A new take on old growth
Columbus, Ohio
Bellallusions – “I knew from the beginning that this wall would be unique.”
Time takes on a different scale when you look at the rings of a tree.
You can see decades in a space the size of your pinkie finger. It has a way of putting your life into perspective. We live for such a short period of time compared to these wooden goliaths.
Antje Chenoweth draws on 25 years of experience when she sets out to make one of her unique creations. She uses a variety of unusual techniques and tools to produce stunning results.
“I knew from the beginning that this wall would be unique,” Chenoweth said. “My client wanted a very creative art wall. I realized quickly that this wall treatment would take some time to create and finesse and would be a true labor of love.”
Working in collaboration with designer Michelle Sanders-Osborne of KP Design Group, they came up with a concept inspired by the modern lodge-like home. It would be a recreation of a slice from a massive tree, complete with concentric rings.
First she prepped the space by taping off walls, trim, and ceiling and applying a coat of Zinsser Gardz. Next she applied a black basecoat and determined the position for the “tree” she envisioned.
To make it look natural, Antje ripped and cut tape to create uneven edges. She then painted a layer of dark brown base paint and recreated the circular pattern of growth rings, using chalk as a guide when applying plaster.
“Before I could apply the plaster, I added pins to the different start and end points of the cracks to make it possible to locate the tape once layers of plaster had been applied.”
Multiple layers of plaster brought out the relief and helped to create the appearance of chop marks from an ax.
Overall, it took Antje 12 days to create the art piece. The most difficult parts were shaping the plaster and not losing the tape during the build out. The client was effusive in their praise.
“Having a client who sees my work as art and not just as an interior design element was great,” Chenoweth said. “She even had me sign the wall!”
Products Used
- Zinsser Gardz primer
- Faux Effects paint, plasters, colorants and glazes
- Lots of yellow FrogTape
