Working on Site at Elie House

….. and why that is actually ok.

So for the last couple of weeks, I’ve been doing something the same, but different. I have been restoring another pretty gigantic frame, but this time not in the comfort of my own workshop- surrounded by those I love and the equipment I am most likely to need at a moments notice.

Instead, I was down in Elie. Alright. It’s hardly earthshattering- it’s just down the road, but when you need to pack your things for every eventuality; that’s when you are sure to come up short on one of the eventualities.

Of course that eventuality could be me. My takeaway from this job might be to do a second more thorough check/ Estimate before diving right in to the work. So as usual there were suprises along the way. the first and most unfortunate being that the pices that I was ‘restoring’ which appeard to have come cleanly of… had not. And at least one had to be completely remade.

The other was that in the painting’s fall from grace- the slip for the painting had fallen apart inside the frame. I did not have the space or the equipment with me to fix that on this away mission. So the slip had to have an away mission of it’s own. Back to West Muircambus. Luckily it just about fitted in the car at an odd angle. My driver was compelled to come and collect it as it became clear to me (and to him as I explained down the phone) that not only had I forgotten the whiting, but I was going to need it to make new mouldings for the irretrievable centrepiece.

The next day, back at Elie House, and I was applying gesso and red bole. I was feeling good about my packing skills from the previous night. I had removed what I no longer needed today and replaced it with what I did need.

It felt good. It felt good until I remembered that I had been going to cast another small piece out of compo to complete the very comlex centre piece. I didn’t pack the compo. and suddenly West Muircambus was miles away and I was holed up here in this beautiful apartment unable to reach out for my compo which was still stuck in the fridge at West Muircambus. I hope I am painting a turbulant picture for you because it wan’t good. I took a moment to gather my thoughts. Which were mainly negative. relating primariy to my inability to pack one simple item.

Then I realised. It had been there all along. I could use gesso putty and mould my small piece build it slightly and sand it carefully down to shape. it could even work better.

And that is what I did. I wanted to leave it to set properly overnight and that meant not touching it until my return the following week. So I continued applying bole to the other areas I had been working on (left ornament right ornament and bottom panel), before leaving everything for the following Wednesday, when I could start to apply the gold leaf over the bole while perfecting the gesso surface and applying red bole over the centrepiece.

So the following Wednesday I overpacked. The goodnews is overpacking is mostly better than underpacking. I brought gilding water as well as oil size as well as Liberon wax for blending. I brought my entire collection of gilders mops in various sizesand all of my fitches.

I did not pack shellac.

I called my driver. Was this a problem? He thought as I felt myself in my heart of hearts, that I was over thinking the shellac mishap and could wait and bring it with me tomorrow.

He was probably right.

But mainly he just didn’t want to drive back down to Elie again I knew it.

I should probably learn to drive.

But there is something alright about being chauffered around and calling your driver for lifts. (this isn’t entirely accurate I’m just getting carried away with the text)

So by Thurday morning, I was completely ready to shellac (seal) the gold, and blend it the bright 24ct with the older 24ct oil gilding.

Which I did. 2 layers of tinted shellac. And a liberon wax and rotton stone pressed into the crevasses to age the new gilding.

I then had to turn the frame over and secured the slip in the frame using nails. It was over 1cm shy of the actual frame so long nails were required. It was at this point I realised I hadn’t packed my pliers or brown tape.

Luckily the driver was coming to help hang the work so I made a list…..

I secured the oil painting back in using canvas offsets. These help to hold it secure while also making it easy to adjust if necessary.

New hangers were put on the back, and since the wire is what failed and caused the fall- a new nylon weight bearing cord.

My driver arrived, and after one last check over everything; along with the owner of the painting we got the painting up on the wall- with the help of some very tall ladders.

In Conclusion

It was challenging not working from home becasue everything was not constantly at hand, as it usually is. Furthermore there was no 4G where I was working so I could barely contact my driver to tell him the things I had forgotton or remind him what time he was to come and pick me up!! Heavens! Or procrastinate by endlessly scrolling.

But it turned out that all of this was good.

Because I managed each day with what I had.

I wasn’t distracted by my phone, and the temptation to look things up.

What’s more- it was lovely leaving the work behing at the end of the day. Because while it was on my mind- there was nothing I could do about it. And it was a huge frame, that I was still working on. And I could leave- and get on with other projects at home.

I loved it.

Furthermore, the people I worked for were so gracious and kind; left me to my own devises- only to come in every now and then to check to see if I needed another coffee or some biscuits. And for that I am so grateful.

So to conclude the conclsion, this is why working on site at Elie House, was actually good.