I received this email yesterday, and was so thankful to have an excuse to post an update.
'Hi, I am so enjoying your blog. I've been following your experience in restoring the old painting. I have one that a friend has asked me to restore and I am afraid of messing it up. I am wondering if you stopped your project or will continue as I can't find "the end" of your project. Have I missed something or have you just been busy with other things? Thanks SO much! Linda'
To recap for those of you who just dropped in on my painting restoration posts and wonder, "what are all these boring and almost identical photos of a dirty old picture all about anyway?", I am documenting the slow restoration of a nearly 100 year old oil painting, frame and all. {you could also read this.}
Hello Linda! have not stopped my project, it has just been paused. We moved in {cough} February, and I have had the hardest time getting my act together in the area of setting up a workspace. In our old house the garage was right off the kitchen, and was really easy to use. I could run out and work a few minutes here and there without feeling like I was really separated from the rest of the family or house. In our new house, I have a large basement to use, but, it's not terribly enjoyable to be down there. This is mostly because I hadn't set up a space for myself yet. Over the last few weeks I have worked on carving out a work area, moving cabinets and tables, hanging up a chalkboard to make notes on, organizing tools, and things like that. I gave up my good work table for use as a kitchen table when we moved, so I am still on the hunt for a large sturdy work surface. I think I may make a few of these and set them up end to end. {its free!} The biggest piece of the problem was that the painting and frame themselves were still in storage, waiting for their new restoration studio. I realized that I was putting things off, because I didn't want to drive out to get them from storage, or have to go down in the basement to finish my studio area. So, I went and got them two days ago. Wild thoughts were running through my head as I drove up. I was certain that the painting had peeled off the canvas, that the frame had crumbled to bits, that it was actually all smaller and uglier and more destroyed than could ever be remedied...Basically that I had ruined a worthless project. But, it was like seeing old friends when I opened the storage room door, the frame was not rubble, but in a state of mid-restoration showing little glimpses of gilding and hope along the edges. The painting was much smoother than I remembered it, and had not peeled off the canvas. The little boats were still sailing on some unknown Oregon body of water. It felt exciting to see them, and motivating to move forward. It is Gilding Season, after all.
Goals this week: organize my tools and tables downstairs, and build a standing easel for the painting. Oh, also, I need to add some more task lighting.
Researching make-do burnishers, Alice







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