NAVAJO INSPIRED PALLET WOOD ART

This week I've been on a crafting binge after a long hiatus. The final project I have completed (with one still on the to-do list but I think I better take a small break) is a Navajo inspired DIY Pallet wood art piece.

On pinterest I saw these two pins which inspired the project:

Navajo Tribal Geometric Wood Patterned Wall Panel Art, made from reclaimed Barnwood and Pine (https://www.etsy.com/listing/187825712/navajo-tribal-geometric-wood-patterned)

Geometric painted shelves. (http://www.designlovefest.com/2012/07/make-it-15/)

 Ages ago I collected some discarded pallets and they have been propping up the wood pile all winter. I chose a piece, removed the nails and sanded down both sides and the edges to make it safe to hang inside.

Using the Navajo pattern as my guide, I made a template on the computer to decide on the exact placement of my colours - I chose to use Turquoise and Coral. (The darker green is Hullabaloo by Resene, the lighter green is part Surfie Green by Resene and white, and the coral is made up using craft paint (a mix of red, orange and white).

I decided to go with the third configuration, with the idea that later I might make the other two and I can hang them as a triptych. 

Essentially putting this together just required a bit of thinking and some maths. I measured the dimensions of the wood, and then divided the length up to work out how deep each of my arrows should be (each individual arrow was 51mm deep, and the large green and white sections were each made up of three sections.)

I then masked down each side (Leaving a 25mm gap from the edges), found my centre point, and started my pattern 12.5mm from that point on each side.

I first taped out the entire size of the painted section and did two coats of white. 

I then measured out the orange and light green sections and painted those. Lastly masking out the final turquoise section. As this was painted on rough pallet wood, there is some paint run under the tape, through the grain of the wood - but I quite like this and think it adds to the overall aesthetic.

The final product hangs in pride of place at the end of our lounge, and I have placed my bargain second-hand shop basket find underneath with our magazines in it.

Mx