Cut Out + Keep

Turning A Lampshade Into Mixed Media Art

My business partner Ann can make art out of anything, including lampshades!

https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/turning-a-lampshade-into-mixed-media-art • Posted by sarah.trumpp

I hang a lot of art in my house, but less than one per cent of it is my own. When I do display my own work, I like to sneak it in on unexpected surfaces, without taking up precious wall space. For example, my bedside table lamp. I had an absolute ball turning my lampshade into a piece of functional mixed media art - and you can do the same thing!

You will need

Project Budget
Cheap

Time

2 h 00

Difficulty

So-so
Medium 102602 2f2014 06 14 041740 mml%2bpicture%2bone

Description

I hang a lot of art in my house, but less than one per cent of it is my own. When I do display my own work, I like to sneak it in on unexpected surfaces, without taking up precious wall space. For example, my bedside table lamp. I had an absolute ball turning my lampshade into a piece of functional mixed media art - and you can do the same thing!

Instructions

  1. Small 102602 2f2014 06 14 042009 mml%2bpicture%2btwo wonderstrange

    Prep your shade. If you're starting with a paint base, apply a sparing coat of gesso. If you're starting with papers, glue those down.

  2. Small 102602 2f2014 06 14 042101 mml%2bpicture%2bthree wonderstrange

    Make your masterpiece! Use anything and everything that you would on any other mixed media piece, whether you traditionally work on canvases or in your art journal. I started by attaching various papers followed by anatomical images and a copy of an organ transportation label.

  3. Small 102602 2f2014 06 14 042319 mml%2bpicture%2bfour wonderstrange

    Since the lampshade sits by our bed, I decided to make this mixed media piece all about our relationship, which is (I confess) a very mushy, gushy affair. I turned the Eyes label into a sort of rainbow, and I plastered the piece with hearts. And I’m really not a heart person!

  4. Small 102602 2f2014 06 14 042416 mml%2bpicture%2bfive wonderstrrange

    I gave all of the neutral areas a quick wash with a warm orangey-yellow

  5. Small 102602 2f2014 06 14 042533 mml%2bpicture%2bsix wonderstrange

    I used a spray sealant and put it back onto my lamp base where it commands attention even from across the room!