Handpainted
By hand painting our pieces, we can work with the original texture of the wood. Knot holes, cracks and a variety of surface textures become part of the art. Rural Creative focuses on creating pieces that aren’t cookie-cutter. It’s our goal to make art work where each piece is unique, no two are 100% the same. If you are ever able to come and see us at a market, you will likely find Tiffany painting in person to demonstrate the process.
Finishes
Most of the signs have a natural aged patina on them, created by sitting outdoors, aging in the weather by sun, rain and snow. On some signs we use a natural stain that helps to darken and grey the wood. This stain is created from household ingredients and doesn’t use any harsh chemicals. Other pieces are coated with white wash, using acrylic gesso and water.
All signs are painted using acrylic craft paint that is non-toxic. No varnish is applied to the signs but they can be gently cleaned and dusted using a soft cloth.
Why Reclaimed Wood?
We strive to be as environmentally conscious as we can and are always looking for ways to improve our practices. Growing up in a small town, and spending a lot of time on a farm as a kid, you learned the essential practice of reusing what was available to you. There were always scraps laying around that were never thrown away and these were always re-purposed.
The pallets we use are from a company at a commercial site where they save their pallets for us, as otherwise they would have to pay to dispose of them. We go through the stack, discarding any pallets that have spills, mold, markings etc that we don't feel comfortable with. Once we have selected the material we would like to use, we cut pieces to length and sand them.
Environment
Our pallets are re-used and are often saved from heading to the landfill. All of our off-cuts from creating the pieces are passed onto locals who use wood burning stoves to heat their home year round. The smaller pieces are used to create kindling, the large pieces are chopped down and used as firewood. Sawdust from cutting our pieces is also saved and goes to local farmers who use it in barns for their animals.