Last week I showed a photo of a floorcloth Theresa had been prepping for me. Today I put  the final details on it. Here it is on my table; just waiting for it’s final coats of polyurathene.

My mission was to represent pomegranates in a very simple way. The client didn’t want them to look like “balls”, but also didn’t want too much detail. So when I was shopping for Thanksgiving dinner stuff the other day a picked up two poms. I’ve never bought one before. I knew that they are considered to be very healthy, so I was very curious. When I got them home and studied them a bit I noticed that they are not round. They are shaped like a pentagon with rounded intersections.

So I made a stencil of this curve-sided pentagon and stencilled darker around the outside; lighter as I neared the center.

When that has had a chance to cure for a couple of days I’ll apply all of the poly coats and it will be ready not too long after that to be shipped to it’s new home- just in time for Christmas!

This one is 8′ X 11′, but It’s also available as a 3′ X 5′ floorcloth for $525, or as a 6′ X 8′ for $1440. Call or email the studio for details.

I’m off to go bake an apple pie. It’s an annual thing which started back when I learned how to do it back in Nova Scotia in the 70s. We had our own orchard of beautiful Cortlands and we would pick them, peel them, cut them up and bake pie all in an afternoon. The horses enjoyed the peels and cores, and the house smelled of apples and cinnamon.

When my daughter was 2, she summed it all up. Take a look at this:

 

We have so many canvas things in the works right now, that I thought I would start a new thing where I’ll snap a few photos on Friday mornings and zap them on to my blog readers. Just a quick way to keep you all up to speed with all the happenings in and around the studio.

We have three floorcloths of one design on the table right now. Wreaths and Diamonds is being done in two different sizes for  a client in Missouri and the third one will be on display (and for sale) at the local branch of our  bank during December. It is a 3′ X 5′ version of this design, in nice warm colors of Richmond Gold, Cottage Red and Essex Green and Black.  I just realized that I need to go back and change the green stripe to black and add another black stripe to the outside border before I stencil on the wreaths. I’ll try to add a photo to this post later today when I get that done…. It is $400 and can be ordered by going to the Canvasworks Gallery.

There’s a big one on the table which Theresa is working on as I write this. It’s 8′X11′ and will have a stencilled detail added in the wide tan border. It’s looking really nice!

As you can see, Theresa is half way around with the navy border. This one is for Bob and Joan in Massachusetts. Should be ready right after Thanksgiving.

Finally, something a little different. My daughter is a senior in High School and I’m involved in some of the class’s fund raising efforts. Next week pies will be for sale at Historic Windsor House and I volunteered to paint a sandwich board for them. I have a big plywood sign I put out from time to time to direct people to the studio.I decided to paint canvas panels to tack onto this sign to create the sandwich board. Here they are:

These were fun to paint! Do you think I should offer something like this as a floorcloth? Hmmm…

It’s not uncommon for people to ask me how they can hang their floorcloths. That’s one of the advantages of the sewn hem. The stitching is done 1″ from the folded edge, leaving a channel which can receive a rod very nicely.

All you have to do is cut two slits on the back of the floorcloth; one on each side, on the top hem.

I use an Exacto knife to carefully cut this slit only through the hem layer.

Next insert the rod into the hem. Cafe curtain rods work well, as they telescope to whatever size you need.  Just pull the rod apart, and insert opposite pieces into each end of the hem. One end will slide into the other and then you can push them to the desired width. This one has a pretty decorative finial and it comes with the hanging hardware as well.

You can also attach a ribbon on either  end and hang it that way.

Here is the Rufus Porter Landscape 2′ X 3′ floorcloth with a rod, hanging from a burgundy ribbon.

Any of our custom painted floorcloths up to 4′ wide may be ordered as a wall hanging at no extra cost. Please call or email the studio if you would like this option added to your order.

Painted canvas blanks can be made with the slits already cut for you. Again, just send an email or call to request this service. There  is no charge. You will have to pick up the cafe rod yourself (available at most hardware stores).

This really nice article just came out in Early Homes magazines’ Winter 2009 edition. To get a good look at the pictures, pick up a copy at your local newsstand.

