The Table

This is the table that I've been working on since the end of 2019. It was a set of two and I will talk about the first table I did further down. It taught me how failure is okay and theres usually a new way that will work. If you've been following me for a while, then you know that one of my first mediums I worked with was alcohol ink that I fused on to glass. It was one of those Pinterest hacks that I found one day during the summer of 2017. Anyway, when I spotted this table set at 2nd Ave(thrift store), I knew I had to get them. The glass in the middle was removable and it would be a perfect surface for the inks. I still only just barely consider myself an artist, though I'm becoming more and more comfortable with the term. I'll write about that in another post. Anyway, that was my first real experience with "failure" as an artist. It was my first time doing a project like that. When you paint on a canvas or another surface, theres not much that can go wrong(I have a post for that too lol), however, there was so much that I didn't realize when deciding how I was going to paint this table.

This is the first attempt at the table. I used Rust-Oleum 2X Matte Black spray paint. It worked very well and gave the wood a nice coating. I didn't sand the table at all. Just a nice coat of paint. I did one coat a day for about 3 days. I wanted to glue the white canvas sheet to the glass/table, so I bought Liquid Nails ***SEALER*** Big oops!! I think that stuff is for bathtubs. I don't know. But I do know that it did NOT work for what my vision was. So, on to the next option. My boyfriend told me I should try spray-adhesive. I tried to get the paper off but as the product states, it was nailed on. So, when I started on the second table, I got some of the spray-adhesive. It worked much better, but it left some spider webby stuff when it dried. It worked really well though!

The idea and color palette came to me while I was taking a relaxing shower. For me, the shower is where I think up all of my creative ideas. I got out of the shower and immediately went to the store for my colors. Originally, I wanted to go for a matte look, however, I ended up using a gloss top coat and I loved it! This table really tested me lol. The black went on fine but the other colors weren't as cooperative. They would bubble and peel and it just was NOT working for me. I probably did something wrong along the way but who knows. I decided to sand the legs and sides(the top checkerboard was fine), and repaint with some latex wall paint. It worked much better. There was still a little bit of peeling, but that was only in spots that I know the paint was probably too thick and when I peeled off the tape, some of the paint went with it.

This is an attempt of using the black latex paint over the spray paint. You can see it isn't very clean.

In the beginning of quarantine, I was having a hard time staying inspired and creative. My mom suggested that I make the unfinished room in our basement(which we call "The Unfinished Room") into an art studio/calm place for me. I will be writing another blog post along with posting another youtube video of a studio tour. I moved the table and that's when the ball really got rolling. I repainted the whole bottom white and then went over it in blue, pink, and yellow. My friend Liam(a very talented artist) told me that the colors were like the CMYK color scheme that printers use. Maybe that's why my eyes like it so much. I don't know.

Overall, I worked on this table for probably around 2-3 months and am very happy with the result! I'm excited to share my next project with you guys ☺

Until next time,

Sarah