Pictures from the Artful Dragonfly's Portfolio

PAINTINGS for EVE. My CANVAS PAINTINGS.

2012-02-03T13:52:00.000-08:00

the Artful Dragonfly paints canvases!

I guess my own style of painting leans on the surreal and illustrative side. I'm always drawing up lettering and designs for band posters or juxtaposing imagery when I can. This painting is up at a gallery space downtown in the Everett st lofts. I painted this particular one several times since someone wanted it and I didn't want to give up the original just yet. It made the cover of the local Portland Mercury one year. This painting is for sale. Contact for more info.

This canvas painting is roughly 60 X 60 and sits on a wall in my daughters room. I painted it for her just before she was ready to be born. I feel as she grows she'll have curiosity and questions about it. It will be cool to explain to her the story of the monkeys discovering the apes. I even hid a heart shape in the vines and painted her name in the cloud subtly so she will discover it!
I painted this canvas in about four days taking breaks and such. I did a bunch of back painting then illustrated over it, put in my darks and shadows and highlights later. Some areas I stippled paint on and others i cut long strokes.
I guess its sitting in that sci fi fantasy realm still child like and playful with its intent. I'm going to be painting more of these themes as they work into a story i'm writing.

Animals are probably the best subject for a young mind. When i see most toddler and baby books they all have something to do with learning about animals or safe cuddly little shapes. With this one I had that idea but i also wanted our animal being to be hanging out enjoying the sun on some far out planet. I liked the notion that the animal being isn't paying much attention to you but you are observing it observing its surroundings enjoying the planets warmth. I wanted it to be simple fun and cartoony. The shiny reflections are from a two part epoxy finish. I wanted to give it that extra depth even though I used One Shot, a sign painting enamel that already has a glossy finish. I will be making more of these themes in my spare time too as I love the feel of them. I hope my daughter does too!

If you are interested in what the artful dragonfly/Andrew Rossi can do to enhance your space or commission a painting, please contact at claudeapple@yahoo.com 503 984 3374

SIGN PAINTING a Logo with Lettering

2011-08-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

I was contacted to see if I could paint a college logo design on the gymnasium wall at Warner Pacific college. I said no problem. I had done this trick before involving a paper pounce pattern and One Shot. The trickiest part was to not go around the pipe and wiring that runs up the middle of the center line where I was to go but paint the whole thing to make it disappear. There were no lifts involved since it was on the stands and I had to use lean to ladders with some help. I didn't fall off the stands and it turned out pretty nice. painting over brick semi gloss is not incredibly easy when you have to run perfectly straight lines and curves..etc. The chalk holds through
every time.

SOUNDROOTS SCHOOL of MUSIC for Children PERFORMANCE STAGE MURAL DESIGN

2011-02-26T22:58:00.000-08:00

I started with a blue/green blank wall with the stage area cut as a theater space of the 30's and 40's. Immediately Fara and myself imagined the idea of an old speakeasy style deco period motif on the wall gracing the stage performance area. The entire SoundRoots space itself is so unique with its eccentricities throughout. The rooms have art deco style architecture and musical motifs. It used to be a dry cleaners that after hrs hosted wild social events as a speakeasy club in the 70's and 80's. It has since become a unique music school for toddlers, children and teens to learn world music styles and rhythm. Famous rock/blues/jazz icon pictures grace every room and a real sound stage will be installed soon for jazz and folk! This was a fun place to design a simplistic deco era jazz club motif and use simple shapes to build upon. I kept the color pallet grounded in earthy rich tones of the era and deep browns to accentuate the wood ceiling and floor. I put an old stripped down bass guitar neck and headstock graphic into the design on the columns to give it a musical touch. They liked it. They purchased theater seats and some nice mirrors. A theater curtain will be installed soon too! What a trip!

2011-02-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

This was a simple yet challenging job I did where the border was solid white squares and I made them into faux brick or stone. I added a shadow on the sides to give a dimension to the look.

Next Generation Pre School Childrens Mural Room

2011-02-21T16:13:00.000-08:00

I gave the room a fairy tale castle type feel with the gothic style
windows looking out to an imaginary kingdom of magical trees and bubbles.
They kind of resemble golf courses in a way with the lighter greens.
A surreal landscape for adults too.
I faux finished the bricks with my roller technique and stipple brushed them too.

