Happy Easter!

Up up and away!

I’m Not That Kind of Girl

Hearing of my quest to find new and reasonably priced painting surfaces, my professor suggested I visit Home Depot’s lumber department.  Home Depot?  Me?  I can find my way around Michael’s blindfolded.  Sam Flax—it’s like my second home.  But Home Depot?  That’s a little outside my comfort zone.  Still, after paying thirteen dollars for an 8×8 piece of Gessobord, my practicality got the best of me and I headed out to the land of lumber.

While I longed to look like a confident tigress on the prowl in search of prey, I was more like a scared bunny peeking timidly down every aisle. I passed mysterious things made of metal and rubber and plastic.  I was definitely out of my element.  Finally, a gentleman in a bright orange apron offered to help.  He led me down the lumber aisle, past plywood, and pine board, and Fiberboard.  Everything was huge and heavy with rough, jagged edges.  Nothing looked like a suitable painting surface.  And then he showed me Birchwood.  It was a monstrous piece, but it was smooth, and if cut down, it would be light and manageable.  As I stood pondering how I could fit Goliath in my car, my Home Depot Hero said, “You can cut that down in no time with the right power saw.”

The expression on my face must have said it all: Excuse me?  Power tools?  What kind of girl do you think I am?  He smiled and quickly added, “Or I could cut it for you.”  And so he did.  Thanks to my Knight in Shining Apron, I now have eight small pieces of Birchwood waiting to be gessoed.  Of course, they do need to be sanded first.  I wonder if Home Depot’s lumber department has an electric sander and a skilled craftsman who would be willing to help out a scared little bunny…Maybe I’ll hop on over there and find out. 

“Bunny”–graphite–from my sketch book