Friday was the second day of painting the text, another fiercely hot day. Jon and Stuart from the gallery continue to paint the coloured sections of the hoarding.
I am being assisted by Lee Gentry, a recent graduate from Camberwell School of Arts, where he studied photography. Apart from supplying me with clean water and paint, Lee is documenting the project, and is there also as a ‘presence’, answering questions from passers-by.
The painting initially goes well, and I begin to imagine that I will complete the first panel that day – but this does not happen – there are the inevitable breaks for cold drinks, drafting out the second line of text, viewing the work from the opposite side of the road, and I am now beginning to wonder if all the text can be painted by the deadline.
I need to start working earlier in the day, and continue into the evening to stand any reasonable chance, this means having paint and water with me, rather than relying on the playground to be open to access these, also to work over the couple of weekends I have remaining before the deadline.
