Paint a pot - flower pots - Special Issue: Spring-Summer 1994 Garden Guide

Sunset, Spring-Summer, 1994 by Lauren Bonar Swezey

It'll take 30 minutes plus drying time to give patio pots some pizzazz

With colorful paints, you can transform any mundane-looking clay or redwood pot into a bright, even abstract piece of art that's suitable for displaying indoors or out. Waterproofing it first will make it both functional and long-lasting. The designs shown at right, designed by Francoise Kirkman, were created with a sponge, paintbrush, and paint roller. If you choose a wood pot, sand it first. Otherwise, the steps are the same for both wood and clay.

First, coat the pot thoroughly inside and out with water-base nontoxic waterproofing; let it dry for 24 hours. Next, coat the inside of the pot with roofing compound, stopping 2 inches short of the pot rim. Then comes the fun. Using latex paint, follow the designs pictured here or create your own.

To create a Southwestern motif like the one on the cactus pot, apply paint to one side of a triangular piece of sponge with a brush, then press the painted side onto the pot as shown in the illustration below.

Or, for a bold but simple statement, use a roller to paint the pot a solid color, like the deep purple wooden container in the center.

For a solid-color background, like the yellow on the pot at far right, paint the pot's outside with a roller. After the base coat dries, add the design with brushes (or use masking tape to help define zigzag lines or geometric shapes). Coat the saucer with waterproofing, then paint it along the rim.

All the pots were allowed to dry thoroughly before planting.