The Table (Part- 3 )
- Bob Ostrom
- Sep 19
- 3 min read
Quick recap for those of you who are new:
If you’ve been following along, you know my original concept was to create a table from a large piece of wall art I’ve been working on. I had planned to remove the top from an old table and replace it with a painting. It was the perfect plan, flawless in every regard until it wasn’t.
The Muse
The artistic Muse is a fickle creature who prefers to show up on her own schedule. Some people like to refer to the Muse as total immersion, the flow-state, being in the groove or deep focus. I like the idea of an actual Artistic Muse who visits when I am creating for myself. It allows me to step off the conveyor belt and take a break from the daily grind. Besides, the idea of having my own personal Muse is just way more fun. I got the idea from reading Steven Pressfield's The War of Art and I'm sticking with it.
So like I said, my Muse visits on her own schedule and shows up when it pleases her. Trying to coax the Muse depends largely on state-of-mind. Ego, anxiety, desperation, and apathy have no place in her world because the more of any of these things you become, the less interested she is in bestowing her gifts. Creating fine art is all about honoring the Muse.
How to honor the muse.
First of all, I try not to overthink it. Overthinking it is the kiss of death. Might as well pack up my paints and brushes and call it a day. It's more about finding a creative groove and sticking with it. Think of it like distance running. Every runner knows the first mile sucks as you wait for your body to do its thing and the endorphins to kick in. As you progress, it gets easier, and pretty soon you stop thinking about how badly you want to stop and start thinking about how awesome it is to move your body. All runners know the most important part about running has nothing to do with the first mile or breathing, measuring your pace, or any of the other thousands of distractions runners busy themselves with. Runners, like artists, know there are only two things they need concern themselves with:
Getting started and sticking with it...after that, the rest is gravy.
A bird in the hand
So the table sat in my garage while I considered solutions and waited for my muse. Unfortunately, the answer she whispered wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear.
"Stop complicating this, just work with what you have."
Normally, I don’t love the idea of recreating the same piece over and over again, but the challenge of fitting new art to this table’s unusual dimensions was compelling. So the stalled project was no longer stalled. The new challenge: Can I take the old concept and bend it to fit something new?
Of course, it could be done. Referencing the original, I created a new sketch matching the longer, narrower dimensions of the table. Once the sketch was completed, it was time to transfer. I started by prepping the table surface, and by prepping, I mean sanding. i hate sanding. It's my least favorite part of the process, but it's a necessary evil, so I try ot to rush the process.
Once the surface was properly sanded, I used my ancient digital projector to transfer the sketch. I use a projector to save time. It is not an exact science, and it is in no way glamorous. The table shook, the projector shook, the lines moved, and the accuracy was a mess but that’s ok, because I’m the guy who drew this thing in the first place, so I’m the guy to fix it. The whole point of using a projector is to make life easier. I'm torn on whether this thing accomplished the task, but that's a story for another time.
What I discovered along the way was that because I’m working on a dark surface, the graphite lines became very difficult to discern. To every problem there is a solution, and the solution here was to switch from pencil to chalk. Yep, good old sidewalk chalk did the trick. I retraced my lines, cleaning up as I went. It’s tedious work, but once again, this isn't a race, so I took my time to get it right.
Speaking of time, I think it's about time for me to wrap up this week's post. Join me next time when we explore the world of paint. Until then, thanks for hanging me. See you in the next post.
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