Recreating Art - No More Fighting Over Family Paintings

Does your family fight over Art?  You know those paintings that have hung in your parent's house that you grew up with?  Funny, but the most fought over are usually ones with only sentimental value.  Inevitably they are the ones you can't find a match for.

 

This is the case with the Hubs.  He is from a big family, 7 kids.  There is this painting that is huge.  Like I think it was painted on 2 doors huge that has been fought over for years.  The artist was a mural artist, and passed away in the sixties, almost none of her work is left, and this particular piece was commissioned for his dad personally.  Over the years the piece was cut in half, got water damage, and is badly faded and damaged. 

 

It was something that hung in the Hubs house, and was a major part of his growing up.  One of his brothers has it hanging in his home, so.....I decided to do like the Museums do, and copy shot it.

 

Now don't scream copyright laws.  I am NOT selling it.  I actually altered it a bit and no, it is no longer as huge.

 

Yesterday was kind of gloomy, so we went over his brother's house with my trusty Fujifilm camera, and took a shot of each panel, each panel is the size of a house door.  I even stood on a overturned bucket for one of them.  The trick is to get a flat light, no reflections, and straight on, thus the bucket for one of them (hung in a stairwell seperated).  If you can put the art on floor and stand over it, that works too, be careful for reflections in glass if it is a glassed piece. 

 

Then, off to the casa and into the computer they went.  They had tears and other stuff, so I corrected them with a program that was in my computer (thanks Lo!  Bang by Lo), and then enhanced the color, and yes, I cropped them too!  The panels were badly damaged on the ends, seriously looked like the wood had been eaten by critters. 

 

Then off to Costco for their 20 x 30 -- $8.99 prints.  Seriously the best deal in town.  Made one of each panel, remember the originals were door size, mine are  20" x 30" each.

 

Then off to Hobby Lobby for some 50% off frames.  Couldn't find the size in the price range etc. so we improvised.  We chose silvery leafy ones, in a 24 x 36, for a steal, and 2 silver mat boards, that we had cut to 24 x 36, we will float the prints on top of the matt board, so the print appears larger than it is, and just runs into the board and becomes one.  I am really glad we went larger, as it will increase the size and make it feel more comparable to the original. 

 

No, you aren't seeing the art.  It has some nudes in it, and I didn't feel it was appropriate.  However, those are the frames, and silver mat board.  It will be 30" wide by 85" tall with frames and spacing.  Seriously can't wait.

Will be floating on top, to increase the size.

They will hang vertically on this wall.  I really need to upgrade/change the TV stand.  Still looking.

 

The above, is a photo we took a year or so ago behind our house, blown up to 20" x 30" at Costco for $8.99.  Love it, was hanging in the wine room, but we decided to move it out into the family room.

So, I guess the moral to this story is.  Don't be afraid to try something different if you aren't the one   that gets the family art.  Be creative.  I took some photos of some of the others that they fight over, and I am going to put them in a digital frame in his office so he can enjoy the rotation of some of them. 

Be Creative!!