'Some Assembly Required'

Total Assembly Required

Every year I try to improve my studio facilities. This year I thought I'd add a bookcase to house the art books I like to keep within easy reach--like Ralph Mayer's The Artist's Materials, Itten's The Theory of Color, etc.  I went to The Shelving Store online and purchased a three tiered bookcase I could add additional three tiered units to if my collection of must have handy books expanded. I went to Amazon to send out a full length free standing mirror for observing reverse images of my paintings and perhaps doing full body self portraits. Both items seemed like  good ideas when  I clicked 'buy.'

The 'some assembly required' bookcase arrived first.  I figured  I'm handy with a screw driver, I could screw in whatever little parts where necessary; I had done this before.  I didn't figure on having to construct the whole thing till  twelve pieces of bookcase slide out of the box along with a little box filed with assorted screws and plates and the directions suggested an electric drill with a Philips screw bit would be .good along with an extra pair of hands.



Mug shot, my 2 hour portrait challenge
that will take four hours once my knee recovers.

I called up the stairs for Ellis.

 Reluctantly he came down, took one look at the pieces spread across the floor and told me I was on my own; I should have gone to Ikea.  "Fine," said this 'Little Red Hen,' I'll do it myself!"  And I sat on the floor to get started. "How hard could it be?"

 After screwing in just two support clips, I knew this project was going to take all summer.  I didn't have the strength I used to have, the proper tool, and sitting with legs folded on the floor was killing my already finicky right knee.  I turned off the lights and hobbled over for a glass of wine and my ice pack thinking what am  I going to do when the free standing mirror comes?

I am going to call my friend's handyman and pay him whatever he wants to get me out of this do it yourself crap. I have a painting on the easel!



Coincidently, this article was published in the Detroit News the day after my awakening.  While my knee still throbbed, I could still laugh.

 

You could read the rest of Mr. O'Connor's article  here.