Cleanup Casualty

by Great Joy Studio | Aug 3, 2015 | Projects, Studio

Where did July go?

Summer family visits and work on a new fabric line.

Poof, it was gone!

First of the month, with my BIG 2015 deadlines met, feels great! Ahhhhh

Time for a breather . . . and a little creating, just for fun is my August plan.

And

I’ll be doing it on a clean slate well, drawing table top actually.

Trying to look on the bright side . . of our studio clean up casualty.

As some of you may remember, most of my creating is performed on my dad’s, now vintage, drawing table. Not only does it hold numerous, fond memories for me, but it is an esteemed and sentimental studio piece. I’ve spent many a melancholy moment, years in fact, between sketches reflecting on the stains, splashes and scratches made by him on this favorite time worn treasure. So, I was devastated when of all items, it was nearly destroyed.

Earlier this year, during the studio cleanup, everything had to be moved for the carpet shampoo. After running out of room, I was forced to drag a few things outside temporarily for the shampooer. What could happen on a sunny day after all with no rain in sight, right?

Wait a minute. S U N ?  + Magnifying glass + wood =

F I R E !

It wasn’t sunny when I took everything out. 🙁

However, during the many hours waiting for the carpet to dry the shade receded and the table was in full sun. Um, not sure how long. When I finally decided it was time to bring everything back in, I discovered something very odd.

OH NO! S M O K E ???

How? From what? And yes, smack dab in the center of the table top!!! The table was burning.

Noooooooooooo!

Of course, the magnifying glass lamp . . . . . and the sun. Not a good combo for wood. What was I thinking?

How dumb, and how sad. I immediately began to douse and investigate. It had burned a nine inch long gouge, nearly all the way through the beloved, irreplaceable table.

So, after a few tears well, quite a few, and panic, I began gently sanding the charred finger wide and deep, damaged section.

I mean, this was not only where my dad worked, sob, sob, but was the only work station I would ever, be able to connect (emotionally speaking) and create comfortably. No, no, no, this could not have just happened I thought, as I sanded, and sanded and sanded. Then pretty soon I began to realize, if I kept sanding, I just may go through to the other side. It was that deep. I decided to stop.

Didn’t look good.

As I stared at the ruined rubble in a daze of despair, it became apparent. If, I wanted to save the integrity of all the stains, the splashes and drips that my dear dad-o left behind and still be able to function, I had to flip the top. After all, I couldn’t bear to sand, fill and refinish the entire top erasing the traces of creating he had left behind.

So, it was decided.

It was the logical solution.

Funny though, how creativity is all tied up to our emotions and how easily that can be interrupted, blocking the natural flow of making. We’ll see.

So goes my tale of the turned over,

clean slate,

in it’s new location,

ready for action . . . again.

Full studio re vamp news & reveal to come – Fall 2015!