In the last few days I've been going through tons of old files in preparation for the arrival of a new hot rod computer. I picked the machine up today and then spent some time reloading and organizing the files as I put everything onto the new speedier computer. I always enjoy this task as it gives me the chance to look through a bunch of old projects. One of the signs I came across was a fun sculptured piece I did a bit more than six years ago for a restaurant in Washington state.
Trip to the past
This past week Janis & I along with Phoebe took a trip to Victoria, British Columbia. It was our last adventure of the summer. Phoebe was in charge of the itinerary. We visited a number of attractions - the Bug Zoo, two museums, one aquarium and other points of interest over a period of three days. One of the places we visited was Butterfly Gardens. More than thirty-five years ago we were commissioned to do some work for the facility as they were constructing it. The scope of our work included two waterfalls, two bridges, some rock work and the stamping of the textured concrete though the 12,000 square foot show space. This was my first visit since then. I was curious to see how things had held up after more than three and a half decades. Amazingly, the features we built looked great. The jungle had certainly enveloped the pieces we built and the damp environment encouraged moss growth on the features but the lush landscape added to the look. Our work blended into the landscape as it should in a setting like that.
We've come a long ways since those early days and would do things a whole lot differently now. Even so I was pleasantly surprised and am still proud of our early theme work from that period. It was fun to take a little trip to the past!
Small changes - BIG DIFFERENCE!
Becke and Jeff spent a good portion of the day adding the last of the painted details to Dayna's tree. They didn't use a lot of paint and glaze but what they did changed things a great deal. Today, they painted the last coats of colour on the door hinges, ladybugs and the sign. They let everything dry and then went back and judiciously added subtle glazes to make the small details pop. We each carefully inspected the tree from top to bottom to make sure it was all perfect and then declared it finished.
I'll let the paint cure in the shop overnight and then push it out into the sunshine tomorrow to grab some final pictures. Later next week we'll carefully load it into a truck and send it on the way to it's new home in Northern Saskatchewan. This project was truly built from the heart by every member of the crew. Our hope is that it will remind Dayna's family of many happy memories and provide joy to all who visit it.
