Accidents

With all the moving we have done in the last three years, the loss or damage of some items, I suspect, is inevitable. Our second segment in the saga brought the hole in this canvas. It is from the “Eve” series, the largest of the group measuring 72” x 48”, The Keeper of Wonder. The wind caught it causing it to fall against another object waiting to be loaded into the moving van. At the time all I did was look at it and without much emotion turned my attention to the next item to lift. My easy acceptance at this point could be explained by many similar occurrences during my childhood as we relocated from place to place and country to country. I had become accustomed to letting go of precious objects. In this case the damage is reparable. It has just taken be a few years to get around to doing it! Since I lacked the necessary expertise to do so I went to my favorite art store and asked the very knowledgeable people there how to go about it. I was advised to take some raw canvas, cut it small enough to cover the hole while allowing enough fabric to feather the edge. Being independent I had tried to fix another painting previously without success. I had not taken the time to pull the weave and the warp off the edges of the piece to “feather” it and I had cut it too large thinking the bigger the better… Using regular gel I applied a coat to one of the canvas patches and around the hole then pressed the bandaid into place. I had also noticed a stretch mark close to where the hole appeared and decided to administer another bandaid along that seam as well, for good measure. All in all I am delighted with the results. A little paint and no one will see the damage. They will again be able to appreciate the painting without interruption. Life is good.