(Image credit: M Burgess)
I had the privilege of painting for a local children's therapy group this week. Decorating for the Fourth is a new theme for my portfolio and catalog. The colors are the standard red, white, and blue. I added some of the fluorescent colors for firework effect. These paint colors weren't the only hot thing with this project. The temperature on my car dashboard read 122°F! Heat like this is deadly and measures must be taken to maintain safety and personal health.
(Image Credit: M Burgess)
The best thing a person can do for extreme heat is drink a lot of water and stay shaded. If one must go into sun exposure a good sunscreen is recommended. Wearing clothing made from a light material with long sleeves and long pant legs would be a good idea to further prevent sunburn, but who wants to wear all that fabric in hot weather?
(Image Credit: M Burgess)
Cool Foods
Carrying an ice chest with me proved to be a life saver. Inside this relief station I packed a dozen water bottles, assorted soda and sports drinks and a few goodies. The best treat on a hot day is cold fruit like cut watermelon or a chilled apple or orange. With the fruit on hand, a quick healthy snack can help cool the body down. The fruit also delivers much needed vitamins and sugars for energy. The sweet time out helped this artist complete a gruelling painting marathon. 5 businesses in two and a half days were decorated. This sets a record for me. I have now painted in both weather extremes.
(Image Credit: M Burgess)
Cool Memories
In the future, when called upon to paint in hot weather, I shall remember these tips above and think back to the night I tried to paint a gas station in the dead of winter.
The wind whipped through me and froze the paint as soon as I touched brush to glass. The material failed to stick and blew away with the heavy breeze.
I know now that painting in the late fall and winter are blessings to me. May I never utter another complaint about being cold while sharing my art. This summer thing was challenging in more ways than my health.
(Image Credit: M Burgess)
Heat and Equipment Challenges
Anytime a business hires me to paint I start by cleaning the window surface. I never paint unless I have a clean canvas to work with. I found that the hot glass dries almost instantly, so I had to use a sopping towel to moisten the surface down for the squeegee. The sponge with the squeegee didn't add enough water to the glass and the rubber blade just smeared soap across the area. The preclean helped cool me down a bit and the window cleaning was completed quickly using the towel.
(Image Credit: M Burgess)
A sketch of the design is done after the cleaning is performed. Drawing out images and adding lines for lettering helps balance out designs and lettering. It is helpful for complex image creation and making sure a phrase is spelled right. It also is useful in helping the casual passerby see what is happening. The window glass was so hot that my stabilo pencils melted almost instantly. I countered the effect by dropping them into a ziplock and stashing them in the ice chest to cool them down.
Paint thickens as it is heated and a few colors were the consistency of tomato paste from the extreme temperature. I make it a rule to pull all medium from my car at night so I do not lose product. Given a few drops of water, thick paint may still be usable.
(Image Credit: M Burgess)
Plastic has a tendency to melt or grow brittle in high heat and one of my fluorescent orange bottles blew out while in the course of this project. Thankfully, it was not a full container. I did have a green blow out and soak the entire tub of my materials once. There was green paint all over my equipment for days!
I am super thrilled to add this holiday theme to my portfolio and catalog. I learned a lot with these paintings and believe it helped me improve in several areas. Repeating a design is never easy, but my brushes lived up to the challenge.
(Image Credit: M Burgess)
Folks, stay cool. Stay shaded. Stay learning. If you ever end up outdoors working like I did, you know what to do!
One last thing. Keep your pets safe during the festivities. Animals tend to bolt and panic with the sound of fireworks. Shelters fill up quickly during this holiday so keep them inside!
(Image Credit: M Burgess)
For more about the artist see:
www.mariaburgess.com
or
www.holidaywindowpaint.com
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