Yesterday was not the best of days. I have been an artist all of my life. I always created art out of a need to share what I see in everyday life.
For the past two years, we have been dealing with a renovation of the restaurant on the ground floor of our building. It was determined that all of the heating, air conditioning and chimney would have to be placed on the roof. That meant I would lose a good portion of my storage space. For weeks now, workmen have been in and out of my studio, measuring, drilling, hammering, sawing, you name it. Vents and ducts were installed and now it was time to break through to the roof, a day I was not looking forward to. A big hole was cut in the roof on Monday, much larger than anticipated and a beam was cut. On Tuesday, not only was the roof work continuing on the venting outlet, 2 new skylights were being installed by the roofing company hired to re-roof and waterproof the area where all of the new equipment would be located.
Shortly after lunch it started to rain…a downpour. The workmen hurriedly covered the open skylight with plastic sheeting and roofing/flashing and thankfully no leaks. Not so with the hole cut by the new tenants for their equipment. Pouring rain IN…MY... STUDIO. An artist's worst nightmare.
I was yelling for help and the four of us in the studio at the time started getting the paintings off the shelves, out of the studio and then started wiping them down. The contractor sent up several of his workmen with rolls of paper towels to help. It was a hell of a day and it could have been avoided had the work been done properly to begin with. The contractor and his workmen had no contingency plan in place should it start to rain, hence the awful outcome. Choosing a day to work with no rain in the forecast probably would have been a good idea as well.
These pictures do not really capture the horror of seeing water cascading down from the ceiling. Looking at my paintings, I felt as if I were watching "my children" drowning and calling out for help.
Today I've been assessing the damage. The paintings formerly on the shelves are now scattered throughout our space - in the hallways, computer room, wood room, etc. I won't put anything back until the roof work is complete and lord only knows when that will be.
I was once told by my friend's mother that when one door closes a window opens. I realized yesterday that I create art to tell a story. Now that much of my work is out of the storage area and off of the shelves, I've had the opportunity to reexamine my work. It is good work and I want it seen. I always envisioned keeping a significant amount of my work in the studio. This experience has shown me that is not the only way to think. As a result, I've decided to keep a smaller percentage of my work and get more out into the world. I'm determined to find ways to make this happen. For the next few months, I will be selling a portion of my work at prices to fit any budget. If you have ever wanted to own an original "Florin", this is the time. Feel free to contact me and I can send you images via email or we can arrange a studio visit.
