Graphic Art from Printers Tray

I purchased this printers tray many years ago from a local flea market. This particular tray is in very good condition with no broken areas and each of the 3 sections are identical. It already has a wonderful graphic quality and I knew that one day it would become a piece of art for my home.

I was a decorative painter for over 25 years and throughout this time I collected many decorator's sample packs, fan decks and paint chips from various companies. I have a Pinterest board for paint chip projects to gather ideas but as an artist I wanted to design a unique project. The printers tray is the perfect base for this lovely piece of graphic art.

I chose this set of paint chips because they are made from paper and not thicker board. They needed to bend without

making a fold mark or crease. My first decision was to choose my colour palette. I wanted the finished piece to suit my decor and style but not be too matchy matchy. I chose several shades of green, blue, orange and off-white. Since the colours were selected from this decorators sample pack there are no duplicate colours available therefore after being cut into appropriate sizes for the spaces of the tray, each colour is in no more than 2 spaces. I love how the colour shift in each row is subtle.

I measured the spaces and cut each of the paint chips to fit using my paper cutter however scissors would work fine for this project. I experimented with the placement of the paper pieces and decided to change the orientation of them in each row of the printers tray, allowing them to curl in each of the spaces, alternating between concave and convex placement. The paper pieces are friction fit and have not been glued to the tray. If it becomes a problem, then I will use some glue or perhaps glue dots to secure the edges of the paper to the tray.

In the photo on the left (or above) the pieces of paper were too large for the spaces. I adjusted their size so they would not sit proud of the surface.

Another upgrade may be to add a piece of glass to protect it from dust and the pieces from falling out. When I acquire a new piece of art for my kitchen, I may change the colour scheme to suit a different space in my house. It is currently hanging in my kitchen dining area and I love it!