Week 3 Art Restoration with Kat and Megan

Week 3

The UArts alumnus I’m working for is Megan Becker, who pursued the same internship program I’m part of when she was an Illustration student at the university. She has been the one handing me an airbrush and letting me (tentatively) try my hand at stain remediation for water damaged pieces. Megan and I are a good alum-student match because of our shared interest in illustration, and quieter introverted nature. Although Megan’s and my art is very different, we share an understanding for visual meaning and narrative. 

The weeks at ART are fairly reliable work-load wise, but on Wednesdays we get to do something a little different. Megan teaches art classes for young students directly after work on Wednesday, so she takes me with her to where her classes are. Of course, I can’t roam around aimlessly while she works, so I take her car to Dunkin Donuts and sit outside, sipping a black coffee and reading The Sandman, volume 5. I enjoy these little quiet moments where I finally have time to myself, to relax and recharge. 

I was given the opportunity this week to restore a boat scene completely on my own. Smoke had damaged the frame, glass, and art, but I took each piece apart and cleaned it. The glass over the art had a painted black border which turned out to be beautiful, but some of the black paint was chipping. I took some heavy body acrylic paint and touched up the chipped parts, and the piece ended up looking sleek and new. Another exciting piece to restore was the Toulouse-Lautrec piece. I’ve always enjoyed Toulouse-Lautrec’s art nouveau work, and cleaning and re-framing his piece was a real treat. I’m thankful for my experience here, because I am now confident in assembling frames and cutting matte board for my own professional work. 

The crew who I work with at ART keep me entertained as I Windex glass. In the art restoration office, I sit at a messy desk with Megan and Sheri, who also attended UArts. In the warehouse out back, I have (through my shyness) made some sort of connection with one of the guys who works for Electronic Restoration Services through Neutral Milk Hotel—we chat once a week about the best songs on Aeroplane Over the Sea.  

Unfortunately I won’t be working for most of July! I’m planning on making up the lost time during August—I just have to figure out what I can keep writing for the blog entries :).