artistic procrastination

I should be washing the pile of dishes in my sink, left over from this morning's blueberry pancakes and tonight's homemade pizza but instead I'm simultaneously working on an art project, watching re-runs of Sex and the City (while just discovering I was missing the newest episode of The Office) and writing this post.


I have started this wall art/poster project that I am very excited to complete, and while I usually find myself working on projects with relatively instant gratification, this is something that has already taken several days and I see it taking several more to complete.  It's been almost two years that I've lived in my apartment; I've hung plenty of art, but for some reason, I've neglected to hang something on the focal wall in my living room.  I think the wall has remained blank because I have been holding out for the perfect combination of eye-catching, meaningful and artistic work, but have yet to find it.  I was considering compiling a collection of photos I have taken in my travels, but I didn't want it to look too generic.


While pa-rousing Etsy I came across a shop, Going Underground which inspired me to create my own Boston version of the artist's international Bus Roll Posters.  Hers were rather expensive, which is the main reason I decided not to purchase directly, but rather make my own.  Then, as I gathered materials I knew I was taking my creative liberties and truly making it mine.


The plan; Instead of canvas or paper, I used plywood.  24"w x 60"l  plywood with a frame constructed of 1"x 2" boards glued to the back for stability and mounting.

White letters spelling out the stops along several of Boston's subway lines with a black, distressed painted background.  Instead of hand painting the letters or using a stencil, I'm using different sizes of vinyl, adhesive letters used for making signs, that I have meticulously arranged on the plywood.  I roughly base coated the plywood with white acrylic paint, thin enough to allow a little of the grain to show through.  I'm measuring out the spacing of the letters and doing a dry run of all the words, before I peel off the sticker backing and I'm committed to the arrangement.  So far I'm about a third done with arranging the letters and guidelines as it is a slow process.  I hope to put a lot more work into it this weekend and hopefully finish it.  I think these images will best illustrate the beginning stages.

More to follow, stay tuned for more progress photos and hopefully the finished product!