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Shaker-Style Mural Painting

Bob checks in with artist Polly Forcier from MB Historic Decor to get an update on some of the home's decorative painting. Forcier is working on a Colonial-style mural inspired by the work of Rufus Porter, an itinerant painter from the 19th century. Forcier has chosen the dining area just outside the sunroom as the location for her mural. The natural sunlight pouring through the windows serves as a reference point for the highlights in her mural. She uses charcoal to outline the mural's design and then begins painting. For the details, such as the scene's houses and trees, Forcier uses a series of nine stencil overlays. To apply the paint, Polly uses a special stenciling brush employing a rotating stroke rather than stippling the paint on.
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Shaker-Style Mural Painting

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" What we're doing here is. Creating a mural on the wall right off the kitchen that will hearken back to early colonial era and and even early nineteenth century."

" Murals there was a famous mural is right Polly that's right thing was Rufus Porter yeah he traveled around in that New Hampshire Massachusetts and Maine an itinerant an itinerant painter and eight. Did many murals hundreds of murals on wall a lot of what you do is inspired by his work exactly I've studied his work at CNN houses I've taken pictures and I've taken tracing now behind you."

" We already have the beginnings of the scene the sky it's a sunrise and that's where you have the pink and then you have a horizon which involves water. And again assault. Based on this."

" Rufus Porter chose a source of light and window that was close to the wall and used that as a source of light so that everything that would be. For light being from that direction everything on the left hand side of the narrow will be highlighted with yellow or lighter color. "

" So now we're painting right over the blue right over the blue to create the hillside effect something else. Now earlier you took charcoal. And plotted out the lines of the different forms the right the horizon line the mountains that will be in the distance. The hills that are in the foreground and then in the middle you're gonna be using stencils to. Put in. A village of houses right that's right now clearly this is not the kind of project that you're gonna get done in five or ten minutes. The next part of it involves getting these two White House's in place and here you're gonna be stenciling --"

" There -- nine over relates to the nine inch nine OK that's good start okay. It right into the paint -- white paint here we're going to do the sunny sides of the buildings first OK so going to do the white and then we'll do the shaded side of the -- By adding just tiny bit of black hood can make it correct. As important to use that kind of a brush well this is essential to central -- it's time it's it's fairly soft. And I prefer the method of rotation. To the -- our on occasion I do use a stiff going happen. But this is a faster way of going. And getting them."

" This is actually number three stencil which will. Add yellow."

" OK now see this little thought yeah right there yeah that's very important that these be exactly lined up. Okay. -- And so sorry -- house. And it goes right over the green you made over the screen it doesn't really cover all that well but you won't notice that when we're through because there are loads of windows and details details that goal."

" Right now comes in the next success successive. Overlay that's right yes and now all of these stencils where they're sprayed on the back with a -- that it's so that they stick to the -- yes there."

" And these are the brick chimneys coming in house is going to be the house the brick chimney I'm going to actually do what they write or read brighter red cast."

" Paula this is going to be absolutely great. It's getting there we'll check back with you a little bit later. But Polly this is gonna take you a few more hours yes it is for us a lot of detail work fantastic congratulations. It's beautiful beautiful work."

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