So, I’m being brave again. In a fit of “what-the-hell-ness” I persuaded two lovely and creative friends to be my partners in crime in an open studio/open beach hut for Coastal Currents in September. It’s so easy to commit to something when it seems a long way off and you don’t allow reality to hold you back.
Reality is biting now. I received the proofs for the open studios brochure today. It all looks very spiffy. And very official. One small tweak and once that is signed off, there’s no turning back. People will be hammering at the beach hut door before we know it. Which is just one of a great many things on my “to-do” list before the open studios. Fix the front door. Or I won’t be able to lock people out if I change my mind.
On my list of things to do …
- Rebuild the front wall – new door included. In order to do this I have first to order specially profiled and treated timber which needs several weeks lead in time.
- Install the studio work bench using the timbers I salvaged from a hut being demolished on the front row. (There’s a story there I haven’t yet told you.)
- Install the internal side panels using the timbers salvaged from the old pier. (Yes – another story about old wood.)
- Create the stained glass windows to go above the pier timbers. (This isn’t urgent, just something I want to do but realistically probably won’t happen before Coastal Currents.)
- Finish lime washing the ceiling so it doesn’t look like I’ve just given up at the first hurdle. I haven’t. Honestly. But my arms ache. And there’s sea shore to explore.
- Remove the final piece of the old mezzanine floor above the door which is still in place after we hacked out the half-tonne steel safe that was welded to it.
- Figure out some way of hanging prints without putting nails into the walls.
- Get the prints printed.
Yikes.
I’m sure I’ve forgotten something.