(continued from previous post)
Best plan I decided was to stick with what I was comfortable with – paint a new one. So I took myself down to the painting workshop, while the others carried on with the wall re-build, to apply the latex in a dust free environment and start painting. It was chocka-block with work so I had to set my canvas down on the floor in a corner of the room and rope it off.
As I got started the painting tech arrived – she doesn’t do Mondays and in fact was in for a short course she runs. Never the less when I explained what had happened she was as gutted as I was and made time for advice. She was also of the opinion a repair was possible and explained how to do this. It would be less stressful than painting a new one.
I agreed reticently, deciding to pursue both options for now. With the repair under way and the latex drying I set about sorting my other major problem out. Oh yes there was another. All the photo’s I’d taken of my paintings in the photo studio, hoping to get great images for making my book(s). Well I had sort of. It turned out they were all a bit dark, the colour wasn’t as it should be and short of re-photographing them, I wasn’t sure what to do – except go seek help. My next stop, the photo technician. To my relief it was just a matter of adjusting the white balance. Phew! That I could cope with.
The day finished quite emotionally – a heated discussion around the placement of speakers for my sound piece – with the upshot being that I agreed to cobble together something resembling it for fellow student also sharing the space to hear. I do think it was just all the emotion of the recent events just catching up with me rather than this isolated incident. Never the less I was in bits on my way home.
Good news was, the wall was now up and with the efforts of my friend and her boyfriend it was also re-painted so would be ready for install tomorrow.
Tuesday 25th, together with help from our other halves we make a start on hanging my work. Least we did eventually! Attaching the mirror plates to each column and hanging the speakers on the wall – positioning them where we’d finally agreed they should go – took most of the day. But by the time we left that night half the columns were successfully on the wall. Hurray! We started from the new wall end, which meant my friend could look at hanging hers now too.
It never rains but it pours – where does that saying come from?! Who cares, it was apt and our patience continued to be tested. You must understand that although my friend and I were not the only ones exhibiting in this space (there were two others) and our work was completely independent, we had worked together so much on this install that whatever affected one affected both of us. More acutely with the passing days too.
The next day we start on installing her work, to find it bowed out at the bottom! All the advice she was given AND followed regarding hanging mechanisms for her work failed! It was now time to feel gutted for her.
Incidentally, the update on my damaged painting: repair applied, acceptable (to me) to submit for assessment but plan to re-paint for degree show viewing.
Further advice sought, new plan, vertical batons need to be applied to her work to stiffen and remove bow. This was an overnight job and further expense, glue took 24 hours to dry once applied, and needing space to layout whilst doing so, there was only one option – to install the rest of mine in the meantime.
And thats what we did, once the emotion had been dealt with that is. By the end of the day my work was all up. Even the repaired one. A blessing – if you could call it that, is that it is at the bottom of the column and rather than bolt all six together we bolted five and hung this piece independently, so I can easily exchange it with a new one for the show. All that said it looked really good, I was pleased…
