Last summer, a friend of mine – Anthony {who is related by marriage} suggested to me that my reproduction Mora clock in the entry would look great if it was painted red. I would have never considered that color in a million years – I have zero red accents in my house. I love the color – but it never happened in my decor. Now, Anthony is not just a casual observer who puts in his two cents…he is an artist and a designer and I have great respect for his talent and ideas. Red would be such a radical change! But – I did have this small reproduction Mora clock that I bought when I was first starting to stage homes for sale. Maybe that could be my test case!
So, I had some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint left over from another project…so I dove in. I paiinted the body in Emperor’s Silk and the moldings in Versailles. Then I did some distressing.
Then I started to do a little bit of research on various motifs that would be seen on authentic Mora clocks. Several years ago I bought a fantastic book “Handbook of Decorative Motifs,” by Birthe Koustrup – a Danish artist. This book is a great resource for any painter or designer. The book has so many great motifs in it – so I highly recommend it. But, there were two pages on Swedish design that interested me for this project. There were bouquets and garlands from paintings in the Zorn Museum of Mora (in Dalecarlie). I wanted something authentic for the center panel. I also look up some other designs online and a few that could be placed elsewhere on the clock.
Pic of the bouquet…pic of the book
I first did the center design the same size as it was in the book – big mistake. It looked jumbled and crowded and I spent the better part of Saturday afternoon doing this. Waste. Of. Time. But – lesson learned. So I painted over it, enlarged the pattern and deleted some of it so it would fit – and traced the S-shaped vine and made circles where the flowers would go and repainted again. I just added two more flowers – one on the top and the other on the bottom to fill out the design. Much better.
I wasn’t happy with a few of the flowers, so I changed the orange ones to Yellow Ochre and did my own design within it. Nice thing about Folk Art – and Swedish Folk Painting in particular – is that their florals are fanciful and not true to life – very representative. It’s really a lot of fun painting flowers like these!
I had to add a date to the piece, of course. I remembered seeing one Mora clock with “1896,” so I put that date in the small center molding panel on the front. I used the font Blackadder and sized it up to 72 pts. This font seemed the most naïve to me, so it worked.
Trying to figure out where it goes!
I added some other scrolls etc to the sides – and I used some Dark Brown Faux Crème Color with a little bit of water to age some of the corners and motifs. I haven’t waxed it yet – but I will probably use some Annie Sloan Clear Wax and then if it needs a bit more age – I’ll add some Dark Wax to it.
Mama and baby Mora clocks!
I hope you like it – it was fun to do. I am especially thrilled to be able to do some close up work now. As some of you know, I had some eye surgery last week to correct an exo-tropism that had been plaguing me for the past year. Better known as a lazy eye, this malady of mine should have been picked up when I was a kid but the doctors seem to think I just had great muscle control for many, many years. It started to really affect my vision in the last year or so – my depth perception kept getting worse and worse. As an artist, when your eyes begin to go – it’s very depressing. My eyesight is still a but blurry because the surgery was so recent – but every day I am seeing better and better. The surgery even improved my general eyesight. Unbelievable! Now – if only they could do something about the pain right after the operation…
To read about how I antiqued the Mora clock in my entry, click here
Sharing this with…Miss Mustardseed; Between Naps on the Porch; Savvy Southern Style; Power of Paint; Katherine’s Corner; My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia; Under the Table and Dreaming; Liz Marie Blog; House of Hepworths; The Shabby Creek Cottage; The 36th Avenue; Ivy and Elephants; Redoux; Romantic Home; French Country Cottage; Be Colorful, One Project Closer
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Oh your little clock is darling and what a beautiful paint job you did. The little flowers look amazing!
be a sweetie,
Shelia 🙂
Thanks Sheila. I appreciate your comment. It was fun to do and I love it better now that it’s not black and boring. I will check out your blog.
Linda
I love this! It looks so Scandanavian.
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Hi! Thanks so much. That’s what I was aiming for! I appreciate your lovely comment!
Linda
What a unique and lovely post. I love the size and color contrast between the two clocks.
I’m visiting today from Thursday’s Favorite Things.
Rosey recently posted..I am a Co-Host at Katherine’s Corner Today, WooHoo!
Hi Rosey! Thanks for your lovely comment. I appreciate it. How was co-hosting with Katherine? She’s wonderful. I am thinking of doing it as well- so let me know!
Linda
Wow, you did a wonderful job on the clock! I would be scared to go red too, but this looks great!
Saw you sharing at the Power of Paint Party
Debbie 🙂
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Hi Debbie – thans so much for commenting! Yes, red is a scary color – and I haven’t figured out yet if I want the entry clock to be that color yet or not. I guess I will have to find some more of these small Swedcish clocks – and do some more colors! Thanks again for stopping by. I will hop over to read your latest post!
Linda
Oh I love it! Red ! So cute !
Thanks so much for commenting!
Linda
OH WOW!! That turned out absolutely fabulous!! Wonderful makeover… and what a big difference by making it red! Your friend made a good call! I’m always afraid to add red in my decor because I don’t think it’s me… but funny enough last night I had a dream that a friend of mine suggested I paint my little side table red! And now I’m seriously considering it…LOL! Pinning this clock… wonderful inspiration!
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Thank you so much for your most enthusistic comments! Love this! Yes – red…who would have thought. I love it too! Glad you are considering the color as well. Thanks again for coming to the blog and commenting! And – pay attention to your dreams!
Linda
What a magical make over on the mini clock. The larger flowers do look better, surprising what a difference it made. So has this convinced you to paint your larger clock red? Keep us posted. Thanks so much for stopping by, Laura
Thanks for your comments Laura. I am seriously considering painting my entry clock red – but still a little gun shy. But – since painting the mini clock, I am getting closer to a decision! If I hate it – I can always paint over it!
Thanks…Linda
Your miniature mora clock is just beautiful! I had a decorative painting business for many years and did a lot of folk art painting similar to your clock. I got burnt out and haven’t really done much painting in recent years, but seeing your clock makes me want to pull out the old paintbrushes again! Thanks for sharing your project!
Visiting from Ivy and elephants.
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Thanks Vickie – yes, get out your paintbrushes. Sometimes when I am painting a lot for clients – I do less and less in my own home. But since I was recuperating from surgery, I had some time on my hands and I was going a bit batty at home! So – I took on a small project and I am really glad I did. I still am not sure if my entry clock will get the red treatment – but I am seriously considering it now! Thanks!
Linda
Love it!
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Thanks so much!
I love the miniature mora! Your paint skills are amazing! It looks like a true antique!
Thanks so much for sharing it and inspiring us.
Hugs,
Patti
Thanks Patti – I loved doing it and sharing it with you!
Linda
Beautiful! I love the Mama and the baby!
Karen
Hey Karen – thanks for commenting! They do make a cute pair, right?
Linda
I went a bit gaga for your delightful red clock and featured it tonight on this week’s Motivated Monday at BeColorful. Thanks for sharing.
p
BeColorful recently posted..Motivated Monday March 4th
Hi! I am so sorry I am only seeing this comment now. But – I did post on Facebook that I was featured on your blog. Thanks so much for always hosting your great party. It helps get the word out.
Thanks for featuring me!
Linda
great work – you can see 60 great painted mora clocks at http://www.swedishinteriordesign.co.uk/swedish-antiques/mora-clocks.html.
YOu can get some great painting ideas from the original paint shown on may of the mora clocks
The hand painted clocks happens to be an indispensable option to add to the elegance of your home. Your home avails an alluring outlook as you look forward to the wall painted clocks.