Letting Imagination Run Wild

You never know when you will be inspired. You will see something, think of something related to something you saw or heard or maybe just a random thought will pop into your mind. I am guilty of all three scenarios. Most artists are.

BLUE WINDMILL BIRDHOUSE - KrugsStudio

Our Danish friends know that I am fascinated with Norwegian Rosemaling. They tried as best they could to find places for me to see examples of it. It turned out that we saw more in just the places we visited. Its not in fashion anymore (just like Pennsylvania Dutch is out of favor at the moment) but I noticed people seemed proud to display the pieces that they had. Instead we saw examples at The Stave Church, The Mundal Hotel, even a variety of museums that were not featuring it but it was just there.

There is a kind of protocol that was developed and then followed strictly in villages around Trondheim back in the 1750's. Each village created its own style that was religiously followed. However, from the books I have found and read, you pretty much have free rein on what you design. So, I guess you could call what I do Krugmaling though I have yet to develop a stylistic protocol. I'm having too much fun experimenting.

My newest birdhouse, the BLUE WINDMILL BIRDHOUSE,  is definitely a case in point. Many of the designs use either an "S" or "C" curve and many times together. Flowers and seed pods, just designs worked into filigree branches adorn each item. In fact, they are often very intricate.

I decided to play with the "S" curve but didn't want it too busy. Since the birdhouse had a silver tin roof I decided to use silver for the windmill blades and the base. That left the rich blue column free to create what I wanted. Since those ancient Norwegians were not afraid of color, neither was I. The red "S" was used on each side then yellow and white complimented that. No creation would be right without leaves so a darker and lighter green was added as contract to both the reds and blues.

This is a distinctive piece that is however, not too fussy or busy but rather a wonderful, colorful accent piece that would fit in a variety of home decor elements. Just remember no one said it had to be plain or unimaginative, items such as this invite you to stretch your imagination.

In case you are wondering, I picked this birdhouse up at Michaels and the paints are all DecoArt. For outdoor use, I always seal everything with Varathane. It gives it protection from the elements for a year or two but always will need new costs from time to time.

Thank you for reading. Please stop by KrugsStudio.etsy.com to see all the items I have crafted!