My most recent project was a three-tiered sign for the Cumberland & Falmouth Farmer's Market. Before I could start anything, I needed to meet with my contact at the farmer's market and decide on everything from materials to size, color, shape and what we would need to do to make it structurally sound and safe. I created a detailed plan so I would know that my client and I were on the same page. This plan was also used when the permit for the sign was approved by Cumberland. After meeting with my client, agreeing on the design, colors, materials and all, I was ready to get to work. The first thing I needed to do was to cut and paint all the 3/4" marine grade plywood I was going to use. We chose this lovely green by Benjamin Moore for the background of the signs. Originally I was going to hand paint all the lettering onto the signs, like I have done in the past, but I was offered an incredible opportunity to use a cnc router to create the letters. All I had to do was design it all in Illustrator, convert the type to outlines and hand over to my friend, Otis in the form of a pdf. It was far easier than hand painting everything! After the wood was painted, I put on a masking material called Oramask. The idea was that Otis would cut the letters into the wood and the masking material would stay, keeping the green background clean while I flooded the letters with white paint. This didn't exactly work because the masking material did not stick to the wood. We scraped the Oramask and I painted the letters with out it. The cnc router cut the letters out perfectly! Now I have to paint the insides of the letters white, transfer and paint the logo and then seal the wood to protect it from the weather. Painting the letters took a long time. Each of the three signs is double sided and I would estimate I spent an average of 4 hours per side, painting the white and fixing the green, and finally putting 3 coats of an outdoor acrylic weather sealer on each. I also made numbers for the beginning of the market and the end. The start dates and end dates change, so I created them on blocks so they could be removed and changed each year. I did not use the router on these numbers, instead I created them in the same font, transferred them to the blocks using carbon transfer paper and painted them white. They will be attached to the signs at the end. With all the letters painted and 3 costs of sealer, the signs are ready to be installed. My friend, Justin helped me with the posts and the install. He created a channel in the posts for the signs to slide into. We slid the signs in and secured them with screws. We dug holes that were 3 feet deep and then stood the sign up, level it and filled the holes with stones, dirt and cement. The completed double sided sign stands 7 feet high and 4 feet wide. It is located on at the Cumberland Center Town Hall at 290 Tuttle Road in Cumberland.
I completed this project on May 14, 2020.
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In the beginning of the winter, a client approached me about painting a small trailer that would be parked near a skating rink in Portland and serve warm cups of coffee and hot cocoa to thirsty and cold skaters. He needed one side of the trailer to read clearly and from a distance the word "COFFEE" and on the other side, (the front) he wanted two logos and space for a menu board. I immediately accepted the job and the challenges that came with it. The first challenge was what to use for the project, paint or vinyl? I quickly eliminated vinyl as an option due to the price and focused on painting the letters and logos. And the second challenge was the weather. At the time of the assignment the winter was just starting, cold, but not unbearable. I needed to start and complete this project as fast as possible to keep myself from freezing. (just days after I finished the temp dropped below 0 and stayed there for weeks). For this, I needed to find a paint that would adhere and stay on a metal trailer and withstand the elements. With the help of my pals at Artists and Craftsman I settled on a small can of One Shot sign paint, an oil based enamel that can stand the elements and is opaque enough to only need one coat (although, I put on two for good measure). With the help of a fellow artist, I was able to complete the job, although not as quickly as I had hoped, the total hands on work time took 10-15 hours, depending on how you count the time involved. The biggest reward has been seeing the COFFEE trailer twice daily during my commute to and from work. It's parked at Thompson Point in Portland and seeing it as I'm doing 60 on 295 makes me feel like I painted a billboard. Pretty epic. Roe assembling the template for the 36" high letters that make up the word COFFEE. After transferring our template to the trailer, Roe and I start painting. Once complete, I start on the logo placement and template for the front of