Where has the week gone?? Not only had I accomplish just a fraction of things that were started a month ago, but I was poorly prepared for the planned visit of out of state family, as new activities immediately replaced the usual schedule. However, I am happy to announce that I did prepared and submit an art package to a gallery, in hope that it will be reviewed favorably. That process actually took me a good 3 weeks to craft and send it off. Now it’s in God’s hands, and I’m moving on. In fact, I’ve moved things back into the studio, and began using it again Tuesday and Wednesday on some ideas for my new work, but that’s another post altogether.
Several months ago I posted “before” pictures of a studio in hope that it would embarrass me into accelerating my efforts to get going on the remodeling project. It’s all behind me now, and I’m happy to share some of the “after” picture of the project. Not everything is in place yet. The obvious thing that is missing is the art, which is stored elsewhere for now. My husband and I are still trying to come up with a system of hanging the work up without marring the walls. Meanwhile, he did bring in the old discarded library counter, and now it’s ready for me set up a large printer that my children had given me several Christmases ago, along with my old personal art computer. My sound system used to be a 1980 receiver and speakers which I was constantly playing with the wires in the back, as the music would fade in and out at will. Gone are those days! I would like to replace them with small computer speakers. I’m still scrounging around for a large 8’ rubber mat, and I’m thinking of bringing the old wicker rocker, which will be useful for visitors or me. Also, I’m so glad that my husband was willing to replace the lights; it will soon get dark by 6pm. Now every time I turn them on, it’s like “halleluiah… halleluiah, halleluiah, hallelu-u-iah!”
Entrance into the studio, east wall
Old library counter, north wall
Encaustic area, and book shelves, south wall
Encaustic work space
Let there be light!
Looking at the entrance, west wall
Granddaughter’s mural and the crow that inpired her.
Crows eating from a red bowl by Hailey, age 5
One of my favorite things in the studio is the mural painted for me by my 5 year old granddaughter. During her visits, he loves painting in the studio. I have been saving her works since she was 2 years old. I even once added 3 of her early paintings behind a fish tank. It was very attractive and unexpected to see abstract paintings as a background for gold fish. So when I was redoing the sink area, the idea came to me to put something of hers above the backsplash, making it less stark, I also wanted something of hers as a reminder that art is FUN. She was so thrilled with the idea that it took her a little over an hour to produce this painting.
To see paint through childrens eyes is thrilling and wonderful! I must admit that I’m her biggest fan, and that I’m envious of her self-assuredness, and her innocence in loving what she paints. The painting is about crows eating from a red bowl. She tells the story as it develops on the canvas. What looks like a large eye is in fact her mother’s eye, she told me. The figure at the door is also her mother’s. Truth be told, I was expecting a large abstract, but by the age of 5, children are very keen at drawingand painting their world and adding an unfolding story as they go along. In this picture, Hailey was inspired by a stuff crow hanging from one of the cables stretching across the ceiling above her.
Now comes the question: How to protect the mural? Plexiglas or glass? I called around and found out that a thin piece of Plexiglas is actually the same price as a thin piece of glass. Also if you have a new drill bit it’s not necessary to pay $20 per holes for the screws to fix the Plexiglas. What I also found out is tightening the screw to tight is what actually what cracks the Plexiglas.
