Da Aloha Chair(s)

I found 3 chairs abandoned on a curb, that appeared to be from the 70's (maybe earlier). They had a nostalgic mustard colored vinyl fabric on the seats and backrests and were made of sturdy and very heavy wood. They looked a little disheartened, so close to the road and I felt that they would be perfect candidates for upcycling and a touch of art.


Regretfully, I was only able to fit 2 in the back of my car because my surfboard argued that it would make a much better girlfriend than 2 chairs. No argument there!

The cushioning material in the seats and backrests were worn out and once removed, each chair was half the weight. I decided to leave them off and replace them with leftover pallet wood from my #dapipe13chair project and this would allow me to apply stain, paint, or varnish. (If anyone is interested in the seat and backrest, message me.)

I sat for a while, beer in hand, pondering how to create a rigid backrest that had a contour and decided to string fencing wire through each of the 4 backrest panels.  This would allow a person's weight to adjust the curvature. I also decided that I would paint a few images of Hawaii using acrylic paint and with my friend, Risa's influence, I added some texture to Diamond Head using a small painter's spatula.

I am currently working on the second chair and decided to up the ante on detail.  As soon as I am done, I'll post a few pictures.  I'm new to painting acrylic and am discovering all the nuances with applying paint, different brushes, shading, mixing paint, and the list keeps growing.  I haven't painted on a canvas yet but, I imagine that it must be easier than painting on the many faces and crevices of a chair.  I have found myself lying on my back, on my side, and bending around the chair, to continue a brush stroke.  All those yoga classes have helped!  Once I have the second chair completed, I plan to apply a clear coat on both chairs to preserve the artwork, then who knows.  Maybe they will be up for sale.  =)  Aloha!