LOGO PAINTING and Design

2011-02-18T15:54:00.000-08:00

I believe I painted this in 09. I just found this on my camera and they have a pic of it online.
Its a nice big logo that I painted with One Shot Sign Paint. I made an image transfer for the logo. They have delicious crepes by the way!

the PORTLAND MEMORIAL OAKS BOTTOM MURAL

2010-11-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

First off, I did not paint this. I was part of a process that helped start the project rolling in Oct of 2009. I landed the job by getting a call one day from Mark Benett the owner of ART FX Murals in Portland. He said his crew was out of town on a job and needed help getting this one started. They had been in the planning stages for this one for years. I helped him get this set up on the roof with a large 60' lift that we had to be harnessed to. I helped paint the first image on the wall which was the great Osprey to the right and the tree with the Eagles nest. Oaks Bottom is a large Wildlife Reserve in Sellwood Oregon. The building that is seen from the west hillsides, Oaks Park and the highway is the old Portland Memorial Crematorium building. It houses over 75,000 dead people. Quite an interesting juxtaposition in theme to be painted celebrating the Wildlife that surrounds the area. It is also one of the larges Murals in the country! This side of the upper terrace of the building was over 60 ft high!

MORE SIDEWALK SIGNAGE

2010-11-28T16:09:00.000-08:00

A sign I hand painted and transfered logo and lettering for a clients Rolfing Business.

This is the only photo I have right now of the Bossanova sidewalk sign in East Portland. It was given to me. The paint I used was the industrys standard and finest" One Shot " for the Lettering and Logo. The cropping is a little weird since the paper lettering is temporarily on the door and my sign sits out of the way. Oh well..You get the idea of lettering and styles I am capable of..not that boring lifeless text on the paper covering the doorway.

MORE CHILDRENS ROOMS by the ARTFUL DRAGONFLY

2010-11-28T15:49:00.000-08:00

Here is a simple design I did onto a wall for a returning client of mine on the west side of Portland. Its a basement room converted into a childrens nursery room. It was a pleasure to make a sun explode its rays in that space! I had to go over the design at least three or more times with low VOC interior paint to make sure it was opaque enough over the solid sky blue.

It was a design perspective to not make it too busy or overlap too many built ins on the wall areas. The composition worked out great.

SIGN PAINTING, WALL LETTERING at PACIFIC NATURAL FOODS in Tualatin Or.

2010-11-28T15:36:00.000-08:00

I spent more than a few months working over at Pacific Foods (the place that makes hemp milk, soy, tofu, etc.). I was hired to hand paint various sizes and styles of lettering and borders in their corporate offices, lunchrooms etc.
The older part of their building complex was painted some years ago by an artist and they had since lost their contact with him so they found me! The projects went pretty smooth..I had to order a lot of paper to make my image transfers by the foot and chalking it onto the wall was tiresome, it went easier than I thought.
We had to use environmentally safe paints which i purchased from a favorite local "green" paint store called ECO HAUS (great place for everything home improvement!) in portland. I normally used One Shot oil based but I had to go with the latex based paint so it needed more than one coat. It spread on thick and had to make sure the edges were good and solid. The first two rooms went at a decent pace..I had to copy and reproduce their Vision Statement on a few walls too. I have a few more photos from my new camera here.

Since there was only myself leveling and chalking lines on top of taping the rolls of paper transfers, tracing the outlines, it took a little more time than expected but with great results.

A thoughtful and compassionate designer helped me out.

2010-01-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

A talented designer everyone should get to know and I had the pleasure to work with is Amy Antonio of Portland Oregon. She has a great website http://amyantonio.com!
I believe she also did the graphics and is a graphic designer as well.
Our first encounter was a weird one when I pulled up to meet her in my ford van and the alternator decided it was time to go right then and there. I was also leaving for a brief west coast "tour" for two weeks out of town later that day after our meeting. I had alot to do to prepare for that departure. She heard about my work and thought I'd be the missing piece to her puzzle for her clients home. I had van "issues" to deal with first but she met me at the gas station I rolled(coasted) into and offered to help me any way she could. She also was from Michigan. It was a bit embarrassing for me but I had to let go of that and do something quick or I'd be stranded. We decided to leave the van for now, get in her car and go to the clients house to see the job I was about to propose to do.
In no time I immediately assessed the rooms and the colors with furniture pieces chosen by Amy and knew exactly what to do to give it that look she and her client wanted. We checked color chips, fabric, samples, talked for a while and said I'd be ready when I returned from tour with my band. Amy's client wasn't going to ready til then and it worked out beautifully just before thanksgiving!
I couldn't believe Amy was hanging in there to see that the van was going to be fixed and I'd be on my way! She drove me to garages all over the place to find the correct alternator for the van.
We towed the van back to portland and a mechanic put in the correct alternator and finally everything worked! I knew Amy was busy as a buyer, decorator, wife and her time was important but to help me out went above and beyond. Helping each other out...sometimes you forget that sort of mindset still exists. We made it on the road to Cali and the tour went well. When I returned, I got right to work and completed the job. She has more pictures of her work on her website along with really funky cool things since she was a buyer for Powell's Books in Portland and has a knack for alternative art and culture alongside her other passions as a Hawaiian designer.
"This room, as is most of the rooms in the new house, needed warmth. Wailaloha's style is a lot more classical than mine so rich, ornate fabrics and rustic warm wood tones set the stage for the Italian inspired dining room. Grand Rapids, Michigan native Andrew Rossi (whose work can be seen in area restuarants like Maiden in the Mist and Yakuza) painted the golden Tuscan antique faux finish in the room which really set the old-world feel for the rest of my pieces."

