No Fergie to fire up, but another McMoonter project gets underway

Lime wash for traditional masonry walls, brilliant choice, wears well and breathes. Looking good. Even lime tradesmen can suffer, depends on skin, apparently. Great updates. Can’t wait for the soft opening … old bikes hanging off walls;)

This morning Paul came over to frame the door. I had precut the wood to form the arch. with two pairs of hands and Paul’s experience, we had the door posts and arch up in no time. As we worked away it became apparent that the space above the horizontal rail could be glazed too. It’ll mean some tricky glass cutting but it’s too nice a detail to panel over.

There will be a door in the centre and a pane either side.

http://www.petermclarenfineart.com/Blog/GlassmountGalleryProject

My brother is coincidentally making a gallery space at Maspie House in Falkland, next door to the Palace. The space he is creating is pristine and clinical, sharp white walls and a sky’s the limit budget.

The lighting he has had installed is a mix of swanky LED and halogen. I asked him about the costs thinking I might try something similar. When he told me each light unit was over £250 I was stunned. So when I was at Screwfix , I asked the guys there what would give me a floody light adequate to light the space and to pick out the paintings I intend to hang. Their suggestion was a £5 halogen security light unit. Lots of floody lumens which might be more expensive to have on all day compared to an LED. That’s not too big an issue as I’d only have them on when I had visitors or I was working there. I don’t want to spend a fortune on something that at this stage is just a toe in the water experiment. I can always upgrade later reusing the existing wiring.

So I spent the day fitting the lights and wiring them up. The reflected light on the walls is excellent, there should be less reflection on my paintings which I always glaze. Once the varnished floor and glass is fitted to the doorway more light will be reflected too. The last picture show a single coat of limewash on the walls of other space. I’ve found a suitable woodburning stove which will should be easy to pipe into the existing chimney.

I’ve also found some flush floor sockets with flip up lids to bring power in without having to raggle conduit and boxes into the walls.

More pics here…
http://www.petermclarenfineart.com/Blog/GlassmountGalleryProject

Love it. I am taking notes as to how neat my work space should look in future…

coming on well P.
Dont forget comfortable seating if you’re having a wood stove in there. I might want to spend a while.

Progress has been glacial with other stuff competing for my attention. I’ve got one more coat of lime wash to put on, the stove arrived yesterday and I have a spark coming on Saturday to sort out some wiring. We should get the arch on the second door frame up then too.

Lovely low winter sun this morning.

#

Murr came over this morning and we set to framing up the south facing doorway. It was bitterly cold but we got it up.

Another step closer. I’m going to start using the logs in one of the bays so I can see clear through to the studio and and the landscape beyond. I didn’t foresee The space ever needing it’s view when I built the log shed. It was a largely forgotten spot, used for burning arb and garden waste. Shame on me.

Not a bad view to be honest pete!

Surely if you clear a bay you’ll just see another one behind it that you have forgotten about.

wot the fridge said,
I think that’s a splendid view!

If punters want a view, send them to the studio for a personal mcmoonterising.

Harrythespider, I laughed but had to check. I think there is just enough space to see past. This is the view from the studio door.

It’s all Land Art of a kind.

Maybe December isn’t the best month to be painting out doors. But in a bid to try to get some glass in at least the outer panels before Christmas so I can lay some boards, I put some undercoat on the framing around the doors. I will top coat it with the same pale, blue grey I painted the studio with, I’ve still got some left over.

I’ve got the armored cable for the power supply, a load of floor flush mounting sockets, a floor nailer and some stove pipe. So surely over the Christmas break I can get a move on again. Nothing is especially difficult it’s just finding the time to get it done.

have you got some salvaged glass lined up for those like usual, or *shock horror* will you have to part with some shekels for virgin panes?

Flue looks like it’s in a perfect position…

have you got some salvaged glass lined up for those like usual, or *shock horror* will you have to part with some shekels for virgin panes?

The glass? I have a stash of recycled toughened bus shelter glass, but alas it wouldn’t fit in any configuration. So I’ll have to break into the shekel bank. I’ll get laminated stuff rather than some un laminated double glazed unit. The centre panel in each opening will be a glazed door. I want to lay the floor before I make the door.

