Codename: The Primer
Want something primed with gesso or painted black? Well, if so, you're in luck, because I'm your gal. Set me up with a little assembly line where I prime as many board books, book covers, and papier mache objects as possible and I am happy. When I went crazy with the gesso a couple of weeks ago, Kathy exploited it shamelessly, adding items to the pile while worked. I didn't mind, because I always feel so good when I'm done - a worksurface littered with fresh canvases, in essence. It's kind of like having a full tank of gas. With a primed surface, you can create anything!
I'm also this way about peeling children's board books to use as a collage surface later on. I buy them at the dollar store or in discount bins, then peel off the coated paper. (Which, of course, is followed by a festival of gesso.) I can sit in front of the TV and peel board books for half an hour. It's sort of weird to watch.
Thing is, not all board books peel equally well. On some, the coated paper peels away easily in full sheets. On others, it's almost impossible to get a good peel going. My fingers and hand cramp up from scraping and pulling and I get cranky. Back squirming, I get restless and want to quit, but I just can't leave a book half-peeled. It makes me wish I knew in advance which books would peel easily and which wouldn't (so that I could skip the stubborn ones) but I don't.
Although, that reminds me of something Kathy told me about. At Trader Joe's (an alternative discount grocery store) they sell Charles Shaw wine, known as two-buck-Chuck because it goes for just $2/bottle. You would think it would be awful, but it's pretty darn good, better than most $6-12 bottles we've bought. However, not all lots are fabulous. Kathy said that the connoisseurs have been known to buy a single bottle, go out to the car, and then uncork it and taste it. If it is good, they go back in and buy cases from the same lot. If it's not, well, they are only out $2.
This is what I should do with board books. Can't you see it? Woman comes in to dollar store and buys one children's board book. She is later seen in the parking lot, peeling the paper smoothly off the book while squealing, "Oooh, that was so easy! YES!" Woman then shows up at the cash register again with ten identical board books. Clerks cast quizzical glances at each other, then shrug. They've seen weirder things.
You know, I'm likin' this idea! I think it's time for a trip to the 99 Cent Store. And then? I gotta buy more gesso!
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