he sells seashells by the seashore

I thought I'd take a minute to share what Gunnar has been up to. 

When we were at the beach in June, Gunnar started fooling around with drawing and painting sand dollars. There's quite a collection of them in the cabin, so he would take each one and make a painting of it. The first one went to some friends for their baby's nursery, and a friend of ours loved them so much that she offered to sell them in her shop. 

Found is a treasure trove of vintage goodies, furniture, and local art/jewelry. She's in the middle of remodeling, and asked Gunnar to paint a huge sand dollar for the ramp between the rooms. This one is about 3'x5' in size. It's done with floor paint, and has about 8 coats of polyurethane over it. We went down for a day trip in July so he could paint it, and then we went home. She did the polyurethane and installation herself. We didn't get a chance to go back to see it installed until this week. 

It looked fabulous. It fits right into the shop and its vibe. However, when Gunnar walked in, she put her head in her hands and said "I'm so sorry! I ruined it!" She had been moving a sleeper sofa by herself and dropped it right on the piece, which broke through all of her layers of protection. She was mortified. Gunnar's response? "I think it looks even better this way. It belongs." 

So, those chipped edges will be sanded, and new poly applied. It will gradually be worn down, and someday he'll paint her another one. He's learning to put himself out there as an artist and figure out what works and what doesn't. He regroups and does it again. He explores new idea, new media, new techniques. He hones his aesthetic and his skills. 

As for me, I'm loving watching where this all goes. He has big dreams, that boy. I, for one, will put my money on him making them come true. 

Comments

[Lori]

those are fantastic! love! i would put my money on him, too. :)

[Jules]

I agree with Lori above! I would buy them via Etsy if he opened a shop. Maybe prints? He is very talented indeed, there is such beauty in the simplicity of how he has shown these. x

[Jane]

You must be (and should be) so proud! That's wonderful how he handled the 'enhancement' of the floor painting, and I fully agree :)

[Courtney]

What an amazing gift he has! And what a treat as his mama to watch it develop.

[Heather]

What an amazing lad.

[Kelly]

this is so very cool.

[miss chris]

beautiful! I can totally see this at Found... it's the perfect place for G's work. I'm so proud of him!

[cathygaubert]

it absolutely belongs! wow, sarah...your guy is so, so good. color me very impressed. an etsy shop would be a wonderful avenue to pursue.

[Amy L]

Love his work. He has a great eye.

[jill]

I've been lurking on your blog for a long time now. I had to delurk with this awesome post! What a positive, artistic young man. Nicely done on so many levels.

[emily]

Wow, these are really cool. And what a great response, too!