Sunday, August 1, 2010

the big orange chair

the big orange chair by Lynn Krawczyk


I am a child of the seventies. Orange, gold, green and brown - this color combo makes a lot of people cringe but me? I love love love them.

My mother decorated the house we lived in when I was small in this color scheme. Including the little t.v. room where I watched Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and Sesame Street. What I remember clearest is the big orange chair that I would sit in, nap in, read in.

It was orange velvet, custom made to fit the space and followed us to the next house when we moved. The walls of my little t.v. room were painted gold and mom put up hanging plants with macrame plant holders suspending them from the ceiling.

I tried to incorporate all these things in this piece. I used thermofax screens to scuff print the background fabrics and then assembled them in my collage style. I then used a thermofax screen for the chair and printed the darker orange outline. I painted in the middle sections with two other shades of orange with paint that had low opacity so that the background fabric would show through.

I find my love of these colors creeping into much of my life even now. I just painted the lower half of my bedroom walls a pumpkin orange and the top half a linen color. I wear a lot of earth tone colors including olive green and brown.

These colors will always be home to me. Me and the big orange chair.

9 comments:

  1. Orange is my favorite color as well! I wear alot of it. I also go for green, but in the bright lime variety! Love your chair!

    Lisa Kay

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  2. Not my favorite colors, but a great 'reminiscent' piece. I so much appreciated all the techniques you used in making it. I think every house had a 'chair'... we had one that eventually one of our kids took when the babies started coming. It was oversized, great for reading, sleeping or just curling up in and relaxing. Thank you for that little bit of history.

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  3. I love me some orange, too. Goes well with my hair!! I like this piece, too. Evokes a sense of a homey place.

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  4. This is a very cool piece, and that chair looks so comfy. You know, I don't know beans about screening or thermofaxing, so between Lisa's piece and yours, I guess I'm just going to have to get me some education!
    Sue

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  5. I second Sue's comment. Need to learn more about your techniques! We didn't have an orange chair but our kitchen counters were that orange colored formica. Brings back memories!

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  6. While not a huge fan of orange, I want to curl up on that chair! I love this piece. The colors take me back!

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  7. Lynn, Love your screen prints. Your piece made me remember our different living rooms growing up...I wonder what ever happened to my favorite chair? Great job.

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  8. Yes, my flat was also in brown, beige and orange - I too love orange.
    And thermofax screens - they are so handy. I love them too. I wonder how you did have your chair darker and brighter orange?

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  9. Love how we all react to colors and how orange brings out strong reactions. Not my favorite either.....can still see my orange "office". The point being, you did something you loved. Good for you for going there, translating your feelings with fabric. That's what it is all about!

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