“Why chairs?”, a few people have asked. The simple answer is that many of us have old chairs in our basements that could be cleaned up and re-decorated, all at very little cost. And even if you don’t have an old chair to re-do, they are easy to find at garage sales, thrift shops, or possibly from a neighbour happy to do some decluttering. And I'm definitely agreeable with  repurposing old, mundane chairs, giving them an updated and much more interesting look, and maybe displaying them in my garden for the summer months.
 
We tend to take chairs for granted, so why not show one the appreciation it deserves and give it a makeover. An old chair is like a canvas on which to apply paint or fabric or photos, maps, ephemera, writing, buttons or whatever materials you may have on hand. And every chair has a past. Was it a favourite chair in your childhood? Did it belong to a grandparent or other relative? What room was it originally intended for, and where does it now reside? I've just finished updating a hand-me-down wooden kitchen chair that has been a fixture in my studio for several years. Since it already had lots of paint spots on it, well, it seemed fitting to expand on those spots and add a variety of paint colours. I then gave the chair a voice by adding several motivational sayings.

I'm excited by the variety of ideas being expressed by people for their chair makeovers. And if you don't yet have the inspiration for your chair, fear not, as I am putting together a list of suggestions for next week's blog which will hopefully lead to a theme you would like to adopt.

For more information on the Chair project visit  www.navanarts.com

We'vee been talking up this Decorate a Chair project with businesses and groups in the community and I'm excited that so many people are interested in participating. 

Ideas for decorating are already starting to flow and I can't wait to see the finished projects. Seems we have close to 15 chairs committed already from individuals, a few businesses, and at least 2 groups in Navan. A huge shout out to Sheila for helping to promote this project. I would love to see 30 or 40 chairs on the lawn by the curling club during our art show weekend. 

Below are Doreen and I in her studio starting work on our chairs. 

The details will be out within a week and the official announcement - stay tuned for that. 

​Happy creating, 

Wow it’s been quite a while since I’ve blogged, but I’m getting back on track again as I have a a new project in the works and wanted to start sharing info on it. 

The project began as we in the Navan Fine Arts Group were looking for new ideas for our annual fine arts exhibition & sale in Navan planned for April 2016 - and came up with the idea to get people in the community to decorate chairs - individuals, families, businesses, clubs, etc., - any kind of chair – kitchen, lawn, doll, office etc. using any materials such as paint, collage, fabric - and bring it to our show in April. What a visual feast this could be to see 10, 20, 30 or even 40 chairs on the lawn outside the curling club venue. And fascinating to see all the ideas people come up with. We're looking at having some people's choice awards with categories for kids and adults, but more on this to follow another time.

Then what we would really like to see after the show is some of the chairs displayed by the businesses along our main street – places to sit, ponder, chat with a friend, some just for display– and more chairs at the residences around our village. We also hope to collect some supplies such as crayons, pencil crayons, or recycled-type things like wrapping paper, birthday or Christmas cards, etc. for the local school's Primary Program.

There are still many details to be worked out, and we are needing volunteers to help with planning and throughout the weekend of the event.

I’m already encouraged about potential participation as I watch people and groups get excited about ideas to decorate their own chair. Why chairs? Because they are easy to find at garage sales, thrift stores, and basements. How many of us have old chairs cluttering up our basements that could be put to good use. 

This could give new meaning to “When is a Chair not just a Chair”, as we look beyond the chair surfaces and find each chair's true meaning and colours. I can’t wait to see what our community members come up with.

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