It will be very hard to read this because it’s a scanned image of the magazine’s text. If you would like to read the article, scroll down to the bottom.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Some people live wholly integrated lives—like Lisa Curry Mair, whose art is her work, and whose work takes place in the carriage-house wing of her family’s 200-year-old farmhouse in rural Vermont. Across the street from the farmhouse is the old Henry Gould barn, a post-and-beam structure built into the hill, which houses Lisa’s competition horses and sleighs, carts, canoes, and kayaks.
The work at hand is the art of the floorcloth: a durable, painted-canvas floor covering that was the forerunner to linoleum. Doing business as Canvasworks Floorcloths, Lisa has recorded over 720 finished floorcloths signed by her. They were sold to private homeowners and museums; a recent project was the re-creation of wall-to-wall cloths for four rooms at Rosedown Plantation in Louisiana. (Her advisor on design and colors was no less than the eminent historian William Seale.) With a recent addition to the workspace, Lisa can now produce floorcloths up to 40 feet long and 18 feet wide. Canvasworks also produces painted stair risers, as well as blanks for people to create their own work and kits.
Lisa is an enthusiastic teacher who gives beginner-to-advanced workshops at her own studio and at such venues as the Rufus Porter Museum in Bridgton, Maine. A typical beginner class has participants making a basic checkerboard floorcloth with a simple stenciled border. Intermediates learn to line a mariner’s compass on a checkerboard. The advanced class produces a freehand-painted landscape scene on the floorcloth (starting with plein-air sketching). Lisa also teaches marbling, sponging, even using Photoshop in the design process. She has also become a historian of the craft: “If readers have found any remnants of floorcloths, please let me know,” she asks. “Photos are very much appreciated—I am compiling a history.”
The studio and gallery are open to visitors, with a day or two’s advance notice. Lisa shows how the floorcloths are made, and will sit down with potential clients to personalize the design of custom work.  (Meantime, look at the portfolios on her website to spark ideas.)
Visitors and workshop attendees end up at the Gallery, which looks out over horse pastures and a pond. For sale are completed floorcloths, canvas blanks, placemats and table runners, fireboards, framed paintings, and even canvas earrings.
CANVASWORKS FLOORCLOTHS, Perkinsville, VT: (802) 263-5410, canvasworksfloorcloths.com

Sidebar 1:

Weathersfield
IN VERMONT

You can turn a floorcloth workshop into a mini vacation, as the Canvasworks Studio is in beautiful south-central Vermont. Located at the base of Mt. Ascutney, the Studio is in the midst of well-known venues for winter skiing, spring hikes, summer events, and fall foliage. Perkinsville is a village of Weathersfield, itself a historic town. (Visit the Dan Foster House, dating to 1785 and 1825.) Attractions include state parks and covered bridges, and nearby are several historical museums, Dartmouth College, Simon Pearce Glassblowing, Saint–Gaudens National Historic Site, the Vermont Country Store, the Vermont Craft Center, and Quechee Gorge.
Here are some places for workshop attendees to stay:
• Ascutney Resort 4-season ski area and Holiday Inn affiliate; 200 rooms; restaurant, tavern, and café (dinner only, off-season). 485 Hotel Rd., Brownsville, VT: (front desk) (802) 484-7711; ascutney.com
• Baker Road Inn (B&B) Simple accommodations including twin and bunk rooms, with a common room and library. 29 Baker Rd., Springfield, VT: (802) 886-2304, bakerroadinn.com
• Golden Stage Inn Member American Historic Inns; 9 guest rooms; breakfast and dinner, guests only. Dates to 1791, with additions. Okemo Valley. 99 Depot St.,_Proctorsville, VT: (802) 226-7744, (800) 253-8226; goldenstageinn.com
• The Inn at Weathersfield Member American Historic Inns; 12 guest rooms; restaurant and tavern. An inn for 200 years. Route 106, Perkinsville VT: (802) 263-9217; weathersfieldinn.com

Sidebar 2:

Floorcloth Q&A

How can canvas stand up to that kind of wear?
Lisa Mair explains that she uses heavyweight No. 8 canvas (18 oz./sq.yd., with a tight weave and proven durability) for pieces under seven feet wide. For larger ones, she uses No. 4 canvas (24 oz./sq.yd.) Such heavy canvas ensures that the covering will lie flat for years and withstand even furniture legs and dogs.

