Nusery, bedding and window treatment swatches with sheep painting
I did this little sheep on canvas to put into the nursery bathroom, which features a coordinating striped wallpaper. The fabrics under it inspired the nursery's pastoral theme.
The images on this site are examples of past and current decorative painting projects completed by Wendy Walker Deason. Click any thumbnail image on this page to see a larger version of the image. As the site grows, brief descriptions of each image will be provided.
If you would like to contact Wendy regarding a decorative painting or portrait project, or for office/home decorative consultation in the Nashville or Franklin, TN area, call 615.599.6184 or email wendy(at)fetchingstudio.com.
All Images Copyright 2002-2007 Wendy Walker Deason
I did this little sheep on canvas to put into the nursery bathroom, which features a coordinating striped wallpaper. The fabrics under it inspired the nursery's pastoral theme.
The table features scenes and patterns found in the nursery's fabrics and wallpaper in the adjoining bathroom. The style of the room's furnishings is more whimsical than the mural, but I tied it all together with theme and a consistent palette. The scale of the nursery and style of the residence asked for a clasic, timeless scene on the walls; it would have looked right there 200 years ago, and it will look appropriate in 200 more.
The farm animals, stripes and swirls are found in the other furnishings in the room.
I approached the mural from a baby's perspective; some things are high, so as to be seen from across the room, and others are low, for a crawling or toddling child to enjoy from his position. In this scene, dragonflies flit above the changing table so baby is occupied while being changed.
This is the full view of the nusery table, which features all of the elements of the whimsical fabrics from the room.
Handpainted french floral motifs, gilding, and glazing warm up this butler's pantry-turned work space in a traditional colonial-style home near historic Carnton in Franklin.
Espresso oil glaze adds definition and warmth to panels and moldings in this Westhaven kitchen.
An original medallion design is based upon details from the wrought iron light fixture and antique rug found in this Hampton Reserve kitchen. The ceiling interest also serves a practical purpose: it adds visual weight over the kitchen table in a room which features a very long expanse of ceiling.
This butler's pantry was the perfect setting for a warm and elegant treatment to play up the elegant chandelier and cabinetry; the resulting glaze mimics gilded parchment.
The airy motif and muted palette of ochres, siennas, and umbers keep the small space warm yet elegant.
Multiple layers of metallic and umber glazes add to the warmth in this spacious formal dining room. The play of light on the reflective surface is especially beautiful in the evening.
Layers of earthen and molten glazes resulted in a jewel box effect for this dramatic powder room. The gilded lavatory mirror, chandelier, and a mirrored chest relate so well to the walls.
I designed the floral motif featured here while keeping in mind the tudor style of this residence as well as the homeowners' desire for something elegant and timeless. To give an idea of scale, the repeat is 3 feet, and it went around the dressing area wall 19 times. I really had to brush up on my math skills in order to have the design meet up properly.
Every brushstroke lays a custom-mixed batch of paint on the design, so in order to keep color consistent, I worked in rounds. For example, on the largest flower, I mixed the colors I would use, and then I painted every third one of that particular flower; then I would tweak my palette, and continue on with the next round. This allowed for "consistent inconsistency" which was not only a practical way to approach this type of project, but an aesthetically pleasing one as that subtle shift of color on the reapeating pattern keeps the eye moving because of added visual interest.
I have a full on phobia of lizards (no kidding) but I often include them in murals--especially garden-themed motifs and children's pieces.
The traditional French floral motif adds visual interest to this entry hall.
Another opportunity to brush up on math skills! The delicate motif does not overwhelm the room, nor does it compete with other elements in the room.
Elements pulled from the chandelier, furniture, and fabrics inspired the original border motif, which adds further interest to the beautiful architectural detail of this room.
I incorporated some motifs which held personal meaning to my client into the hand painted design around the beaded chandelier.
The concept for this sweet table grew out of need for a special area for grandchildren to enjoy snacks while visiting Grandmother. Each child has a place setting, and Grandmother's dog, Candy, even gets to enjoy the tea party.
This is one of three in a series of coordinating floorcloths commissioned for a kitchen in Brentwood, TN.
The chair was originally cherry stain, and not in great shape. My client wanted to lighten her kitchen up as well, so I used a light paint and glaze combination on the chairs and a table. The wall finish in the background is venetian plaster in an inlaid diamond pattern with an original floral plaster overlaid pattern.
This is part of a new series I'm working on. It is inspired by a news clipping that really grabbed me, so I saved it for years with the idea of incorporating it into my life somehow, possibly by using some part of the story as a title for a painting, but it finally came to me that the entire story needed to be in a painting. The story of this Brazilian tribe, the Piraha, and their concept of numbering things was something I really related to. I painted around the dark ground in order to form the letters which make up the story, so in effect, the letters are little paintings themselves. I keep thinking that I'll probably paint over parts of the story eventually, and that it's enough for me to know that the story of the Piraha is safely buried there under layers of paint like my very own hidden treasure. But my husband seems to like the story, so I haven't had the heart yet. One thing that bothers me is that a frequent first reaction to the painting is that its subject is a deadly carniverous fish species and I have misspelled piranha.
Here's another painting from my new series. This painting depicts a bunch of thistles in various states of maturity. I used a very monochromatic palette, in part, I think, because after dealing with so much color in my decorative painting work, I was craving a project with minimal color. The starkness also suits the thistles' natural forms as well. This is another example of lifting the top layer of paint off with my brush to form the thistles out of the dark glaze layer, which requires working very quickly. I always begin with the hopes that the composition won't be so tense, but I can't seem to achieve that. This painting is kind of funny to me when I look at it because the thistles seem to have their own sort of narrative, like Victorian paintings often did; I can imagine some kind of drama playing out there in the thistle patch.
This is the second in a series of new paintings I've begun. For years, I've had a strange division of paint usage in my mind: oils are for fine art; acrylics, for decorative art. I decided to work on canvas in acrylic for a number of reasons. I tend to be impatient when painting in oils as I like to work in layers. On that same note I find myself obsessing over small areas in a painting--and not in a good way. Having to work quickly in order to achieve the desired effect has been a good exercise in painting. Many of the areas are "painted out" rather than the usual process of painting a shape onto a ground.
Although I usually paint my own original designs, this is an exception; I had seen an underwater-themed mural similar to this in a magazine which is no longer in publication, and I ripped it out and saved it fifteen years ago because I thought it was so beautiful--especially the pearl and shell garlands. This is one of my first murals, done for a retail shop, and the shop owner let me paint whatever I wanted.
This mountain dulcimer was constructed from a McSpadden kit by a friend in a band called Starlings, TN. He asked me to paint it, and I incorporated elements which held personal meaning to him into the design.
Original oil painting on canvas inspired by the noisy starlings in the spooky trees in my back yard one fall. 36" x 48".
