Screen Door/Window Musings

I love finding old rusty screens or screen doors with rustic chippy painted frames.  I loved the way they looked, but at first, I really didn't know what I was going to do with them.

I decided to try to paint on the screens. I looked up painting old screens and saw that it was an old folk art form in Baltimore. Supposedly, it was started by a produce merchant whose produce was wilting in the hot Baltimore sun. (Isn't that the name of their newspaper?!?)

He took his produce inside, but still wanted potential customers to know that he was selling produce, so he painted products on the outside of the screens of his store. He could see out, but others saw what looked to be display cases of his produce. 

Then others started painting their screens on the outside so they could have privacy during the day even if the windows and drapes were open.

Today there is a non-profit in Baltimore set up to preserve the art that almost disappeared with the advent of air-conditioning. Their slogan: "You see out. No one sees in."

My first projects were very simple - one color as seen in the rooster painting.

I have done a couple more, both cows, one looking in a window, the other waiting at your screen door. These are not designed to replace any screens or doors but to be art in themselves. They need to be hung on a solid wall or door so there is no light behind them. If there is bright light behind them, the art disappears.

All three of the above are sold, most recently, the full screen door one. She is now living in Colorado.

I recently found another old rusty screen door, and I am getting excited thinking about what to paint on it.

This screen is not in as bad a shape as my earlier ones in that it there are no holes in the screen. What I love are the two aqua bars going across it. I am thinking I will try to paint a horse on this one. I will keep you posted.