Orvis Residency: Day One (11 July)

Started at eight-thirty this morning. Completed the background textures on five of the ten panels this afternoon despite the weather.

Still coming to grips with the overall scale: 4' by 80'.  Using 4" masonry trowels and a small bamboo garden rake in place of my usual palette knives!

One intrepid visitor from New Zealand and her family braved the 23 steps down to the Surface Gallery and helped slop some mud onto the eyelet material; need more Spalding House visitors with the same spirit!

Towards the end of the day, when the first five panels had been completed, I couldn't resist leaning them against the north wall of the gallery, which is where they will be installed after the the ground has been applied.  One of my big concerns has been to utilize in a balanced sense, the entirety of the gallery walls; so far, I would say, my "paper design,"is meeting my "as-built" expectations.

Originally, I was planning on anchoring the panels directly to the concrete wall, but I  plan on using furring strips now, so that I will be able to control the  abutment and give the appearance of a uniform, contiguous substrate; "it's the way I want it to look." :)