When you need an artist in a rural place such as Tulare County, chances are you don’t know too many. When you need an artist for a specific job, chances are you will simply ask the only artist you know.
The question usually sounds like this: “Do you know anyone who can do this obscure, one-time, peculiar semi-art-related task?”
Often, I say, “ME! I CAN DO THAT! I WANT TO DO THAT! THAT SOUNDS CHALLENGING AND FUN”!
It gets me all excited so I might raise my voice a bit. Sometimes I might even jump up and down, although that is rare.
A friend has a friend who has a sister who has a daughter who is getting married and wants things rustic and woodsy. They found someone to cut and sand 1″ thick wooden discs, about 5-8″ in diameter. (Thank goodness they didn’t ask me about that part!)
Then came the question about who could put table numbers on the discs.
ME! I CAN DO THAT!
It’s all who you know, and I know Rosemary who owns a stable of wood-burning tools. She lent me a fancy one that just might be worth more than my car.
I sent The Bride To Be several type styles. She chose Papyrus, which happens to be my favorite in spite of great contempt from all young graphic designers (Cory, I know you are listening). I practiced numbers on a board, and gave her a price.
Have a look at the practice board. If you are a real wood burning artist, kindly avert your eyes.
Here are some discs next to the numbers:
In tomorrow’s post, I’ll tell you (and show you) the rest of the story of this Odd Job. (Funny – I have the strange urge to spell “job” with 2 b’s when writing it next to “odd”.)
Here are some links to previous odd jobs: