The mural is done!

The mural is finished and hung. It's 12 feet by 4 feet and Tjay made an oak frame to mount around it. They are very happy with it! It's alot like the mural I did in PJ McIntyres, but this one has all four of Bernadette's boys and her parents in it. And, of course, it's smaller!

Ballycroy and Achill Island, County Mayo (click to see larger)

Fabric hardener experiment

I tried the Paverpol last week. I decided that it was really kind of awful to work with. The stuff was horribly thick and the working time was very short. It was drying on the fabric as quick as I could get it on there.
Someone suggested exterior wood glue, so I'm trying that now. I like $8 a quart better than over $40 a litre (with shipping). It's yellow in the bottle, but has dried pretty close to clear.

I covered a pint glass with cling wrap and covered it with strips of fabric thoroughly saturated with Titebond II.

Removed the glass and cling wrap after 24 hours. Here it is after 4 days, pretty dry and hard. I'm moving outside to test for sun and rain. Then I'll stick it in the freezer...

I got some terra cotta colored Powertex from Crafter's Cafe and will try that next. Powertex also comes in bronze, clear, and charcoal colors.

More work on Ballycroy.

Awww! Isn't Biscuit pretty in the flowers?

How long is too long...

...to save prepared dyes? I mixed up these dyes on the third and fourth. I meant to use them all up that week, but other stuff got in the way and I got sidetracked. Gee, there's something new...
I realized last week that i still had dye to use, but had to put everything away to clean house for company. Now, THAT really is something new! (the cleaning part, not having guests...) Cleaning in summer is sporadic at best -- no time -- to much else to do!


I don't know how good the dye will take, but that's okay. I can batik, stamp and over dye.

Did this one hanging in the tub. (not me -- the fabric) Might make a cool sunset if the color keeps.

Then I realized that I was missing all these great splatters...

Not to worry -- had more fabric soaking in soda ash.

Did this one last. Only had Chinese Red and black dye left.

Call the C.S.I. !!

Yikes! Can you say Norman Bates? Luckily, I had lots of Soft Scrub that I got for discharging and it all cleaned up real nice. It really marbled in a cool way though... :)

Also did a gradation of fuchsia and some odds and ends of other leftover colors.

Some more work on the mural.

Now I'm dog-tired...

Saturday doings

Continuing work on the Ballycroy mural - buildings roughed in.

Campbell houses

Cleary's Pub, road, and stone wall.

In between waiting for the paint to dry, I pulled out my books and dyes and fabrics. I'm tired of waiting for the weather -- I'll just heat the kitchen for the batching...

I'm going to dye some unbleached cottons, a couple of beautiful textured 'bags' for feather beds, that I got from my Mom, and what-used-to-be my window treatment. What a goofy expression - 'window treatment.' When did they stop being curtains? I missed that memo. Anyway, it was black, burgundy and cream colored fabric, that really just seems to be nothing more that dyed cheesecloth. I'll probably discharge most of the black and burgundy, but I'm going to try dyeing the lighter stuff. I had a couple of yards of plain white cheesecloth too, that's going into the dye pots as well.

Six gallons of soda ash solution and soaking fabrics. The pitcher is about 8-9 yards of the cream colored cheesecloth/curtains/window treatment.

Chem water ready for the morning. I'm so excited to finally be doing this!!

Back from the dead....

Been down with a nasty crud for the last couple of weeks and I'm finally feeling human again. Not too energized yet, but little by little, coming back to myself.

Feeling well enough to start on Ballycroy...again! I really have to go to Ireland and see all this in person. This is the second mural of the town Ballycroy and the fourth time that I'm painting Cleary's Pub. I think I'm ready to go have a pint in person!

This time the mural will be 4 x 12 foot and it's going in a private home. It's for another member of the Campbell clan. This time I'm working at home and installing the mural when it's done. Thank god, i don't have to make that hour-long drive every for six weeks or so, with these crazy gas prices! Tjay built me a frame onto the entry hall wall, so that I was able to mount the canvas and work that way. Good thing, bcause I've never seen any 12 foot stretcher bars..

I may not get any really good pictures till this is installed -- really wonky angles. I wish i could back up to look at it too, but I can't get far enough back for a good perspective.

View from the left

From the right

So behind in blogging...

These were from the last changes before the opening...finally posting.

Cleary's pub--finished

Rock sign in Ballycroy

The sheep in the road...

Paddy Campbell bringing in the turf

9/08 Details

Leneghan house details

Campbell house details

Cottage details

Background fields

Right side fields

8/28

More work on Cleary's Pub

Knotwork finished

Wednesday -- 90 degrees at PJs

Tommy's lovely mom and sweet Aunt Ann came in today to help me make sure everything is placed right. We went for a lunch and had such a nice visit. The chairs and tables from Ireland cane in and we all went up to take a look...

I LOVE these ladies!!

Tables

Layout for Kathleen's Kitchen

Panorama of the whole mural -- sorry about the glare!

Pat -- the odd-looking thing on the left will be the front of the old chapel at Fahy. Aunt Ann says there's no roof and it's long deserted. I thought it would look cool with the gravestones around it. Also, note that there are 2 Cleary's on the right. Let me know which spot you like better. The cows and sheep will be in that spot just below and to the right of the Campbell house. They're drawn, you just can't see them in the photo... Moo

Rainy Sunday

Worked on the Colonial Boy sign some more today and laid out the grid for Celtic knotwork on Kathleen's Kitchen. Got a general layout on the big mural of Ballycroy put in, but I'm trying to hold off on painting anything in, until I can talk to Tommy's Aunt Ann. Everyone says that she's the expert on precisely where everything is actually located.

A lot more tile work is done. I like the green ones. The blue ones seem to me to be 'off ' somehow.

The blue sections of tile.

The green sections of tile.

Window side of the bar is almost done.

Approximate layout of the Campbell house.

Sign for the men's room.

Thursday work pics

Pictures from Thursday's work. - I also primed the walls for the bathroom signs.

Putting in the waters of the bay

Floor around the bar

Floor section

Tile for floor

Lamp in front booth

Paver progress was going well...

...Till the storm hit and flooded the drive. Pic of sandbags to keep out flooding!

Good Day to Work!

Got a lot accomplished today. Worked on the big mural at P.J. MacIntyre's (27' x 7'), worked on the big quilt, and started work on the Celtic Cats piece. Here's some P.J. pics.

Ready to paint

Wall ready, prepped with gesso

First layer, sky background

Irish blessing will be over this door

Will be a 7-foot pint - that's a lot of Guinness!

Back hall -signs for restrooms