” sign would have sufficed, but as you could guess by now, Judi took it to a new level. The plywood sandwich-board sign is large (3 feet wide x 4 feet tall) and the happy hens and bright checkerboard pattern welcome purchasers. The letters in the word “EGGS” are egg-shaped and painted the same colors as the eggs themselves: blue, green, tan and cocoa. Judi painted the sign a decade ago (note the low prices) and it’s still out there, set up along Malloy Way, inviting purchasers to drive in and bring home a dozen or two.
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