Discounted Bedroom Furniture

2009-03-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

CHECK THE ARCHIVES SECTION FOR MORE POSTS AND WORK BY ANDREW.
SPECIALTY PAINTING AND EFFECTS, STOREFRONTS, TROMPE LOIEL AND SIGNAGE!

FAUX STONE BRIDGE MURAL

2009-03-31T16:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a challenging Mural I did this past February in a tunnel like space that was only 4 feet deep to the wall on both sides and 18 feet long with a rounded ceiling.
They wanted a picture of the Willamett river on both North and South sides of the Sellwood Bridge in Sellwood Oregon. This is what I came up with. A vantage point realisticly from several points painted and elongated to fit some sort of scale as you walk by. The Faux stone work is a texture I added to the paint and added shadows and highlights. When you stand back and observe both sides, an optical illusion happens sort of like an ink blot test. A wide angle lens effect from the landscape, sky and water from both ends blend together to create a seamless form. The Mural was shot with a wide angle lens camera!

NURSERY PICS / SINGLE COLOR TREE

2008-06-02T23:07:00.000-07:00

hi andrew,
here are just a few pics but we hope to have some better ones soon
...the nursery looks just amazing and we have gotten so many compliments on your work... WE LOVE IT!!!! thanks again for doing such a great job
and we will certainly provide an enthusiastic reference to anyone...
feel free to use us if anyone asks you for a reference! thanks again and i will send better pics once we have them.
meika

the Artful Dragonfly's Mobile Phone pictures

2008-05-14T22:26:00.000-07:00

A ceiling piece with a Pergola and

clouds up high.

The coffee House back wall at Sound

Grounds in SE Portland.

Faux brushed stone work for a Healing Center and jem store

in SE Portland called the Divining Tree.

Heres some random photos I took with my phone of the varied projects I was doing between February and April 2008.

Pictures from the Artful Dragonfly's Mobile Phone

2008-05-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

Hello there!
These are some shots of a few projects I was on that I happened to only have my camera phone on.
I think the resolution could be better(maybe some more time in Photoshop) but they are not all that bad and I'm glad I have it just in case. These are shot in and around Portland February/April 2008.

the Artful Dragonflys getting around town and in local magazines!

2008-02-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a clipping from the local PDX Magazine Best of Portland.
My Maiden in the Mist paintings hang across the walls of the
Restaurant/Pub. There are some early stage pics of the Murals
before they went to the Restaurant down below. They create a
nice romantic dark voyage through choppy water. You can feel the
spray from the deck when you look deep into the cobalt scene.
I will post some more pics of my own soon.

Mural Design mentioned in Portland Monthly's Spaces Magazine.

2008-02-16T23:40:00.000-08:00

My Murals were featured in the January 14th issue of portland Monthly's
first Design isuue called "Spaces". They did an article on a new Japanese
style restaurant/bar/hotspot called Yakuza Lounge in NE Portland.
Once I dig up the Article, I'll post it up here.
My name and Murals were mentioned as well as my contact info on the
back cover! Nice.
There have been many reviews about the place recently and the past year.
Many of them usually say something about the colorful japanese style Murals
I did as they catch your eye first as you walk in.

Heres a picture of the interior of Yakuza with my Parasol
Mural painted in the back.

Faux Effects on textured surfaces.

2008-02-16T17:43:00.001-08:00

A stucco fireplace wall has the look of cut stone tiles.
With a little help from blending tints and frayed bristle brushes
and an expert eye for design.
My client was happy she didn't have to pay for the real thing and
she was pleased with the results.

