BOOTCAMP

Bootcamp= Oil Painting Techniques with Victor Wang. 

Going back to school Tues. and Thursday was like taking a time machine back to a surreal universe that I remembered instantly and yet I had forgotten about the details. 

Tuesday was syllabus day, and that alone was stressful enough. Sure, I knew what Victor was talking about. The stress came from getting the kids together with enough time to make it to class with the ‘parking situation’. We were late because I had stayed up the last... I don’t know.... several nights working on another start up project (which I’ll maybe mention later, but probably don’t have time) and woke up at 0730 (!!!!!!!) which is NOT enough time to get the kids and myself ready for school. Andreas was wheezing, so I had to go back home, and get his nebulizer and go back to school to give him his treatment. I left school at 1011 and made it to class about 10 min. late, and LUCKILY Victor was just explaining things in the gesso/preparing rabbit skin glue room and knew all about that, and filtered in with the rest of the class for intros and syllabus requirements. 

I knew what he was talking about as I had taken the class before, but had some questions concerning my damar varnish which I had mixed with “Gamsol”  which had turned cloudy. Eventually Victor said my paintings would crack. Most of the students (I think) didn’t have much idea what we were talking about. I had made my own Damar from the crystal form, but used Gamsol. I started using Gamsol about 4 years or more ago when I was pregnant with my first. By using the crystals, and making my own from a very prestigious supply company for archival products in painting (Studio Products) I thought I was upgrading. By using the Gamsol, I thought I was being safer. Apparently the two don’t mix. 

The question is when will the paintings crack and will I care, and will it matter anyway?And, that is why I’m taking the class again. Today, Victor said to just buy pre-made Damar. Now, that seems simple enough. Why was I stressing so much about it, concentrating on the crystals. (???) 

Thursday (today) everyones job was to sand three masonite boards (both sides) with 200 grit sandpaper. Being the gunner I am, I prepared five, which was plenty. I thought I would try to have more prepared while the materials were available. And also, I feel that after graduating, and ten years experience, that I should do more. Creating more, made me one of the latter to finish. Everyone was outside sanding, and sanding like busy beavers. After sanding we added sizing to two boards (three for me) and adhered the canvas with rabbit skin glue. Everyone was in the work room gluing up and cutting canvas like mad, and it was rather tricky. And even though I am experienced with this sort of thing, I haven’t used rabbit skin glue in say 10 years, and you have to work fast, and I had to re-heat some of the glue to get my second canvas done because it turned jelly like.   

The whole thing felt really weird. And, I suppose it should, but I feel this is the right thing that I should be doing. Generally speaking there seemed to be some students that were kind of like ‘us’.... i.e. the students that were there with me when I went to Fontbonne for my M.F.A. There were a couple of guys who seemed like hipsters making plans for this or that in the loop, an unaffected grad student perhaps, a couple of older women who were trying but pensive, and Victors grad assistant running around trying to please everyone by making the glue, and preparing the boards, and helping out, because after all, isn’t it the best thing to be Victors assistant? Tim came in, in full sherpa hat and introduced me to a couple people, and then I think in their minds they might have decided that I could maybe be accepted. : .... and there is always someone with a strange name in the midst of an art school, like Teddy, or Dallas, or Mihyun, but Tim introduced me to a guy named “Otter’ and I think that one wins for funky names in art school at least for the next few years. 

The thing that is different is that I am in a totally different place now. I don’t really have a great need to find friends, or find someone to connect with and go with to the Loop. I am not suffering from a fresh breakup and feel the need to express my angst. I miss those times. It’s nice to be the observer. The big talk, from what I could gather was that the grad students were all having a meeting with Tim and Victor about how the students are not spending enough time in the studio. Same ol’, same ol’.... scare tactics I’m sure they used on us! However, it seemed to be working because I heard the fear in their voices and it was mentioned at least three times among several different people in under three hours. I just worked and observed, and the funny thing is that I know all the secrets, but would not tell them I think, because they have to experience all this for themselves and then look back later and go, well...that did push me to spend more time in the studio... 

Although... I do miss times at the Fox and the Hound at the Cheshire... that was the best after school.