Wednesday, October 19, 2016

done but not done done and a sudden influx


Yesterday we finished the third and last panel for this A&M job. My installers are scheduled to come pick them up on Friday but they won't be installed until the following Friday, Oct. 28th.  Because of the weight and size of the panels we weren't able to take our usual shop pics so hopefully I'll be able to get some good installation shots.





In the meantime, I'm back to working on the cast stuff, trying to get the finish work done on the castings that got done before we started on this job. Soon, I'll get out the wax for some new models since we have two weekend open houses coming up in December.

The shop is a total wreck though. You might remember that our friend Gene who does stained and fused glass got evicted after 40 years at his location. He was supposed to be out by mid-October but was given an extension til the end of the month. He's been bringing truckloads of glass and equipment here since we offered to let him store his studio in our shop til he gets settled and builds a new studio. Right now he's basically in panic mode with still so much to do to be gone. Not just his studio but his house which he had moved onto the property and now has to have it moved to another property. He's a pack rat like us and here at crunch time he's throwing away and abandoning a lot of stuff. I can relate. We did the same thing when we sold the city property during the summer of 2014 which we had also occupied for 40 years. Even now we look for things that we realize got left behind. When he left yesterday after unloading his truck he was muttering about not knowing if he even wanted to work in glass anymore and we may just be inheriting all this stuff.




I may never have to buy glass again. I will however have to get in that shop and organize and rearrange it to accommodate all the equipment, tools, tables, storage racks and shelving units, and glass that is suddenly at our disposal.




20 comments:

  1. The panels look magnificent and I can't wait to see the installation shots.

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    1. thanks Stephen. I hope they look as good in place.

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  2. I'm very excited that those panels are DONE! And I can't wait to see them in their new home.

    I still can't believe about your friend. People suck. Sigh.

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    1. you and me both. yeah, his misfortune, our fortune. well, there is the whole reorganizing the shop thing. but so much new equipment!

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  3. The dog(s) on the panels look like happy dogs. For real!

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    1. I'm generally happy with the way the dogs came out and the cat. not so much with the people. had we been able to move them in and out of the sandblast booth, we could have done a better job. you can't really tell what they look like in the booth with all the dust on the back and surface.

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  4. Hurray! And...OH MY GOD! That looks like an entire winter's worth of work, just organizing all of that.
    Ellen!

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    1. yeah. the good thing though is that almost all Gene's stuff is on wheels.

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  5. I hope you get installation photos. That would really give the image in its proper atmosphere. Lots of work ahead, good thing that winter will keep you inside.

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    1. if we ever get one. been in the low 90s all week.

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  6. Lucky you have extra space. I really like the new panels,very impressive how you created the dimension.

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  7. You do such beautiful work, Ellen! The dog is fantastic. I would like something like that with Oscar depicted ...... but, we are downsizing as we get ready to live in a motor home. Perhaps we should make a trip down your way when we hit the road! My Oscar is coming home Friday. His ashes will be ready along with a cast of his paw. I am resigned to being sad for some time, as only the passage of time will mellow my feelings. Thanks you so much for the condolences sent my way.

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    1. thanks Kathy. be sure and let me know if you come down my way!

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  8. Ah, I see now, that is not a swirl, it's the uniform fabric. Ellen, do you do the drawing from your head? The proportions and scale are absolutely perfect.
    So sorry to hear about your friend, I've been there too. 32 years of renting a house and having to leave on the spur of the moment. So I know what you mean about leaving behind and not even remember what it all was.
    Can't wait to see the installation.

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    1. they were so specific about what they wanted I finally told them they had to compose and take photos and I would work from those. so no, I did not draw these free hand but traced them from enlarged photographs.

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  9. Ugh. What a nightmare for Gene. Poor guy. I've just decided that never owning much of anything is the way to go!

    The glass panels look really good! I can't wait to see them installed.

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  10. They really do look fantastic, Ellen. One questions: is it an optical illusion, or am I seeing something that isn't there? In the dog's eyes, one has a dark spot that looks like a pupil, but the other eye has two dark spots, like two pupils. I may just have found out why he had to go to the doggie doctor! Of course, that could be a result of reflections and such while photographing. I'm just not smart enough to know. :-)

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    1. The spots are the glint in the eye from the light, same with the people. I started not to put them in but the scale was big enough so I could so I did.

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.