Faux Finishes, Tuscan rooms.

2007-08-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

This room was furnished by designer Amy Antonio
I painted the faux finish to match the warmth of the wood
and the room. The full story can be found at www.amyantonio.com
Amy writes an incredibly hip, fun and informative blog and
mentiones my work!

Tuscan Finish

Some Faux Finishes are not easy to capture with a camera since you need some lighting to show the rich and washed out colors.
If it's too dark or for that matter, too light, the faux colors will look muted and solid with maybe a hint of another color.
Here's some photos of a faux Tuscanny style finish with a protective gloss.
Theres no other way of getting the right feel of the process and colors other than being in the room itself with it providing its textural atmosphere.

ANDREW "the Artful Dragonfly"'s 2007 pics

2007-04-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

Childrens Nursery room with Victorian era Pattern

Wooden panels to be installed at local Restaurant/Bar

CHILDRENS 70's PSYCHEDELIC WALL ART

2006-07-14T04:15:00.000-07:00

Next Generation Day Care Center Mural
40 ft X 8ft (Cell Phone pics)

A psychedelic sundae view of Mt Hood

CHILDRENS ROOM MURAL/SNOW OWL

2006-07-14T04:09:00.000-07:00

AIRSTREAM PROJECT

2006-07-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

One customised SkyHatch for the S Shovoly Airstream
hand-painted by Andrew Rossi

Artful Dragonfly archives/pics from Website

2006-04-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

Wall Mounted Decoration Trompe Loiel
Manzanillo,Mexico

Outdoor Waterfall Mural
Walnut Creek,Ca.

Outdoor Woodshed Mural

Faux Bamboo Walls

Egyptian Motif Mural/Bath

Olive Tree

Wall/Ceiling Panoramic
bending light

Main Entry/Underwater Mural

Painting the Ceiling for the Underwater Mural

Underwater Room Wall

Heathman Chinese Wall Mural
R Wagner Co.

Heathman/Chinese Mural almost complete

The Heathman Hotel front desk
Portland,Or

Bamboo shutes Faux Ceiling

Ancient Greek Zodiak Ceiling

Picture of Andrew Painting the Enormous
Sahara Mural

Sahara at Night Wall Mural

Tree Room/Ceiling Midnight Sky

Faux Image Cloudscape

Deep Bronzed Metallic Finish

Faux Tuscan Finish
Cotati,Ca

Morocan Floor Tile/Faux

Morocan Floor Tile/Faux

Intricate Stone Patterns/Faux

Trompe Loiel Theatre Curtain
with light socket

Roman Column Detail

Trompe Loiel Roman Columns
Entry way

Trompe Loiel Tiles display

Hand painted Decorative Motifs
Manzanillo, Mexico

Decorative Border Design a blending of
cultural patterns.

Decorative Motif Pattern hand painted
Manzanillo, Mexico

Banana Leafs Wall Design

Adirondak Chair hand painted Milkreeds and
Lotus flowers

Here's various pictures taken from Andrew's Website and portfolio from 1999 to 2004. He has done some off location jobs in Mexico and California.

Storefront Logo/MODIFIED portland Or. INVENTIVE and OUTRAGEOUS SIGNS

2006-04-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

This image was painted on the Floor in

the VIP tent area at Clark County

Ampitheatre

Andrew also painted many storefronts
in town. Here's a building that Andrew
painted all three businesses spaces.
This is taken just before completing.

This is a collection of photo's from the Artful Dragonfly Interiors, hand painted by Andrew Rossi.

2006-04-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

It's all Paint! You can have your castle too!

Picture of Column Piece

Faux Column Motif

FAUX TILED BATHROOM IMAGES

2006-04-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

FRESCO WALL

2006-04-20T14:15:00.001-07:00

FAUX TILES

2006-04-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

FAUX STONE TILES

2006-04-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

FAUX STONE TILES

ESPEDAL MURAL- PRIVATE RESIDENCE SUNROOM

2006-04-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

ESPEDAL MURAL

2006-04-20T14:11:00.001-07:00

MOUNTAIN

2006-04-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

COLUMN

2006-04-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

CLOUDS DETAIL

2006-04-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

CEILING CLOUDS

2006-04-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

ESPEDAL MURAL / COLUMN

2006-04-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

ESPEDAL MURAL / SUNROOM

Andrew Rossi: Illusionist/Painter of Effect

2006-04-20T10:15:00.000-07:00