Those of you who know me know that the art classes I teach (and a significant portion of the art I create) are based on a lot more than just creativity. Almost everything I do is deliberately and lovingly infused with principles and practices of self-discovery. It’s my niche. And I believe so fully in the power of art as a personal growth tool, that I built my entire business on it. 

To that end, the art I make for myself is often infused with messages and reminders that I need to hear. This piece I created is no different. The year 2020, in its oft-challenging entirety, has reminded me that there is very little in this world that we can truly control outside of the things we say, the actions we take, and the things we think. Sometimes, when things feel thoroughly out of control, we forget that regardless of what is going on in the world around us, we still have complete and unwavering control over one very important thing: OURSELVES. 

We get to choose how we react. 
We get to choose how we show up. 
We get to choose how we respond. 

And, there is tremendous power in that choice! The quote on this ship will be a trusty reminder of that when I feel tempted to resort to blaming, finger pointing, and not accepting the consequences of my actions and inactions. It encourages me to take personal responsibility whenever possible, and to focus on my desired outcome as opposed to focusing on the challenge(s) at hand.  Because, at the end of each and every day, we can’t change the wind, but we can certainly adjust our sails.

Here’s How I Made This Boat:

My husband and I took a trip into a local antique shop and I saw this boat. I figured it would make a nice decoration for one of the mantles in our new home and I knew I would be able to alter it and make it fit our aesthetic. 

·       I then started by coating the entire piece with a thin coat of clear gesso. 

·       Once the gesso dried, I painted it with my base coats. The sail was painted with a coat of acrylic paint, and the base was painted with a contrasting color. 

·       I knew I wanted a focal point on the sails, so I added some contrasting, abstract splotches of Liquitex acrylic inks (I used two shades of blue and a gold). I layered the colors, and made sure I dried them in between so the resulting colors wouldn’t be muddy. 

·       I splattered a bit of paint on the sail and the body of the boat. 

·       Then, I took out some stamps from my collection and added the quote, the number “4” on the sails, the waves on both sides of the hull, and the letters “ri” on the back of the boat. 

·       Once all that was dry, I started working with some products from the Relics and Artifacts line. 

·       I adhered some of the gold Daisy Chain Dresden Trim around the base of the boat. It made the base of the boat pop a bit and helped to bring out the golds in the painted sail. 

·       I then started painting and layering assorted sizes and shapes of the Helios laser cuts, knowing that I wanted to adhere them to the sails for a gorgeous 3D effect. I chose paints in gold and bronze for the Helios pieces. 

·       Then, I used one of the Roman Sun Coins, noticing how it fit perfectly as a focal point in the center of the Helios pieces. I painted the coin white and brought out all the details with layers of a fiery orange wax. 

·       I then assembled all of the pieces together using a 3D medium, and then once they were completely dry, I attached them to the boat using Apoxie Sculpt.  

·       *Tip: if you are going to stamp a quote on your artwork, practice on a piece of paper first to ensure that it will fit. Nothing worse than starting to stamp and realizing you actually don’t have enough space. 

The end result of this project is gorgeous and it came out exactly as I hoped it would. I can’t wait to give it a place of prominence on the mantle. 

My parting challenges to you this month: find some of your favorite products from sandraevertson.com, sit down to play, and incorporate an inspiring quote or reminder into your project if you can. Then share your projects with us in the Relics and Artifacts Facebook group—tag me in your post so I can be sure to high five you and show your post some love!   

Thanks for reading and happy creating, 
Jenn Pipe 
MUSE Design Team Member 2020