Something's Fishy

Floor Featuring Faux Fishpond

I am often asked about a floor painting from years ago.  It was outside our studio, on the landing of cement steps, exposed to 3-digit hot temperatures, crazy rainy seasons, and heavy traffic.  I will talk a little about it, but we need to keep in mind there are better methods and materials for having your creations last longer on different surfaces.  

We let some very young students paint the floor just for fun.  When the artwork began to fade we decided to keep painting over it.  We changed the design constantly.  When we painted some goldfish on it, nobody wanted for us to change it again.  This is what we did:

1.  Primed
2.  Painted blue (outdoor house paint, latex-acrylic)
3.  Added a coat of floor polyurethane (water-based, clear)
4.  Painted orange & yellow fish (regular acrylic artist paint)
5.  Sealed with 2 more coats of polyurethane (won't yellow)

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photo @ my studio - open2art.com - by cmarieherrera

Many Years Later

The best angle to appreciate the illustrations was when looking from above as you crossed the landing.  You had to see it, it really looked like water, and all those fish looking at you, no wonder the kids loved it.  I liked it even more when the mural weathered and exposed more texture and interesting spots.  

Post by Joe's Puppet Show/Storytime Thing.

As I've mentioned before, I've always been a maker and not so much a picture-taker so I'm glad we can share this fun floor decor thanks to the photos taken by  Cristina  &  Joe. 

photo @ my studio - open2art.com - by cmarieherrera

 We have to talk later about what we did to the concrete stairs.