Push to the end

This small strip pretty much says it all. The project is coming soon. Very soon. Like, the 20th of September for my work. Two weeks from now. And yes, I’m in the freak-out stage of work.

I spent several days scraping off aluminum burs and ragged plastic parts on all 8 major squares. Not a very fun job, plus it took a couple panels before I discovered that the above blade was the way to go. I also discovered what sections were on the loose side and now have to figure out a bit of strengthening repair work prior to painting.

Ah, the paint job! That other bit of decision work that’s been put off for a very long time. I’ve chosen basic black because it helps pop the images more against a lighter background.

I did play around with a blue color, but it wasn’t going to read well enough with everything going on around it. Black will keep it closer to the actual cut paper look. I’ll use a creamy light yellow for the background panel. Don’t tell the Beaver Believers that I’m using Duck colors!  Today it’s raining so painting has been put on hold.

And then there’s those two outer panel designs (plus a couple of little 1 ft x 1 ft panels to design as well). On Sunday I connected with my best friend and took a road trip back out to Halsey. The weather was beautiful with puffy clouds in blue sky. We wandered around the countryside, down roads I’d never taken, looking for the right barn. Eventually I ended up at one I had been eyeing for many weeks. I trudged across the field to get a better reference shot to work from. The golden fields are now under a blanket of smooth tan. The lush greens have left, but will return in a few weeks with rain. A few more alterations to the above designs and I’ll print them out and attach to the remaining panels for cutting.

The left barn is on Lake Creek Rd and the right is on Powerline Rd.

So much more to accomplish in the next 2 weeks.

For those checking in for the first time: This is my journey to create a public artwork for the city of Halsey, OR. The work will be hung September 20, 2016 and will remain up to 6 months at 838 W. 1st ST. I was inspired by Halsey’s connection to the land: agricultural crops and the scenery looking west from town. This project is sponsored through The Arts Center of Corvallis, DLF/Pickseed USA, and The Oregon Arts Commission.