In case you missed my previous post, my Alice in Wonderland piano is on display this month at the Richmond Beach Library in Shoreline, WA. And it’s outside, so you can actually play it! 😛 There are 11 pianos on display along streets and in the parks of Shoreline, WA. A list of the locations is now available. You can download a map and read more about the pianos here.
The pianos will be on display for all of August. Hope you can stop by and check them out!
Looking mad as a hatter…
Piano Time in Shoreline, WA is back! While I didn’t have time to commit to painting a new piano this year, I’m proud to say that my Alice in Wonderland piano is out of hiding and has found the perfect home. For all of August, Wonderland will be on display at the Richmond Beach Library in Shoreline. I can’t think of a more appropriate home than a library! Best of all, it’s art you can touch. Visitors are welcome to come and play the piano. Unlike my cat, this toothy-grinned beast won’t bite…
Here is a link to all my Alice themed work, including progress photos from painting the piano: https://heatherunderground.com/category/alice-in-wonderland/
The Richmond Beach Library is located at 19601 21st Ave N.W., Shoreline, 98177
I finished the Alice In Wonderland piano for Shoreline, WA’s Piano Time street art project on July 30th. I did the project in under 2 weeks. There are things I would have liked to add that I simply did not have time to incorporate. And I ran into some trouble when I began to apply the varnish. Despite priming, I still saw the piano stain seep through in a few spots. UGH. That was aggravating! But overall, I’m thrilled with it.
I’m in awe of how much I accomplished in such a short time, especially because I’m really happy with the finished piece. It took summer camps and grandparents in babysitting overdrive, for me to have enough time to work. It makes a difference when I can work for several hours uninterrupted, and really get into the process.
below are images from the sides of the piano:
SInce the project ended, my children have both been home more or less full-time, and I’ve had a million ideas swirling in my head, but nothing has made it to a canvas. It is killing me a bit… I may lose my head! Believe me, I’m counting down the days until school starts!
the tea party and the piano closed (I had a design for the closed lid, but ran out of time – bummer!) oh, and thank you to the Graphics Fairy for the vintage chair backs!:
more details from the piano – drawer knob mushrooms, flamingo croquet piano bench legs, Play Me music stand, Cheshire eye:
I decorated all of the piano legs with bottles and hearts, (10 sides total):
smile!
Every time I’ve stopped by Central Market, I’ve witnessed impromptu concerts. I’ve loved hearing feedback from employees and passers-by. This project’s been so much fun! Here’s a little snippet of a performance by Beinuo Gong, who was returning to China soon after her concert. Thank you, Beinuo! (P.S. sorry about the squeaking grocery carts! lol…)
If you’d like to see other posts I did on this process, check these out:
Alice in Wonderland Street Piano Progress 1
Alice in Wonderland Street Piano Progress 2
Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter Doodles
Alice in Wonderland Brainstorming Doodles
Last week I volunteered to paint a 1938 Wurlitzer piano for the City of Shoreline’s street piano project. I was hoping for a really tall upright piano, because they have nice large flat panels for painting, but everyone wanted one of the few tall ones that were available, so I decided I’d give this one a shot. I had to reconsider some of my design ideas because its surfaces are very different, but I’m having a blast with it! Plus, mine came with a bench and an accordion-style keyboard cover, that has some interesting possibilities.
Before:
Primed and ready for paint:
If you’ve ever thought about painting a piano, don’t forget the prep work! I would have liked to… it’s a very forgettable experience. It took me and my lovely assistant (thanks mom!) two days to sand and prime the piano. I would have loved to skip this part, but didn’t for two reasons. One, the paint wouldn’t adhere well to the varnish, and two, I didn’t want the piano stain to bleed into my painting. For anyone interested in doing this, I used 220 grit sand paper and Glidden Gripper Primer.
Now for the fun part!
I only have about a week’s worth of time to get this done, due to my family’s summer schedule, but I’d devote every waking minute to it if I could.
There are some unique challenges painting a piano. It’s not easy to squeeze underneath the keyboard to paint, and drawing on a vertical surface, just inches off the floor is no easy feat either. While working on backs of the legs I discovered that my paint brushes are sometimes tooooo long and don’t fit! Anything that I could detach I removed and took home to spray paint. The clocks and lace above, are going to become the backdrop for a tea party if all goes well!
I love the space we are working in. It would make a nice studio. We are in a storefront of a former hardware store in the Richmond Beach Shopping Center. I’m working right up next the window. Lots of people come by to watch us paint, and stop in to ask questions. A professional house painter came in and critiqued my primer brush-stroke techniques – ha! and the mayor even stopped by to say hello!
I’ll post more progress photos soon! The pianos will be finished July 31, and will be on display starting August 2nd. Mine will be on display under an awning outside of Central Market. I’m really pleased with the venue, because there’s so much foot traffic there, and it’s an awesome market!
Hopefully in a about a week I will begin painting a street piano for the city of Shoreline. I haven’t met with anyone to go over the details yet, but I’ve decided I’d like to make it Alice in Wonderland themed if they’ll allow it.
So I’ve started playing around with faces and symbols related to Alice. No serious drawing, just doodling, mostly with (non-erasable, doh!) pen. Just to get my head in the right place.
More details on the piano soon.
HeatherUnderground 