I’ve been painting on driftwood recently…resulting in some trout and fly fishing art. This fall I moved a little desk into our living room and made a little painting nook for myself:
Since then I’ve gotten a lot more painting done because I can sit down here and there to work on various projects:
I’m not a fish person but I love the colors in the rainbow trout and so that’s been my muse for now:
This one is a pretty large piece:
Another piece with a vintage fishing lure on it:
This piece of driftwood had the ripples of the lake in it already:
I made this piece of wood into a tin full of flies:
I love how it turned out with the variety of colors:
This is a tiny piece of wood I could and I added some flies to it as well:
This piece of driftwood almost had the grain of a feather in it already so that’s what I painted:
Someone asked me if I could include a little note with her piece, with the story of where it came from. I loved that idea so I’ve just been included it with every single piece now:
Most of these have already been sold but I’m constantly adding things to my Etsy shop each day. My New Year’s resolution is to try and paint something every single day, no matter how big or small!
A quick note about driftwood: it takes a while to prepare the driftwood for painting. This is a really quick overview but basically I scrub each piece and then soak it for at least two days in a solution of bleach water to kill any bacteria, fungus or bugs that might be living in the wood. It bobs…so I usually have to use a cinderblock to hold it all under the surface of the water!
After I’m sure all the icky stuff has been removed I drain the wood and set it out to dry, categorized by size. Once it’s kind of dry I set it in our basement with the dehumidifier until all the moisture as been removed.
I usually prepare the surface of the painting with white or gray gesso so that it will keep the paint from separating over time. Driftwood is very porous and the pigment of the paint will separate from it’s binder over a long period of time. I also seal each piece with a polyurethane after it’s finished!
Lindsay Rogers says
That trout painting is beautiful!! I love your blog and am inspired every day by you and your endless creativity. Been reading since a couple of years before you left CA, and I really think the change that you and your family made is absolutely one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen. To decide your life was not what you wanted and to pick up and move with the faith that it would all work out is just amazing. So few of us even realize we are discontented, and those of us who do rarely if ever act upon it. My husband, daughter and I live in Hickory, NC, not too many hours from you. We have jobs we love but struggle with loving our little town. It has never felt like home to us. I know a major relocation like yours is not in the cards for us, but you inspire me to focus on the little things I can change, nurture, and create to make our home what we need it to be. Bryson City is a wonderful town, and I’m so glad you all have put down roots there. Our state is lucky to have thoughtful people like you, Brett, and Boo who are interested in making this place better!
Ashley Hackshaw says
Thank you so much Lindsay!
plynjyn says
Lindsay – My daughter lives in Hickory. She moved there from Ashville when she got married in 2015. She just told me I will be a grandmother in August. She loves Hickory…maybe you and she can connect. She is 31 years old.
Andrea says
What do you do with the little round balls that look like seed pods.
Ashley Hackshaw says
Those are “driftwood walnuts” and I don’t know yet 🙂
Melissa says
I love this idea! My favorite is the one with the feather. I enjoy reading your blog posts because I see a lot of your creativeness in myself too. I dabble in so many different things honestly at times it’s like I have creative ADD! Thank you for sharing this 🙂
momtaxijulie says
LOVE the feather! Beautiful!