Is there a finish on it?
Oh yes. Sealing the high-quality decorative paints, each cloth is finished with five coats of polyurethane. You can clean spills easily. A revitalizing coat of clear finish is recommended every one to three years: just clean it thoroughly, allow to dry, and apply water-based polyurethane, allowing it to cure for at least 48 hours. The colors will come back bright.

Do you put it right on the floor or use a pad?
You should place the floorcloth on a hard surface (wood or linoleum-type floors are best). Do not place on deep-pile carpet; heels etc. may poke through. Mats are not recommended, unless the floorcloth is being used on a tiled floor (because of the grout lines), in which case a thin rubber non-skid mat should be cut to fit inside the hem.

Is it tacked down or loose?
Do secure the floorcloth to the flooring. The floorcloth must not slide on the floor, and the edges should not be allowed to be bent up. Use double-sided carpet tape or poster adhesive to secure it and to maintain a flat edge. Mounting putty holds well, is easily removed, and will not harm finished hardwood or vinyl floors.

What are the cleaning instructions?
Wash it with warm water and rinse thoroughly. A slight milky film will appear when the floorcloth is wet. This will dry clear and can be hastened by toweling. Clean tough spots with a spray kitchen cleanser. Clean it in place; the less the floorcloth is moved, the less it will crack.

Can the floorcloth be stored?
If the floorcloth needs to be moved or shipped, roll it around a tube with the painted side out. DO NOT FOLD IT, as creasing may cause paint to crack. If you plan to store it seasonally, keep the original packing material. Cover the entire piece with plastic and roll it on a large cardboard tube to prevent it from being creased.

You can’t really walk on that, can you?

It’s the number one question I get when people ask me about floorcloths. My answer? Of course you can!

Nowadays we have this great stuff called “polyurethane”. I use an acrylic, marine grade poly which is as tough as nails and stands up to all kinds of wear. Heavy furniture, big dogs, wild children and muddy workboots are not a problem for this stuff. It’s a heavy-duty plastic coating which protects the beautiful painted surface of your floorcloth and it will keep protecting that surface for years and years.

So, why is this scary? Because after you’ve spent all this time making the most beautiful floorcloth ever, you’re going to cover it with this cloudy, gooey mess.Trust me. It’s REALLY scary the first time you do it!

Here’s a video showing how I apply  the final coats of poly to each of my customer’s floorcloths:

If you’re finishing up a floorcloth project and you’re ready to poly here’s what you’ll need:

-A sheet of drop cloth plastic to cover your table

-A “Pet Hair Roller Refill” placed on a small roller brush handle (to pick up lint and dust)

-A 4″ nylon bristle paint brush (for applying the poly)

-Polyurethane

—-I recommend Sherwin William’s Sher Clear, semi gloss finish

—-or use JW etc’s Right Step Water Base Clear Varnish

Gather all of your stuff. Cover the table with the plastic and tape the edges down.

Lay your floorcloth out on the plastic and roll over it with the lint picker-upper to remove any stray particles.

Dip your brush into the poly and start applying it in smooth, even strokes. Continue until the entire surface is covered in one smooth, fairly thick coat. Do not overwork the poly. It will start to dry and make a mess. Here’s where you’ll be a little scared- The poly will be milky an d streaky and you’re going to think you just ruined your work of art. Fear not! Walk away. It will be OK. It will dry clear in about 3 hours. Be sure the room is dry (not too humid) and at least 60 degrees. Be sure to crack a window or have good ventilation. Wash your brush out thoroughly in warm, soapy water.

Come back in not less than 3 hours and if it is dry and clear, you can paint the next coat the same way.  Apply at least 3 coats and allow at least 24 hours for final drying before you put the floorcloth  on the floor and walk on it. If it gets dirty just damp mop. If the floorcloth is in a high traffic area you may want to re-poly once every two years or so. Just give it a really good cleaning first, let it dry completely, and then apply another coat as you did before.

This is the second video-enhanced tip I’ve posted (the first one was “How to Stencil on Canvas”) and I plan to do more. Any feedback about what floorcloth topics you’d find helpful are definitely encouraged!