Call of the Tide

Well …. two nautical projects in two days!  This is my second DT piece this month for Country View Challenges where our theme is … yes … Nautical!  This is quite a symbolic piece for me as there are a number of things within this canvas which become second nature when at sea.

I took an old canvas used for a project a few years ago.  I stripped it of embellishments and was left with this rather messy, but textured area.

The canvas got a good coat of gesso and I added the builders netting and scrim while the gesso was still wet. Once dry I used the Harlequin Mask with some Grunge Paste. The whole lot got a coating of Paper Artsy Fresco Paint in Snowflake and then I carefully sponged over some Mocha Mousse Fresco Paint to try and create a more aged look. This colour pallet was not what I initially intended - I had thought to go for the yellows and blues which make up Admiralty charts but it looked pretty awful!

I then added some tissue tape here and there and another layer of diamonds using Wendy Vecchi Crackle Paste to lighten it up a bit, extending some of the paste around the edges of the canvas and stamping fairly randomly.  

Then it was down to embellishing with various items which have a meaning for us when at sea.  

Clocks: everything we do is governed by the time - calculating tides, weather forecasts, navigation, etc and we have two clocks on board - one GMT and one BST. 

We could go nowhere without the compass and charts and of course everything has to be noted down in the log book.

Everything on the chart is measured (in nautical miles of course) and we certainly have plenty of ropes on board!

I spent some time trying different text for the sentiment and ended up opting for these rather brash Thickers, but everything else was getting rather lost on the canvas.

I certainly had fun making the canvas and am pleased that I recycled an old one. I love the muted colours which developed whilst making the piece and whilst it might not make it's way on board Mrs Muir (it does get a bit damp at times!) it is a reminder of wonderful times spent on board.

Thank you for joining me today and I hope this hasn't made anyone seasick!

Jennie x