Wreath of the Day 2011 – Painting
The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s wreaths are known for beautiful natural accents, but sometimes these accent items can look pretty dull in their natural state. Too much brown, too much gray, and suddenly a wreath looks somewhat dark and dirty. The obvious solution is to add just a bit of spray paint for brightening. Gold has gilded appeal, and gold can be a rich, burnished amber or bright yellow, depending on the brand of paint. Silver can look like platinum, or can look like battleship gray if we’re not careful. No one wants a wreath that looks like a radiator. Copper is especially effective with some of our plaid bows, and even a clear glaze can make a dull cone look shiny and iced. Sometimes we roll a pine cone in a puddle of white paint for a snow tipped look, or put a bit of glitter spray on a branch. We hope our customers don’t shy away from these effects, since we very carefully control how much we add to each wreath. Unless a customer asked for a treasure from a pirate’s hoard, we use paint with discretion. In order to add these colors, we set up a portable tent on a parking space at the rear of the Church, covering the ground with plastic tarps. Boxes and aluminum disposable tins are placed there, and our decorators aren’t allowed to bring items back to the decorating room until they are thoroughly dry. We can’t have everyone woozy from inhaling fumes. The silver wreath below is accented with pearls and cardinals – truly a winter wonderland.
