Before the Storm

I decided I would make a second project to enter in ITAC'17 Challenge 5 - The Americas since my first piece was rather sombre so I started it over a week ago.  I remembered that on a few of our cruises in the Caribbean, many of the islands had an abundance of Bougainvillea.  This gorgeous perennial grows wherever it is hot so you can find it in South America, the Caribbean and the southern states in the US.

I found a photo online of a door in the Dominican Republic that had Bougainvillea growing over the top and thought I would make a happy coloured layout with the image as my focal point.  Little did I know when I started this project that Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria would plow through some of these islands ripping them to shreds and leaving so much in ruin, which is why I am calling this Before the Storm.

I have only used some of the elements in the list this time - specifically shades of green and metal.

I started with a 12"x12" flat canvas panel (Artist's Loft) and added some stenciling with Molding Paste (Golden) through a Checkmate stencil (Wendy Vecchi).

I added all sorts of bits and pieces using Super Thick Slap it On (IndigoBlu) and Mod Podge.  The pieces are as follows:

Lace, Buttons (My Stash)
Metal Leaf (The Funkie Junkie Boutique
Metal Medallion (Bead Landing)
Roses (Wild Orchid Crafts)
Wooden shapes and Butterfly (My Husband)
Spiral Clips (Making Memories)

Next I covered everything with a couple coats of White Gesso (Liquitex) to unify the colour.  I brushed on some Bayberry Acrylic Paint (Folk Art) and then used a sponge to add some Lt. Avocado Acrylic Paint (DecoArt).   I followed that with Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint Distress Spray Stain (Tim Holtz).

Finally, I distressed the edges of the image and added it with some dimensional foam strips and then I dripped a little Cherry Pie Spray Ink (Dylusions) randomly over the painted section of the canvas.

There you have my second project.  With lots of help, I am sure the affected islands will recover and the Bougainvillea will flourish once more.