As you say the flue will be in just about the right spot. I could have used a stove today as it was Baltic outside. I had the studio stove on so I could dash in and thaw out every half hour.

A bit of a Grand Designs day today. The glass I ordered yesterday arrived this morning. 6mm laminated. I supplied the measurements to the glazier, so I always have that anxiety that I may have misread the tape. All was good and they fitted perfectly. With only a third of the opening now open, it’s noticeably warmer with the reduced wind chill.

Is that a Rolls Royce outside? Notice my lack of a 😯 face with that question!

Is that a Rolls Royce outside?

Yes but it’s more of a tool shelf. Driving it back into the garage will double its annual mileage.

Looking great!
Looking forward to seeing the floor – are you going to retain the coloured gym markings?

Looking great!
Looking forward to seeing the floor – are you going to retain the coloured gym markings?

I’m tempted to keep them, it just depends of how it all fits together. A friend sent me a picture of an artist’s supplies shop in Portland which had a recycled gym floor, they kept the markings. I will see if I can find it.

Here it is

Pete, sounds like you have done this already, any glass in doors and/or glass next to doors needs to be safety rated, see here http://www.pilkington.com/~/media/Pilkington/Site%20Content/UK/Reference/BRImpactSafetyPDF.ashx
if you look in the corner of the pane there should be an etched standard mark, maybe BS6206 or other. Also worth thinking about manifestation on the glass if large panes to stop folk walking into it; I have seen it happen, look out of window…see nice view…walk towards wood pile…walk into glass!
Keep up the good work.

I guess it depends on the look you’re after, but I think that looks fantastic (although yours could look even better in that dark timber).

Everything is coming together nicely.

Looking very nice…

Also worth thinking about manifestation on the glass if large panes to stop folk walking into it;

Good call, I almost did it myself and I’d just put the pane in. 🙂

One of my cats had a bit of a shock when I put the glass in the shed. He’d got used to jumping through, then…
There are a couple of claw marks in the timber now from where he scrabbled to stop the freefall.

am sitting in a bar in Gloucester for “brunch”.
Looks fine to me!

Wetherspoons for brunch, Stoner?. dear oh dear… 😀

Looks appealing Stoner.

Also worth thinking about manifestation on the glass if large panes to stop folk walking into it;

Good call, I almost did it myself and I’d just put the pane in.

possibly this? 🙂

Kcal – stealth cock, balls & spaff. Perfect 😈

I updated the blog with some new pictures this morning.

http://www.petermclarenfineart.com/Blog/GlassmountGalleryProject

had not seen the blog before. nice to see the progression in photos like that.

That’s the first two feet laid. I’m having to clean the tongue and groove of every board which takes a minute or two but the joints are tight. I think it’s going to work well.

I’m loving using the proper floor nailer to set the brad into the tongue.

I made a bit more progress today. I had to faff with some wiring and a corner but it’s coming together.

At first I thought the stripes were taped to the boards, I never paid much attention to them. They have in fact been neatly masked then painted on. They have a lovely patina, well worth saving. I’ll try and lightly sand and revarnish the floor later.

looks superb P.

will you apply any finish or just give it a clean and a wax?

very

I love the randomness of those painted marks, I’d leave them and polish the boards, keep them as a feature, part of their history.
Sorry, just re-read the post, that’s the intension anyway. Looks great, never seen recycled gym flooring used like that, and it makes a great feature.
Very jealous of such a great space.

Halfway!

More faffage fitting boards around the door and some more wiring.

I found a portrait my mother painted of my father while she was a student at the Edinburgh College of Art. It’s got to be 50 years old. Had she not had three kids soon after I think she would have been rated. She won various travelling scholarships and had a couple of very promising exhibitions.

I don’t know much about art — but I like that..

Fantastic floor!

I’m around the bend, straight cuts from here on in.

Probably less than a quarter more to finish the first space.

I’m liking the mix of surfaces and the way the light plays on each.