Artomatic: The Wall

The other night I spent 5 hours on my feet getting my wall ready for the art show. There was no air conditioning, which means I was sweating like a Lohan when tempted by free alcohol. The easiest part was slapping up the primer. Didn't take terribly long and after tossing out a few more bucks for the VOC-free stuff (yeah baby, going green where I can, even at the art show), which had no odor and dried pretty quickly (pic at right of the primed wall). Because of the heat I needed about 7 gallons of water to stay hydrated, so I took a brief tour around the ninth floor to see some of my fellow artists' work. Not much was up yet, so hopefully they will get their act together this weekend.

After that, it was time to layer on the main coat of paint. I went classy (did you have any doubt?) and decided on a nice neutral gray so the photos stood out. Also went VOC-free with the paint (Benjamin Moore makes a nicely priced brand called Natura), and I always get a kick out of the names for paints they come up with ... mine is called Cinder. Anyway, the biggest difference between VOC-free paint and your typical paint is that you have to work wet and fast. The paint dries pretty quick, and if you don't work at a steady pace the paint will start to dry up a little in the holder.

I then put up the lights, which were a pain in the ass because they didn't fit all that well and the bulbs were kind weak. I will probably be going to the hardware store and getting some lights with a bit more kick to them. But in any case, the picture at right gives you a sense of what my 12x8 parcel looks like. Now it's time to finish printing and framing the photos all day Saturday. Lots to do ... weather here in DC is fantastic, and I am stuck inside all day. Oh well, that's the hand I am dealt. Time to buckle down.