Restoration of Authentic German Hope Chest

AFTER- TOP VIEW

This is an authentic German Hope chest, which a friend of a friend asked me to restore. It was built in 1934, has German writing on the inside, and a unique painting on the top. It was severely damaged in shipment from Germany to the United States.

I had to repaint mostly the entire orange area on the lid; it was so damaged.....the customer did not want me to do too much to destroy the authenticity of the piece- and I believe I was true to his wishes.

AFTER- FRONT VIEW

This is the front view of the chest; and hopefully the areas that I had to repaint blends into the rest well. The entire corners and sides had to be sanded down in many areas. I then applied acrylic gesso, then matched the colors and painted one color at a time. The green area was very difficult because there are five variations of the green that had to be matched.

BEFORE- FRONT VIEW

BEFORE- FRONT/INSIDE VIEW

This is the first time I have ever undertaken this type of furniture "restoration". With patience and attention to detail, it can be done properly; and look even better than before.

Upcoming Events: 2 outdoor shows

Sunday June 08, 2008- Community Faire and Car Show, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Lake Minsi Drive, Bangor, PA. This is a Church sponsored event, and my own artwork will be displayed, along with a few other artists and crafters. This is also a car show, which should help to attract customers!

It is very beneficial to be involved in your community, and participate in events such as these. Church is a place where you can also make connections, and gain potential customers!

This event was a fun event and a success; I was able to sell one item.

Sunday, June 15, 2008- 2008 River Rites Music and Art Festival, an ACE, Arts Community of Easton Event, Riverside Park, Easton, PA. This is a Juried event; paintings and other craft items to be displayed. This will be the first year I am able to participate in this event, and from what I have heard from my fellow ACE members, brings alot of visitors to the area.

It is free and open to the public. There will also be a full schedule of music at the amphitheatre starting at noon, in addition to the arts and crafts booths.

For more information, please visit: www.eastonart.net/RiverRites/

This is a view of my set-up with a free-standing display. It was a reqirement of this particular show; but I would recommend it to any serious artist who does not want their work to fall in the wind. It is very heavy to transport, but it's worth it not to have anything get damaged from the wind blowing.

This is the view down the river, looking at the "Free Bridge" between Easton, PA and Phillipsburg, NJ. The park is located just to the side of the main bridge on rt. 22.

This is a view of some of the other vendor's set-ups.
Although I did not sell anything at this event, it was a good opportunity for me to network with other artists, and I even did a little sketching and painting, and started working on a collaborative painting I will be doing with another fellow artist. Here is a good tip for those of my fellow artists who often participate in outdoor events such as these: have multiple small items for sale, $20.00 and under; because most of the people who attend these type of shows do not wish to spend alot of money at one time.