The Portneuf Project, Part II

Just over a week ago we attended the VIP Gala to celebrate the opening of the Portneuf Medical center and I am still a little star struck. I had hoped there would be some sort of open house at the new hospital but the event Friday night far exceeded all expectation. It was off the hook! From the valet escort on the red carpet to the last champange toast we were treated like celebrities.

RT in his perfect tux

As soon as we received our invitation to this "black tie" affair we found just the right tuxedo for RT. One brief stop and he has the perfect tux--the perfect style, the perfect fit and the perfect shoes--men are so easy.

My little blue dress

Finding something suitable for me was a little more difficult but we managed. Poor Ralph declared he was becoming my gay boyfriend as we made the rounds to find the perfect dress and shoes. He was actually very helpful, has excellent taste and gave very good advice. But I knew this shopping thing needed to end when he commented that the only thing left to buy was just the right "bling"!

A bit more relaxed after a little sushi and wine

We toured the hospital as a progressive dinner--following arrows and our noses through out the building, discovering a multi-course meal. Winding through the halls and up and down the elevators we were treated to fabulous food and drink.

We encountered beautiful art and photographs through out the entire building. The hospital itself is a work of art, beautifully appointed, showcasing fine art from many local artisans. One of the highlights was finding my piece, gorgeously framed in a lovely location. It is on the second level on the east side, opposite the balcony overlooking the stunning two story waterfall.

Obviously I am very happy, but so very proud and grateful for this opportunity.

After finding my piece we continued the tour, meeting people--old and new--and discovering Bindweed tulips. Two sides of Bindweed creativity were represented this evening--my artwork and our tulips. Our good friend and long time client, LD of Flowers by LD, did all the flowers for the event.

Besides the dreamlike quality to the evening, okay, and maybe a little wine haze, I was completely distracted and need to return for another tour. I was very preoccupied by the artwork, the food and drink, the flowers and people-watching! It was a feast of color, texture and style. We should all dress up more often. I loved the jewelry and the shoes--so expressive. I was very clever and got good shoes and was able to wear them ALL evening--many ladies gave up and were carrying their shoes way before champange and dancing.

Me and my sweetie

It was a magical evening, one we will long remember in many ways. I loved making this painting so this event was really icing on the cake. As a working artist I usually sell my best work but as I was finishing this piece it struck me that though it was sold I would always have access to it. And not only that, it is part of my personal legacy, something public that I am able to share. It pleases me to think that something beautiful I have tried to express might bring cheer to those in need.

The Portneuf Project

Over a year ago the Portneuf Medical Center, looking for art for their new building, put out a call for artists to submit portfolios for consideration. I was fortunate enough to be one of twenty-five local artists whose work was chosen. The new building is huge, requiring big pieces, pieces bigger than I have ever painted. But when asked if I could reproduce one of my portfolio submissions on a massive scale (40 in. x 60 in.) of course I said YES!

There were many challenges in this project, the least of them actually painting. A regular full sheet of watercolor paper is 22 in. x 30 in. and prior to this project I had never done a painting larger than this. But I had an over-sized roll of watercolor paper, forty-eight inches wide. Before taking the commission I had to measure the roll to make sure it was large enough for the size required.

Finding a suitable support was the next obstacle. Normally I staple a full sheet to a lightweight board; this allows me to lift, shift and tilt the piece throughout the painting process. This painting was to be almost as wide as I am tall so heavy plywood was out of the question. We bought a sheet of masonite cut just larger than the dimensions of the painting but it was too heavy for me to manipulate. I started calling friends that had done over-sized work and one suggested foam core. As luck would have it our local frame shop had just received two huge sheets, so within an hour I had the perfect support! Foam core is lightweight yet rigid enough to keep the painting from warping too much.

It took my husband and me nearly an hour to measure, cut and mount the first sheet of paper. Watercolor paper is heavy, made from cotton rag and finished with sizing, making it very stiff. Stock this large comes on a roll and it took both of us, several heavy books and a roll of tape to secure it to the support.

I blew the first drawing--centering it too low on the paper--but it did not take half as long to cut and secure the second sheet. The second drawing practically fell on the paper and was perfect. I got a good night's sleep and started painting the next day.

I had some initial awkward moments--being small I had to learn how to carefully manipulate this massive piece. Putting my drafting table at a forty-five degree angle I could reach the top of the piece but the angle proved too steep, causing the paint to pool in heavy puddles and then run. I ended up working flat on a table that I pushed into the middle of the studio. Because I did not have the reach to span the entire height of the piece I worked around the table in 360 degrees and often painted the image upside-down. Physically maneuvering around the painting surface was tricky too, but I put my water, paint and brushes on a rolling cart that traveled with me around the painting.

Iris, fifty percent complete

Once the technical difficulties were worked out, the painting was a dream. Working at this scale was liberating--mixing up giant puddles of intense exaggerated color, then lifting and dropping these saturated hues onto huge expanses of white paper and watching them run and move was a thrill! Every brush stroke was an adventure, every painting session a delight, pure creativity and pure play--I loved it!

Iris, seventy percent complete

And then I was done...and had to figure out how to get this massive fragile piece of paper to Houston, Texas for framing. Luckily I was able ship it rolled up. A quick trip to Lowes and we found an excellent shipping tube--a heavy duty cardboard roll, normally used as a cement form. We rolled the painting in on itself, slipped it into an enormous plastic bag and slid it into the tube. We sealed the ends with wads of bubble wrap and tape. Then I took it to the nice folks at UPS who created a custom made box, complete with two inches of foam insulation, in under fifteen minutes and shipped it off. I tracked this shipment with trepidation and did not breathe easily until I heard from my liaison for this project in Houston notifying me of its safe arrival. Her email said it "arrived safely and was beautiful!"

Iris, finished piece