Photo Canvas

Since my daughter Molly was born, I've taken thousands of photos. It's a real challenge to come up with different ways to use them. Last year for Molly's 1^st birthday, I created this poster with pictures from each month of her life, 0 to 12 months. It is so much fun to see how she changes from month to month! 

For her 2^nd birthday, I was inspired by this idea that's been circulating on Pinterest, originally from Martha Stewart. I loved the idea of arranging photos into the shape of the number. And having them all black and white unifies the idea. 

This WAS a great inspiration image, but I needed to make several changes. First of all, I wanted a more permanent piece of artwork (these photos are just taped to the wall.) So I went with a large canvas. I also wanted sepia photos, and I wanted to incorporate mixed media - paint, stamps, Gesso, Mod Podge and Wood Stain. Working on this piece brought me back to my studio days at U of Michigan art school. My hands have been stained for days and the smell of gesso and paint really brought on the nostalgia!


First I gessoed the entire canvas. For those not familiar with gesso, it's a fabulous medium. Use it to thin out paint to make it more transparent or as a base coat. To get my background to have some texture and interest, I stamped "2" from PSA Vanilla Peel & Stick stamps using an acrylic block and pigment ink in different colors. 

Next I drew a large "2" in charcoal and added the photos. I painted, white washed, and then stained. When all was dry, I sealed the photos to the canvas with Glossy Mod Podge. 

The end result hangs proudly on my living room wall. 

Since it's been up, Molly's stopped to check it out. "Pictures of Molly!" she says. Or "Molly's eating soup!" Or "Molly's running!" I hope she'll appreciate it more and more over the years.   I know I will.   




This post was posted to a PAINT PARTY!   Domestically Speaking

I've also shared it on 36th Avenue Show Me Extraordinary Linking Party! 

And I was also so proud of it - I shared it on Made by you Monday at Skip to My Lou 

Lastly (but not least) this was linked to Under the Table & Dreaming.