Bits and Bobs

XXL bit of wood is the black thing on the left mostly out of shot

3rd July 2025

There has been a XXL piece of wood sitting in the carpark of a council block on the same street as my studio. It has been there for at least a week leaned up against a railing. It is painted black and doesn't look the best quality so my interest in it is about 4/10. I have walked past it and contemplated whether to use it many times always concluding that there are better pieces out there. Something changed yesterday and I thought I'd go and take a better look at it. 

I walked over and took a look at the side that was facing away from the street towards the wall. Smashed glass in a frame. That's why nobody has touched it for so long. What I hadn't been able to see from pavement where I'd walked past it numerous times was what was sitting behind... Frames! And 2 x 4 ! These are exactly what I'm looking for. I was giddy with excitement. I couldn't believe my luck. 

I am in need of frames as part of my commitment to painting 100 Tigers - finding them pre-made is helpful as it saves me the half day it takes to make each one. I am up against it and don't really know how I'm going to find time to make the frames. Oh well... we'll see. As for the 2 x 4, it is perfect for making the decking structure for the gallery as well as the frame of the shell of the box that is going to be the 'room'.

Collecting enough wood to construct a gallery is a long process. Each find has its own charm so I thought I'd share that.