Inspiration in Provincetown

Last week my husband and I journeyed to The Cape for several sunny days filled with lobster!  One day my Father took us to visit Provincetown.  Provincetown, MA is a lovely town right at the tip of the Cape Cod curl. 

There seems to be a gallery every few feet as you walk down the main drag.  A wide range of tastes, styles, and mediums are represented.  I didn't, of course, take any photos in the galleries.  But Provincetown had plenty of lovely bits of inspiration right out on the street.

I stumbled across this fantastic etched glass window in a bright red door:

I love how there's even a mini Cape Cod curl in the design.  The door simply couldn't be anywhere but on The Cape!  And did you know that glass etching is something you can do quickly and easily at home?  (Check out this tutorial.)  It sure makes me wish I had a door with a window to try it out on!

I like the red and white color combo of the door and the house -- a combination which can also be found in this photo:

I think it's interesting how the red, white and blue of this building don't immediately make me think of a flag.  It's a good reminder that proportion of color really matters -- it's a mostly white palette, with a strong pop of red and some very small blue accents.

These buoys are another lesson in color theory.

Look at the beautifully contrasting colors on each of those bad boys: yellow and purple, orange and blue, red and blue, white and well...anything!  It's a colorful jumble of fun!

Speaking of fun...

It's a bench made of lobster traps and buoys!  Super fun!

I really loved this art gallery sign:

I think the letters are made from dried seaweed.  How perfect for a gallery right on the beach!

I try really hard to make sure that the embellishments I use on a scrapbook page reinforce the story of the page.  I always hope that the design does too.  Visual storytelling mixed with actual storytelling.  And that's just what this sign does.  It's hand made (art gallery) from seaweed (beach art gallery).  Love it!

The sea does terrible things to painted wood.  Terrible and wonderful things.

I love the texture and the layers of color.  I am reminded of an art journal page or a canvas covered in layers and scratched away to reveal portions of what is underneath.  I adore distressed layers.  You can easily achieve this look using the Vaseline "peeled paint" technique.  (And here's that same technique, but with a stencil.)

I saw this piece as I walked past a shop window.

I actually really like the photograph as a whole -- the reflection of the house in the shop window seems to strengthen the message of the art piece.  It's as if we can see what the figure is seeing.

This grainy photo may look like any vacation snapshot (all these photos, btw, were taken with my iPhone), but I see artistic inspiration in it.

All of those little boats!  I am somewhat pod obsessed (as you know from yesterday's post) and these little boats are a perfect pod shape.  So seeing them all stacked together like this has my brain whirring with some potential ideas for painting!  In fact, these boats were the inspiration for yesterday's pod shape with the lines through it (like the slat seats in the boat above).

I like the big boats too!

Besides the gorgeous rust and distress (and that fabulous teal green on the back of the boat), I can clearly see a sketch for a layout.  This image is so bottom heavy (as is the boat).

Isn't that a fun sketch?  And not one I would have come to on my own.

I like hand painted signs.

It's amazing how a hand painted sign makes the place feel like it must by homey and friendly.  I always think there's something lovely about seeing the hand of the artist.  It's welcoming.  A good reminder to stay away from perfection.  I always say that something made by you should feel like it.

Provincetown offered up plenty of purposeful public art as well.

Lots of inspiration to be had on the streets and waterways of Provincetown.  If you're ever in the vicinity, it's a fun and art filled town and definitely worth the visit!

I found lots more artistic inspiration on my Cape Cod visit, so watch for some more Cape Cod posts coming your way soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. Want to win some brand new stencils?  I designed two doily stencils for CHA-Summer.  The Crafter's Workshop is giving them away on their blog!