I love handpainted furniture. At least I think I do. I love it until I actually confront having a commission and then I panic. I used to paint furniture and all sorts of other pieces (floorcloths, shadowboxes, et cetera) for my store, and as previously mentioned, by commission. But then I grew tired of it. Really tired of it, so I stopped. But lately…

I was scrolling through some old images of pieces I painted long ago and actually felt a desire to take it up again. For me, the pendulum swings between attempting a refined, traditional handpainted style or trying for a more primitive, stylized look. And sometimes I like to go for something altogether more contemporary (read: trendy), when taking on a handpainting project.

It’s been impossible for me to settle on a single style. In fact, feeling as though I should develop a single style, a painter’s identity, so to speak (such as repeatedly painting florals on white bureaus), is what killed the love for me a few years ago.

So now I’m just going with the flow. Feel like attempting a Fitz Henry Lane-style meticulous marine scene? Okay! I’ll try that! Would I rather paint stylized trees rendered against an acid green? Sounds great! So while my ability to brand myself as a decorative painter with an identifiable style suffers (no small thing if I’m going to market my stuff), at least I don’t get so bored and frustrated that I want to crush my paints with my forehead and snap all my paintbrushes into tiny pieces. And that’s worth something, right?

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