August 29th, 2007

Kimono Obsession Continued

Lest you think I have abandoned my kimono and Japanese design obsession, fear not! I have written previously about being asked to participate in an upcoming mural compilation book that my friend Gary Lord is doing. Well, seems I promised the editor some “new” mural photos for the gallery section a few months ago and she suddenly surprised me by wanting to collect on that commitment!?!? If the sign of a true artistic soul is to produce under pressure, then my hand is held high. Sign me up!

Stenciled Kimono Mural Inspiration

I decided to try a different kind of “mural”. This one is on canvas (typically) but the Roclon canvas is cut into the shape of a hanging kimono. Everytime I have picked it up I have always gone back to this one page in the book,Kimono, Vanishing Tradition, to look at this lovely wedding kimono shown above.

Kimono Mural by Melanie Royals

The crunch-time mural commitment finally gave me the opportunity to reinterpret it using a series of stencils from our Royal Design Studio Kimono Collection.

Kimono Mural Detail by Melanie Royals

I used Shimmerstone (a metallic plaster) as the base and to do the embossed stenciling over the glazed green area. I then simply used different colors of Modern Masters Metallic paints to add the colors through the stencils to the dried embossed designs. It is a much softer look than the original, and not quite as detailed, but I was pretty pleased with the outcome and now have something new to hang on the walls at the new building. The photography is by Gary Conaughton.

 

4 Responses to “Kimono Obsession Continued”

  1. Alexandra Says:

    Very pretty. Love the soft colors. You must have seen Helen Morris’s kimonos that she and The Stencil Library group created with their stencils …
    She has quite a few gorgeous ones done to hang on their walls in their Japanese room cut out of fabric

  2. Melanie Says:

    No, I periodically visit Helen’s site and love their work but have never seen any kimonos. Do you have a link?

  3. Melanie Says:

    Oh-have seen it now. Lovely stuff! Great minds….

  4. Lara Says:

    Hi. My name is Lara Berch. I have just launched a new website with step by step art tutorials. I was wondering if it’s possible to exchange links with you. http://www.laraberch.com
    Thank you very much for your time.
    Sincerely
    Lara

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