17.1.13
Last weekend I paid a visit to Fulbridge School with Henri to measure the entrance one last time, I needed to give myself peace of mind I had the correct figures for the size of the gable. Recently I’ve had a recurring dream that the panels are painted and ready to be secured in place only to find that I have painted the wrong size and shape!

With those figures confirmed I delivered a drawing with cutting plan to my local materials supplier earlier this week and today the delivery of 12mm thick exterior plywood arrived. The painting will be in 7 sections and the studio is filled with the smell of freshly cut wood.


First job was to measure the individual pieces and check that they fitted together, next the task of sanding rough edges. The boards are now prepared and ready for priming.



For me this is always a special moment. My first art history lecture when I began art school was a discussion of a painting by Georgio de Chirico, ‘The Enigma of the Hour’, and I am reminded of this presentation whenever I begin a new piece of work. I had never seen the painting before, which had such a strange, ambiguous and mystifying atmosphere, nor did I have any knowledge of the artist, but since then I have made a point to pause, and to recognise and appreciate that moment when something special is about to happen. This sensation can perhaps be compared to the seconds before a penalty kick is taken in a football match, the outcome of which will alter the balance and momentum of the rest of the game.
What happens from now on changes everything. It could be magical, the best thing ever, but right now they’re just a collection of plain wooden boards. It is all about visualising the possibility and potential of the next step.
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