Artwork and Accessories

My picture rail didn’t come in until this past Friday.  While waiting, I finished my rug and worked on accessories and art work.

The completed rug:

It has more white than the original, but I’m OK with that.  Nothing in this build is a perfect match.  Only four more rugs to go!

You also may remember that I was trying to find a substitute for the Frederic Remington Paleolithic Man bronze.  He looked a little like a gargoyle to me, so I found a small gargoyle charm, removed the loop, added a “rock” made of Sculpey, and painted the whole thing bronze.  I’ve lightened the final picture a bit so he doesn’t look like a blob; he’s actually a darker bronze than that.  The original Remington is also darker, but, again, that made it hard to see.

I spent a lot of time finding matches for the pictures on the walls.  I was never able to find the exact portrait of Washington he has, so I found the closest I could.  [I have no idea what is hanging below Washington, as the stupid lamp blocks it in every picture I’ve seen.]  I also made most of the frames.  I had a metal frame that was a fairly close match to the ornate frame around the moose painting, but was unable to find anything in half scale that was even remotely like the frame on the portrait of Theodore Roosevelt, Sr.  I ended up making my own from the window frame material that I never used, plus some curlicues made with a small craft punch, all finished with some gold paint.

Most of the art work was printed on HP Bright White paper.  The “paintings” have been printed on fabric and covered with three coats of mat gel medium.  This protects the ink, as well as enhancing the color and giving the surface a bit more depth.

With the picture rail stained and in place and the border added, I’ve put up my pictures with some Quake Hold.  They are only temporarily in place for now, as I may need to take them down for a bit when I add the ceiling.

On the fireplace mantel, I made a more ornate version of the hunter’s flask and added a couple more items, including my favorite—an HO-scale pewter coal hod with an added wire handle, painted copper (far left).  The tiny coal hod in the real Sagamore Hill was apparently given to Theodore Roosevelt for his work in settling the coal miners’ strike of 1902 and ensuring that the workers were treated fairly by the owners.  To see close ups of some of the real-life versions of these pieces and learn their stories, check out https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/RQLiiFwUSgNqLw.  I’m still trying to find a way to make the bird’s nest candlesticks.  My first try was unsuccessful, but I am not giving up!

Even though the room still needs a ceiling, baseboards and door trim, I am going to take a break from room construction for a while and go back to furniture making, which I prefer. 😊 As you can see, I have many tables and chairs to go, plus the smaller bookcase on the library’s left wall.