Updating Thrift Store Art

There was a little glimpse of this wall in this post about finishing up the painting in the basement stairwell. I hung four items on the wall above the shelves in the tiny entry.

Everything on the wall, two canvases and two framed prints, came from Goodwill.   I painted over the original paintings with acrylic paint on both of the canvases to create a blank slate.  I used the larger canvas for my fish painting.    I have another painting in mind for the smaller one soon.

As far as the two framed pieces, I chose the flower watercolor print because I love the colors. I don’t want to change anything about the print itself.  It looks to be an original, signed watercolor.  It’s dated 1980.   I didn’t love the walnut stained frame though, so I painted it with a metallic silver paint.

That was a fail.   I ended up not liking the way it looked a little purple-y in the hallway lighting against the gray wall. Plus, after I painted it, I realized the original stained frame tied into the stairs.   What to do?   I grabbed the acetone and tried wiping the paint off the frame.

It mostly worked.   I then rubbed a little orange oil over the frame.     Lesson learned,  sometimes it’s best to wait and just leave things alone.

With the second, $2 framed art,  I actually bought it for the chrome frame and not the Monet print itself.  While I plan to eventually replace the print, I am not in a rush.   The mat color wasn’t working at all though.

I took the frame apart and updated the mat just by painting it. I used my gold leaf pen along the inner edge of the matting to add a little flair.

Isn’t it great how a little color and art can make the difference between drab and interesting? This spot has come a long way. [See how it looked before here.]

Have you ever updated or repurposed old art?
-J