the trailer. My apartment is really too small for all these projects that take place in it. Here I've assembled the template for the front of the trailer. All positioned and ready for transfer, As I start painting the temperature starts to drop, so I work faster. After two coats of One Shot enamel I was finished. The trailer now sits in a row of food trucks at the Thompson Point Skating Rink. Coffee... another reason to go ice skating! A room filled with 12 little creative minds, eager to get messy, experiment, problem solve and MAKE ART! Oh, it's my dream. The smell of construction paper, crayons and of course, tempera paint excite my olfactory senses and calm my nervous system. Nowhere am I happier and more at home than in the art room. It all happened the same day. First I received a text from someone seeking an after school art teacher for Ocean Avenue Elementary School. Later that day, I received an email from Longfellow Elementary School seeking almost the same person. If you know me, you know that I had to rep[y and accept both straight away! Before I delve into the creative process that proceeded accepting this adventure, I will detail the classes that I am offering. Make Art After School! Grades: K-4 Ocean Avenue Elementary School http://oapto.org/events-and-programs/enrichment-winter-2017 Stay after school and make art with local artist, Erinn Conn. This is a great opportunity to get messy with everything from paper mache and salt dough painting to Oil Pastels and Printmaking. We study visionaries such as Warhol, Van Gogh and Matisse, among others. Not only that, but we just have a plain old good time experiencing art through creation. Teacher: Erinn Conn Day/Time: Thursdays from 3:00pm – 4:30pm Dates: Feb 9th – April 13th (no class on 2/23 due to February Break) Location: Ocean Ave. Elementary School Class size: 12 students Make Art After School! Grades: K-4 Longfellow Elementary School https://longfellow.portlandschools.org/home Together we will create art using many mediums including, salt dough, paper mache and acrylic paint. This is a great opportunity to make all those messy art projects that your parents won't let you do at home! Teacher: Erinn Conn Day/Time: Mondays from 2:50pm - 3:50pm Dates: March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10 Location: Longfellow Elementary School Class size: 12 students (To register for either class, you must attend either Ocean Ave Elementary School or Longfellow. These classes are not open to the public,) Immediately I began writing plans for both after school art classes, searching for the best price on paint and testing out my recipe for homemade salt dough. Today, I am finishing up the salt dough examples that I've made and I'm a week away from my first class. I spent hours this morning buying a dozen of this and a dozen of that at a local arts and craft store. In the first class we will be making salt dough. I've been testing out shapes and paints on the baked dough. Max helped with the painting. After making the dough you can roll it out and use cookie cutters, or use your hands to form anything you'd like. Pinch pots, plates, balls and other hand created shapes are easy with the salt dough. The ingredients are simple. Clean up is easy and it provides a lot of tactile input for sensory hungry minds.
Stay tuned for a class update next week! Project Description: New Bakery opening in Grey, Maine in need of indoor menu boards and a large outdoor sign. The bakery already had a logo (two versions actually) and a pretty clear corporate identity as defined by the owners, Emily and Willis. The interior of the bakery displays a mix of modern and rustic with lots of wood, metal. glass and neutral colors. My plan is to create 3 large removable menu boards for the wall behind the serving area as well as a logo board for above the kitchen door. For the outdoor signage, I planned to use an 8 foot long by 4 foot wide piece of marine grade plywood, sanded and stained painted with their logo in a bright white and finished with a few coats of weather sealant. Getting started on the menu boards, using chalk for my guides. 3 menu boards and a logo board hung and ready to go! 8 foot x 4 foot marine grade plywood with a lovely stain. Transferring their logo to the wood using a template to ensure perfection. After transferring the image, I fill it all in with white paint before sealing the entire sign in multiple coats of weather protecting finishes. All done. The sign is hung and the bakery is open and ready for business!
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AuthorNew Jersey girl loving Maine. Currently residing in Portland and raising an energetic and creative little boy. Artist and teacher by day. Unlimited creativity. Always in search of the next great project. Reflective, innovative and constantly evolving. Archives
May 2020
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