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May 30, 2006
At home on my dome
As a muralist, I sometimes feel that I have been born 500 years too late. The great cathedrals are all finished, the Pope has run out of ceilings to paint and the Medici are dust in the tomb. So my turpentine started to froth over when I had a sniff of a dome to paint!
The house is a spectacular 12,000sq' mansion in the Livermore hills and the dome was 35' scaffold climb each day.
The client wanted the full Monty, with chariots and battles, all with deep personal symbolism to represent key moments in their lives. This is in the true sprit of mannerism, and one can even think of the giants of Silicon Valley as the "new Medici", swapping trade in spice and silk for chips and hard-drives.
There are some real problems in dome painting: The paint wants to obey gravity and end up on the floor, not the ceiling. Working overhead took a real toll on my aging body, and this is only obvious when you are done for the day and your attention wanders from the work to your back and neck. There are some huge problems of foreshortening of perspective as the dome surface approaches the edge and the angle turns towards the vertical.
Dispite all of the above, it was a huge joy. I sometimes can hardly believe I get paid for some of the fun I get to have.
Beats a real job any day!
Posted by Barbara at May 30, 2006 06:58 PM