Sharray's Canvas

Recently my closest companion for nearly 16 years passed away.  Here is my memorial canvas of her.  The photo was one I had taken with an old phone in her prime.  I never had a camera then.  On the canvas are her tags including her microchip on, part of her collar & a nail.  Sharray loved the beach when she was young & you just had to say get the birdies & away she would run do a big ark & return to me with a smile on her face & do it again.  In her older age she discovered various types & sizes of lizards. They would sit in a staring out competition until I bought her inside long enough for the poor lizard to escape to shade.  Sharray would go look for it then give up & come back in for a drink & shade herself.  She was my angel through many hard times & I thank God for her.  Gone but never forgotten.

 After a coat of gesso I used modelling paste & stencils to create a background, not that in the end you can see much of it.

I made a tree out of a brown paper bag Thanks to Creative Jumpstart 2014  (www.nathaliesstudio.com)  who shared the use of brown paper bags & put a doily on.  I used the extra bits to put along the sides of the canvas.  I found it easier to gesso as I went.

The lace was a very wide wide.  Some I cut to put along the top & the rest for the bottom & sides.  Lizard was from the cheapy shops, Aramaic I think.  I also sealed the photo to protect it in the colour stage.  

Here I have added some tags, part of her collar, the clip I wore when we were in the show ring & flowers.  Gesso as I went.

 More flowers, charms (from Created especially for you - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Created-Especially-For-You/370789092950090).  Birds next is beads in a bottle cap.

One flower came apart so I use it as it was for a change, bling added.  I also twilled the wire from the flowers.

 Angels, hearts, butterflies, birds added all reflecting who Sharray was.  The white fluff bits are bits of a stretchy bandage I cut up & teased out.  Took a few coats of gesso to cover the colours.

I add the word "devoted".  This is it just 

before I applied colour.

  

The finished piece I really pleased with it.

  Thanks to Creative Jumpstart 2014  (www.nathaliesstudio.com)

I used the pointy end of a skewer to add the lines in the 

clip.  First up I painted Copper on the edges & in a bit.  Covering the photo I sprayed mustard seed around it.  Brushed sage & evergreen bough, some with perfect pearls green patina in it were used for the rest of the area.  I then sprayed granite in some areas to tone it down & applies perfect pearls heirloom gold on the watch.  With a tiny brush I added accents of copper throughout the canvas.  

Its going to look lovely hanging on 

my wall in my photo gallery.