This is a pattern I adapted from a photograph of an my grandparents’ birdbath pedestal. My grandmother was an avid birdwatchers and got many years of use out of the birdbath in their backyard.
My grandmother died several years before my grandfather did. After he died, my husband and I wanted to bring the birdbath to our house as a way to remember them. Unfortunately, the basin crumbled when we picked it up. But the pedestal was still strong, so we packed it in the trunk of our car and drove it from Michigan to Colorado to bring it home.
I was asked by a family member why I didn’t repaint the pedestal. It was hard to explain to her why I love the patterns of lichen and faded, patchy paint, but I do. And it reminds me of all the years I watched birds with my grandmother.
Patina Texture in Blue and Gray
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