WEEK ONE : STUDIO INSTALL / DRAWING

WEEK TWO : STUDIO DRAWING

WEEK THREE : SITE INSTALL

DRAWING DAY : TOURS

END

WEEK ONE : DAY ONE

First day in the studio at the basement of the famous LaMaMa Theatre, on 74A East 4th Street (btw Bowery & 2nd Ave ) The first task with Aimee and Nova and some interns is to go get materials. We get the paper from some stores uptown as well as big hardware stores. The hardest assignment is to get an etching tool, its takes two days to get it. I am introduced to the sharpie pen, a basic felt tip pen but better designed than the UK versions, its a bold and unforgiving line that is perfect for my process. We get tables, chairs lights in a few days the studio is fit for purpose. The next thing is to start work, that is the easy part.

I begin by returning to some of the drawings I made in London, I brought three small works and photographs. I just started to deconstruct the Corinthian capital that is on the outside of the Drawing Center. The drawings are all based on the photographs I took on the site visit in February. I realise this is not enough, so I arrange to go to the Drawing Center and draw from life and take some more images.

The second week we were able to really motor on, this was the second week of what was to become twenty three days continuos work in the studio early mornings and late finishes. The studio was hot from the steam heat and I saw little daylight, but it was a pleasure just to be able to focus on the drawings. We began the process of scaling up the drawings, there were eventually three nine feet high complete works and one life size prep drawing. Experimenting with the colour grey. The two spaces at the back of LaMaMa and ideal Glass were going to be painted gray, then the scaled up drawings made on approx sixty sheets of paper five feet by three feet would be wheat pasted onto the wall. Then the process of cutting through parts to reveal the gray and over painting would begin. I was not sure how to do the paint marks, but I had to cross that bridge when I got to it. That particular bridge was a week away.

Saturday May 4th The Ideas City open day. The Drawing Center had a stall in the park and for the whole day there was activity, with the public making drawings of the capital and all received a goody bag of materials. There were also two conducted tours of the sites and the studio.

Back in the studio, Blake who has become the studio manager works out the logistics of how the drawings can be wheat pasted to the wall, as well as all the different aspects of the project. Aimee and Nova give their time generously and the interns all make a fantastic contribution. Gabriella, Blake, Daniel, Kate, Becca and two students from NYU Joeun Kim and ShinYeon Moon.

The task at the end of week two was to create all the drawings scaled up from the initial drawings to their actual size. This meant covering half the studio in brown paper to have a clean environment. This was the most painstaking part of the process. The studio operated with a team making the scaled up work while I continued making more detailed drawings. It was while making the first drawings of the top ornamental feature of the capital that I discovered that the part that I thought represented a scroll was in fact the horns of a ram. This discovery was only possible by the continuing process of drawing - seeing with my fingers.

Willard of Ideal Glass and all the team there were fantastic in the help, support and encouragement. While installing ideal glass, a local film maker Chuck Smith asks if he could make a time lapse of the installation. This was also a great experience and Chuck was amazing and helping the project. The entire street was the most friendly I have ever experienced and I just wanted to live there. The next block Phillip Glass lives, I saw him in the street with his shopping.

Jason begins the process of mixing the special secret ingredients in his wheat paste mix. The weather turned in our favour and warmed up, the sun shone and it was a perfect day to start. Working in a public environment has pleasures and problems. Continued inquires was a distraction but at Ideal Glass in particular the neighbourhood was incredibly friendly and helpful.

STAGE 1

The first task was to paint both LaMaMa and Ideal Glass sites grey. This gave us the background colour.

STAGE 2

To meet  the wheat paste team in the studio and for Blake to run through how the sheets that were numbered would be installed onto the wall. This meeting was crucial for the wheat paste team to say how they wanted the drawings to be delivered.

STAGE 3

The outline drawings to be pasted onto the wall of both sites.

STAGE 4

The  drawings are then remade on the paper, using ink, oil stick, paint, blue tape.

STAGE 5

The cut outs are made through the paper to reveal the grey undercoat beneath. The process of stage 4 and 5 are mixed up.

At the  same time we were installing and going back and forth between LaMaMa site and Ideal Glass we were also thinking about First STreet Green, the studio piece on the black wall with white chalk and the L’Apicio windows.

Blake, Becca andKate made the enlargement to the full size work on the black wall.

CHUCK SMITH