Orion in the sky (and the hallway)

It's such an eyesore.
And you see it the second you walk into the apartment.
The fuse box (and it's a big one) is right smack dab on the wall to the left when you come through the front door.

The entryway to the apartment, the fuse box is in FULL view

The eyesore closeup

Steve, my architect, struggled with where to put it when the renovation was underway but there was no other logical place to put it.
He warned me about it and I said, "no problem, I'll just get a picture to hang over it".
Easier said than done.
I've been on the hunt for something for weeks now, coming up a cropper.
I'm also on a strict household budget so I didn't want to spend much.
So I fell back on the easiest (and cheapest) answer: I'd just do some piece of artwork on my own and frame it myself.
On monday my friend Doris asked me if I wanted to go to IKEA in New Jersey. I said yes because they have pretty good picture frames in all sizes for next to nothing.
It needed to be a good size to cover that big box. I found just the one I needed, a black wooden frame with a wide white mat.
But what would be the art?
Well, I think art in one's home should mean something to the homeowner in some way.
I was also thinking that I didn't want to spend a lot of time on this project. I just wanted it done.
A collage seemed like the way to go. Paper cut-outs. A Matisse-like graphic image done with colored paper. Quick and easy.

The Matisse inspiration

And I knew just the subject: my favorite starry sky constellation, Orion.
Years ago, I saw a cool print  of Orion with the stars in formation and the hunter with his sheild super-imposed over it. It was in an antique shop and I waffled over the price. I passed. But then the next day I had a change of heart because I really wanted it. Back I went to the shop but it was gone. "He who hesitates is lost" I thought.

The stars of Orion in the night sky

Orion, the Hunter

So this time I thought "I'm gonna make my own Orion". See, when I'm out in Long Island where the stars are actually visible at night, Orion is such a striking constellation to find. And he only comes out in the Fall and Winter, again, my favorite time of year.  I also love a song by Shawn Colvin titled "Orion in the Sky" (the lyrics are beautiful and moving..."But I love you baby/And I know you and I/Can find a way to heaven/ Just like Orion in the sky/ He's the long lost hero/He's the guardian of your son/But can he protect us, baby/From all the sad things we've done?")...you can hear it here.

So I had my subject. I bought a pack of construction paper and created my masterpiece in an hour or so.

The artwork now covers the ugly fuse box

I picked up the lemon yellow of the hallway lamp in the star cut-outs, and made the hunter himself blue on a background of gray, a lighter shade of the wall paint color. I think he came out pretty good..it's like he's protecting the electricity of the apartment, The Guard of The Beautiful Wreck.

The finished piece

Someday when I'm flush with cash again I may replace it with something better, but for now I'm happy with it (and it only cost me $20!)