tributesinwood

Dock and Pier Painting

The dock, piers and the little squirrel got treated to some paint during this past week and I’m quite happy with the results.  Although the Three Hounds are the focal point of this carving, these “accessories” and background items really add to the total carving and give you an opportunity to add the little details that make all the difference…the squirrel holding an acorn, the rope wound around the piers, the nail heads and rust stains around each of them and the single bent nail where a dock board was removed ( which is probably a little hard to see in these photos, but, trust me, it’s there ).

Those Cypress Knees were unique to carve and paint.  The knees are actually protrusions from Cypress tree roots found mostly in the south and certainly in wet areas.  The painting, I think, captured the colours that you’d expect to see in a Cypress knee along with shading and use of Payne’s Grey to simulate the markings where tide waters would have stained the wood over time.

The piers and dock have a base coat of territorial beige and are highlighted with various shades of brown and grey…raw sienna, burnt umber, asphaltum brown, medium grey and payne’s grey.  Some spots of “dirt” were added with yellow ochre and raw sienna more or less scrubbed on with a small paintbrush.  The dock hasn’t received its coat or clear satin urethane yet, but once it does you’ll see the various colours that I added really come out.

I don’t know what it is about these little add-ons, but they tend to be the most liked parts of the carving sometimes.  I know that I brought this little squirrel and pier into work the other day to show friends who have been watching my progress and that little guy got a lot of positive attention.  I want to do a little bit more work on the eyes with some brown around the bottom section of the eyes and a nice coating of clear epoxy to make them shine.

This is a fun project and I hope that you are enjoying it as well.