Folkart Bug Chair Transformation

"I want a folkart bug chair for my garden,"- is what I expressed to myself and to my friend about the stained wooden chair I had picked up from the side of the road outside of my neighbor's house.

When I see a blank canvas, I always get the artist's itch to make a statement with it. And this chair, placed somewhat purposefully in front of my shed door for a shaded garden hideaway, was my next target.

While I didn't have a complete sketch drawn out, I had somewhat of an idea of which elements I wanted to paint- bugs, flowers, leaves. So, I decided this past week, to make it happen and bring the chair to life!

After washing off the chair, the first thing I did in my room, rummaging through my paints, was choosing the color scheme- hookers green, cadmium red, off-white, and a light blue were the main colors featured in this project. I'm usually not a blue person- I prefer neutral and warm autumnal fiery tones so it's unusual that I chose the light blue. But I thought it would give my "comfort colors" some important contrast. So, I first began painting the seat, back, and arms.

I bought nothing new for this project, considering it is folkart, I wanted to only use what I already had in my art stash! Using what I have is not only an important practice in sustainability, but it also exemplifies artistic accessibility which is something I always advocate for and do myself. If I had to finance this project by buying a whole arsenal of new supplies, then I don't know if I would have found this to have been such a satisfying homespun process.

Well, next was the fiddly part- painting the legs!

I had no idea before doing this how difficult it would be to reach every single nook and cranny in a chair. And the number of strange angles I needed to paint in sure made my back and knees plead for mercy- yet I continued.

I've been listening to a lot of the Gardener's World podcast, and something they often talk about is how to create intriguing garden beds. They always say when creating a bed with a color theme, plant some type of contrasting color as well to give it more impact and interest. Going back to the light blue I chose, I was consistently doubting at this point if I really even wanted it anymore. I don't like blue. But I knew, if I would just stick with the colors I liked, then their intensity wouldn't pop out as much as if I featured cooler contrasts alongside them. So, despite my strong hesitation, I kept it.

After applying two coats of paint to the main chair, back, arms, and legs, I started to illustrate the motifs. First was the white cabbage butterfly, then the bees, then the ants- and finally, the giant house spider- all creatures I interact with on a daily basis in my garden itself- the main stars of the show for me.

I knew I wanted these to be the focal points, so they are all central on the chair. But, with folkart, the borders and accents are just as important as the main images that they frame. So, I also began to add floral imagery and foliage. I am very inspired by both Russian khokhloma art and Ukrainian petrykivka art, so I knew I wanted to make designs reminiscent of both of those styles but with my own touch and colors that I chose for the project, so, that's what I did.

The berries and five-petaled blue and red flowers are more in the khokhloma style. The yellow fiery flowers and green foliage are more in the petrykivka style. Together, they tell a bit of a heritage tale of the home that I live in with my friend. I am from Russia, and my dear friend Maks is of Ukrainian heritage, and we both combine our efforts full time in volunteering for his Ukrainian nonprofit organization.

As I continued painting and everything came together, all the elements felt like they were exactly placed where they needed to go. There was no need for any preliminary sketch!

After adding some white and floral accents to the blue sections and coats of a sealant, my folkart bug chair was done!

I cannot wait to enjoy sitting in it in my garden for years to come, bugs have already started landing on it and enjoying the view from their new pleasant perch! I can already picture drinking tea on early mornings and knitting in my secret spot amongst the spiders and flowers surrounding me.

While I've come to the end of this creation, it is only the beginning of my furniture painting journey. I cannot wait to do other pieces, and perhaps bigger projects like embellishing houses and murals in the future if I become so lucky!

I hope you enjoyed this little saga.

Thank you for your continued support.

~Anastasia S. Razumova