San Jose ART BOX - in the Rose Garden :

   

It's always a fun challenge to take on a project.

So that's just what I did!

This past Spring I painted an Art Box.

Whats that, you ask?

In my home town we have a wonderful program called

the San Jose Art Box Project

for artists to paint one of the many electrical boxes throughout our city. 

I was lucky enough to paint one inside the

historical Rose Garden.

The electrical box is actually located inside the grounds

of the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden on Naglee Ave.

My design concept was based off roses, ofcourse!

I was also influenced by the history of the garden

and incorporated a 1930's theme.

 I wanted to capture the different stages of roses

and designed those elements within my overall concept.

Each of the four sides and the top of the electrical box

would have a different rose found in the Rose Garden.

Staying true to my aesthetic, the roses needed to be

drawn in a style that represents my artwork.

Obviously, creating texture was not in the cards. 

But I still wanted them to have some sort of

structure and line-work, that I love.

The following are the final designs done with markers,

that I presented to the Rose Garden. 

Then I began my "templates" drawn to scale,

for the each of the sides of the box.

The family represents the 1930's theme, I was inspired by 

postcards printed at that time.  

The parents and young girl are taking a stroll through

the rose garden possibly on a Sunday afternoon.

So now the prep-work.  I taped and primed the surface of

the electrical box before drawing on my designs.

I thought it looked pretty cool after the first

side was drawn on.  It took longer that expected, ofcourse.

Here's a view from the street outside the Rose Garden.

  

I started painting the leaves, keeping it monochromatic.

Besides the occasional bug crawling in the paint, 

and the wind drying my palette,

It rained a few days as well...

 One day I painted inside a pop-up canopy.  

It worked until the wind picked up again!

 This is where I spent every weekend that I had free,

between two big art shows, family-life and a part-time job.

Just a stop a Starbucks for my Iced-Soy Latte

and I'm good for a few hours!

 

The yellow rose on the top, was one of

my favorite designs for this project.

My husband gives them to me on

our anniversary. :)

Here are some completed close-up details

showing my line-work which defines the

shapes and structures of the 

rose petals, leaves and thorns: 

 

 Rose-hips and Thorns!

 English Roses are another favorite of mine,

all those petals!

 

So here it is all completed. 

I wanted to keep the background soft and neutral,

so it would not compete with the rose designs.

It was finished with a few coats of varnish.

 

 This is my Joseph's Coat Rose, there is one just beyond

the box climbing on a fence close by. 

 So now it's off to a new project!

I hope my Art Box in the Rose Garden stays for many years,

and brings joy to those who visit!

I feel very fortunate to be so lucky for such an honor.

It was all worth it!

My art to yours,

Yvette