Sometimes I am minding my own business, and BOOM, an idea pops into my head. Once the idea is in my head, it just will not go away. I was at my mother-in-law's house trying to find something for her in a storage room when I came across something called a window mullion. BOOM! An idea hit me! As soon as I saw the mullion, I knew I wanted to use it to make a piece of artwork. I asked her if she needed it; she said no, and my project was born.
This is a mullion. It goes in a window as a decorative divider. I plan on putting an image in each pane and making a frame to go around it.
The first thing I did was spray paint it black.
I knew I wanted the images to be black and white. When I started researching, I fell in love with an Italian artist named Piero Fornasetti. The images were on plates, but at $40 each, that did not fit into my budget. I knew there must be an inexpensive alternative and found it on Etsy. They were selling digital prints of the Fornasetti images for just $10. The download included two files with 20 prints. I would have more than enough prints for the project and could pick and choose the ones I wanted.
These are examples of the images. I think they are so cool!
After printing the photos on photographic paper, I had to find something to mount them on for added depth. I came across cake boards that were inexpensive and sturdy and the perfect size. I also searched for poster board to adhere the images to, but couldn't find a large enough piece, so I purchased two and plan to join them together.
Upon returning home, I used decoupage to attach the photos to the cake boards. To conceal the corrugated interior, I used hot glue to attach black cording around the edges of the board.
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With the pictures done, I laid them in the window mullion to figure out which pictures I would use, their placement, and background. I knew I was going to use black but could not decide on the second color. My friend Laura suggested gold, and I loved it. I marked out the pattern and decoupaged each of the black and gold squares to the grid.
I attached all the faces using Velcro tabs and began working on the frame.
My husband helped me by cutting the wood since I'm not skilled with the chop saw yet. I applied wood glue then used a corner clamp to hold it in place. After it dried, I reinforced it with finishing nails. To attach the mullion to the frame, I used screws, then painted it black.
To complete the look at brought it to a frame shop and had glass put in.
The finished piece. I love it!
I managed to create a substantial piece of artwork for under $100. I am going to put it in the hallway upstairs. I promised my husband I would not hang it on the wall outside our bedroom. He said seeing the faces on the wall at night might freak him out!
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