Ceci n'est pas une poolshed.

May 6, 2007 2:47 PM

I'd like suggestions for a seascape/dreamscape in pastel/seashell colours that may or may not include shells, but hopefully includes water that I can paint on the wall of the pool shed/poolside shaded sitting area.

What I'm looking for is this:

-something with a landscape alignment, hopefully around the proportions of that handy text entry box at the bottom of your screen.

-something that will look okay not in direct sunlight. It's under the roof of a pool shed, so is kind of in a dim area.

-something that I can easily grid to upsize, with somewhat simple shapes.

-something that will be visually interesting without a lot of gradients or itsy bitsy details. some detail is fine, but I'd prefer to not spend the rest of my life painting this wall.


What my tasteless father is going to want: pastel colours. Seashells. general beachy theme. I'm not too big on boats or people being in this. If you suggest a standard landscape, I'd like it to be something with some visible ground on the viewer's side, some water, and a definite horizon with some sky. Ideally, I'd like one of magritte's out of bounds seascapes, but I can't seem to find one that's vaguely landscape aligned.

Thanks for your suggestions!

posted by Glitter Ninja to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

art.com's beach and ocean category for a large selection of posters. They also have related easily searchable categories.

Monet beach

Hopper sailboat

flat, bright picture-postcard style? I realize this one has people in it, but you can look through the category of these (see link toward bottom of page) for inspiration if you like the flat colorful style.

something with palm trees or adirondack chairs
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:23 PM on May 6, 2007

A few more in the vintage travel poster style. These are all portrait-oriented, so would require a bit of creative work to fill in what the rest should look like, but they give you some stylistic and color ideas that are pastel but with classic forms:
-trees in foreground on one side
-more trees in foreground as framing device; yellow clouds
-tropical flowers and giant palm fronds
-stylized palm trees
-European lake, with tall narrow pines
-tall stylized palms as framing device, flat beach
-portico and ivy as framing device; red palette; multicolor boats
-another portico with flowers as framing device
-very nice form for ocean waves lapping a beach
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:59 PM on May 6, 2007

You might also try googling "mural poolside" or related terms. There are a lot of people who paint murals for a living - a lot of them not very good IMO -- so they have websites with pics. You can get a sense of what works and what doesn't.
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:08 PM on May 6, 2007

You should check out the decorative painting forum at WetCanvas. Lots of nice mural work there.

Under the Sea

Palm Trees and Beach

Tropical Breezeway

Tropical Delight

There are so many more - most artists will post the work in progress so you can scroll through the whole process. It's very inspirational.
posted by Ostara at 6:06 PM on May 6, 2007