Yes, that’s a piece of art hanging on the wall outside, on my patio.  I was painting this canvas in my garage, but the 100+ temperatures warped the wood frame.  I still love the painting, and although I never finished it to my final idea, it’s now looking good in my backyard.  So, the question I get all the time, “Can you put a painting outside?  Doesn’t the paint wash off?”  The answer is no.  Here’s a few tips for putting things outside… things that maybe weren’t meant to be outside.

• Water.  How will your item take the rain?  As for this canvas, it’s not gonna last forever outside, but I’ve had paintings like this outside for several years before they were too worn to leave up any longer.  I have standard couch cushions on my patio swing and they take a little longer to dry, but they look great.  They’ve been out there over a year.
• Heat.  I live in hel… Texas, where it’s really hot.  Don’t put your candles outside.  Heck, your artificial plants would even melt outside here.  The sunlight will also fade your stuff, like the pillow in the photo.  It was bright orange at one point.  It’s a couch pillow.
• Wind.  So, I had a giant Jesus painting in my backyard for about 3 years.  It was 8′ x 4′, mounted on plywood, a painting donated to our church.  Apparently, I was the only one who liked it, therefore it came to my house.  Well, it looked great, and I got a lot of comments on it, but I didn’t expect the wind to catch it.  The giant Jesus took out my grill and a couple of ceramic pots.  Anchor anything that might be taken away by the wind…

Please only apply these tips to things that are okay to loose.  Don’t put your favorite pillows or home decor items outside.  They might last several years outside, but probably not a lifetime.  Oh, and this is not an invitation to put your dad’s old recliner on your front porch.  I just don’t need the hate-mail associated with that.  ;)