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After years of painting on canvas and sometimes wood panels, my new project is a painted piano.  I volunteered to paint a donated piano for the city of Lilburn, Ga., where I live. Lilburn’s mayor, Johnny Crist spoke at the Lilburn Arts Alliance and asked for volunteers.  He explained that all the pianos are donated and then painted by artists.  Upon completion they are placed in public places around the city with an open invitation for anyone to sit down and play a song.  I loved the idea that it supports both music and art and quickly volunteered. I looked up the term “painted pianos” on Google and was surprised to find out that the painted pianos is a universal project called “Play Me I’m Yours”  It was started by Luke Jerram in 2008.  There are presently 1,500 pianos installed worldwide.

After about six weeks I got a call that my piano would be delivered soon.  It arrived around the third week in August.  I quickly realized this project, as excited as I am about it, that there were some problems to solve.  I had assumed that the piano would be in deep need of a paint job, but instead the finish is very nice and the only thing I could find wrong with it  is that it has a broken piece on one of the legs where it is joined to the piano.  This  has been temporarily fixed.  I decided to leave areas of the wood finish showing both to honor its original state and to accentuate the other painted areas.  I thought a botanical theme of flowers and plants would be nice and work well with this design and since I would like for it to be dedicated to the Lilburn’s Women’s Club and the Community Garden for their dedication and service to our community. It also seems to fit the Queen Anne style of the piano.

 

Melbourne, Australia Painted Piano

Homeless man plays a painted piano

I look forward to working on my painted piano and learning more about this international project.  I will post both my progress on my new project-  a painted piano and more information in weeks to come and will make a video of it in its new resting place in the Lilburn Park when it is finished.  Please sign up for more email updates on this project.