Category Archives: Bit of the ordinary

Something from everyday goings on.

Bit of the ordinary, Design Stuff

paint, paint and oh more paint.

I have been working madly on Kiss Me Kate. One of the few times here at W&L that I am just doing one part(scene design, lighting design costume design or Technical direction). In this case I am just doing the set design, and it is more than enough. Eight different settings in a realistic piece call for a lot of work. I’m very excited about this show, but is quite a daunting amount of work. And for the first time I have designed something too big, both size and budget wise. We’ve cut some pieces from the show, but the budgets I was given were guesses that are totally inaccurate.

So I’ve set up one theatre as a painting studio. I’ve already gotten through painting the scenery for three of the settings. I’m halfway through one drop for the show, and have one more to go. The problem is that the Technical Director is only concerning himself with the set and not the props, as is the usual here. So I have to devote a lot of time to that as well. Not to mention I have to run the department since I am Acting Chair of the Department. We’ll see how things are at the end of the week, that will be crunch time.

Part of the problem is that none of the students have an artistic eye. So I can’t train them to do the finish work, some of the finish work they have done I just want to do over. Now I know I can’t, but it’s still on my list if I have time to do it during tech week. But that really slows me down, having to do everything.

I didn’t do any work today(I’m writing this on Sunday- Mother’s Day), because there are limits to how much time I should spend at work. Although I was thinking about set stuff throughout the day. I guess I can’t let go. But I’m not a perfectionist, I just want it to be right. :)

Bit of the ordinary

the constant is change

Last week, some tibetan monks were in residence in the Art & Music building next door. They were on campus for a theatrical performance and art presentation. I didn’t get to see the performance (opting to spend time with the new guy). But I did get to see the photo exhibit of tibet and the creation of a sand painting. The sand painting was amazing. It started on Monday with an opening ceremony which included chanting and music. Then they began work on the Mandala. After a careful layout, they began to lay in the sand. They would put some of the colored sand into long cones that had a serrated top edge. Then by rubbing a stick along the top edge they would get a trickle of sand to come out the tip. So grain by grain they built out from the center. It took them from Monday at 1pm until Thursday at 11am to complete it. They would work from 9-5 pretty much. At noon on Thursday they began the closing ceremony. After that they swept it up and put it in the creek behind the building. Don’t worry I took some pictures.

All that got me thinking, as maybe it was supposed to, about the impermanence of things. Many people remarked that the should keep the mandala or preserve it somehow. But the end of the work was decided at it’s beginning, that is part of it’s beauty. That made me feel better about my own work actually. I would get dissuaded sometimes working on a show. Because you spend 6-8 weeks working on something a that ultimately a couple hundred people see. And all that is left over are some photos and artifacts that have mostly sentimental value. However members of the art department use the same skills i do(painting, carpentry etc..) to create works that have more respect and a longer lasting value. But after this week I was able to accept it better. That theatre is not made to last forever, it’s made to last in a memory. As theatrical designer named Desmond Heely once said: “Theatre is like a poem written on water, it’s beauty lasts but a moment.”

Bit of the ordinary

What’s the Watt

Somehow, We seem to have saved $20 on our electricity bill last month. Since our heat and hot water are both from natural gas it is not changing due to weather/heating needs.(mental note haven’t put insulation on Hot water heater). So I think it is based on our usage. There are three things that have changed that might be it.

Changing to fluorescent bulbs. We put fluorescent bulbs in the lights we use the most (kitchen, dining room and bathroom). They consume a lot less electricity, like 14W instead of 60-75W, and now are instant on. So instead of flickering when they first go on, they turn on right away. Although they start off a little dim and take a couple minutes to get up to full intensity.

Turning off the entertainment center. Our TV, stereo, DVD player, VCR are all in a power strip. Whenever it is not in use we just turn it off. Any thing that uses a remote consumes power when not in use( waiting for the IR signal from the remote). So this saves power for the 22-23 hours they are not in use each day.

Turning off lights when we are not in the room. I am making a concerted effort to turn off lights when there is no one in the room.

I can’t think of what else has changed, but those seems like they have significantly helped our electric bill. I am afraid to think of the electric bill at work, with the smallest stage light consuming 500W and the largest using up 2000Watts. Luckily I don’t pay those bills.

Bit of the ordinary

We are busy

1 Comment

An actual exchange between Ann and I:

Ann: I got an email from Shenanarts. They’re doing Seussical.

Me: (trying to remember) Didn’t we vow to never work there again?

A: Yeah. But… it’s June 7th. we could get some extra money for the trip to Europe.

O: I’m doing Kiss Me Kate the end of May. When is their tech?

A: The following week. Oh I’m lighting that dance recital then.

O: Since I’m in tech the end of May, you couldn’t just design it early.

A: I guess we’re keeping our vow.

Bit of the ordinary

New address, same old house

I have now changed the web address of the blog. Instead of :http://www.courtneycollinsstudio.com/blog. It is now http://eclectica.courtneycollinsstudio.com/.

Update your RSS reader/bookmarks.

I have tried to redirect the the page as well as the feed. if there are problems let me know. Of course if there are problems you might not have gotten to this page. Hmm….