Transferring the Desert to the Board
Today was a transfer day.
I arrived at the art park around 6:50 in the morning and worked until about 9:45. The goal was to begin transferring the major artwork sections onto mural panel #6.
The top and bottom font banners had already been transferred, so today was about moving the artwork itself from paper planning into its place on the board.
The day before, I created seven paper transfer panels for the major art sections. That preparation made today possible. Each section had to be placed, checked, held, and transferred carefully. This is one of those mural steps that requires concentration, patience, and a steady respect for the design.
Five of the seven panels transferred smoothly using graphite paper and tracing.
That felt like progress.
Real progress.
There is something exciting about seeing the artwork begin to appear on the actual mural surface. Not fully painted yet. Not complete. But present. The image begins to step out of the planning stage and into the public world.
This is also the stage where every decision starts to matter more.
The size of the figure.
The placement of the creatures.
The relationship between the banners and the central artwork.
The balance of folk art, desert symbolism, and community spirit.
It is all beginning to land.
I keep being amazed by how much time this project is taking, though I probably should not be. Large work takes time. Public work takes time. Exterior work takes time. And after a long stretch of health uncertainty, returning to this level of physical art-making is no small thing.
I am learning how to pace myself.
I am learning how to let the mural unfold in stages.
I am learning that progress is still progress, even when it comes in careful morning pieces.
Today the desert moved onto the board.
Line by line.
Panel by panel.
Trace by trace.
~Kit S.
Kit Swan Artworks: Create something beautiful today.
