Family Collaboration Canvas - The Crow Family

Last year we decided to make a canvas that the whole family would have a hand in making. Something that was ours. I had a big old canvas I had bought to use in a class project and just never got round to it - so it was sitting there, gathering dust. We hauled it out and started adding layers of yummy texture of the top with various papers and Gesso...

Then we all took turns adding splashes of colour to our background. No rules - just whatever took our each individual fancy. Even Craig had a go splashing some colour and adding a smiley face - and the Bear had a few finger smears on there too.

When we got to this gorgeous riot of colour - I was told it was my job to 'finish it'. We thought a family of crows - six, one to symbolise each of us. And I became a big ol' fraidy cat. Scared of ruining everyone's lovely work. So there it stayed in my shedio all Winter, looking at me accusingly.

Spring rolls around and I get to doing the Soul Food class - one of the lessons was to take inspiration from Pinterest. Well I have a board full of crows on there so that wasn't hard. I also love the painting styles of Flora Bowley and more recently had discovered Tracy Verdugo. I knew I wanted to do crow silhouettes but not heavy black ones. So that's where my using Pinterest as inspiration came in. This weekend I finally bit the bullet and went at it.
Here's a couple of the stages...

And the finished canvas modelled by a proud Little Miss...

We all signed the back and it's now hanging above our fireplace. Guess what? It's the first thing that I have had a hand in making that I have let them display in the house. No kidding - I never display my stuff. I sometimes pin up a postcard sized piece beside my desk if I am particularly happy with it but they usually end up in my journals or folders after a week or so. I really, really love this canvas. I think it's because we all did it.

Thanks for stopping by for a peek today :)