progress on the walls

Today another worker on site - there were three of us today, lost in the huge building until the smell of coffee drew us all to the same spot - reassured me as he said "Now it is starting to be something" or words to that effect. I have been an age already, working on the stairwell. Last week I undercoated, and trialed some colours. Yesterday I used rabbitskin glue and tempera (sorry TK and all the rabbits) to age the new paint. I haven't attempted to hide the joins between old and new, but hope that the top and bottom lines will hold it all in a satisfactory way.

As worked my way up and down the stairwell, with all my colours and mediums, the other workers seemed a little bemused at what I was doing. I guess they had reason as I had trays, tubes, rulers, rags, brushes of all sizes, and I roamed up and down touching up a little here and reworking something else there, not completing a single section. At coffee time they asked about my brew, the rabbitskin glue heating on the gas burner. They seemed unconvinced, slightly incredulous at the lengths I was going to to recreate what still looked like an amateurish mess.

This afternoon, after changing one section and reworking parts already "finished", I worked on those top and bottom lines. About half an hour before knock-off time the more senior man looked at the stairwell, smiled warmly, and affirmed that it was coming together.

It is about time!

Today I am grateful for positive comments.

PS Scroll back a few posts for updated photos.