Behind Shops 3 and 4 and adjoining the tiny residence was a huge and gloomy area, whose usage had ranged from garage to storage to additional partitioned bedrooms. The floor was a jumble of warped floorboards with holes and numerous trip hazards for the unwary. Doors, archways, an ancient and heavy safe and graffitied walls added to the mix. The roof and one of the external walls were corrugated iron sheets, which leaked in winter and created a hot and airless hell in summer. At one end was a very large roller door, which was old and cranky, disliking going up or down. Needless to say, the power was non existent.
Having owned the building since 2012, this space was left as it was, whilst we pondered other more pressing problems. The external wall had to be reinforced, the shops needed to be renovated to provide us with an income and the residence had to be restored to something superior to a hovel so our friend Gary would have somewhere to live.
With the passing of time, Michael realised that his shed @ the House that Rocks was untenable in the long term. Not big enough, too hot in summer and too cold in winter, difficulty in managing light levels and airflow meant he needed another better workshop to create his own artwork and finish his two current commissions.
Suddenly, that disused and dark area behind at the back of the building had a purpose. But it needed major work to change from a shambles to a studio. Michael, TA Gary and canine sidekick Leo started the process. The end north wall next to the roller door was insulated, clad in second hand material, painted and had an access door inserted for easy movement. Then they started sealing, insulating and inserting a ceiling, more tin sheets obtained for free from Gwambygine Homestead.
Halfway through this process, Michael became unwell with bronchitis and developed asthma on top of his emphysema. A nine day sojourn in hospital seriously cramped Michael's style but was necessary for him to recover. A few more days recuperating at home and he was champing at the bit to get going again.
On top of the work on Michael's workshop, we had met and connected with the extraordinary Tim Burns. An artist of immense talent, who had lived in New York for many years, his home had changed to a massive shed in a disused granite quarry ten kilometres south of York. His work encompassed a variety of materials, sizes and styles. He embraced the idea or our gallery and Michael's studio, and before we could draw breath, we had agreed to a Christmas Exhibition in what was to become the smaller gallery - Shop 3. And the workshop was going to be the venue for an informal gathering and dinner for the artists and partners on the same evening - 19 December.
We needed to finish the workshop. Pronto. The insulation of the ceiling and the eastern wall was completed. Two whirlybirds assisted the airflow to keep the area cool. Six hundred and fifty (or thereabouts) tech screws secured the new ceiling. The plumbing for the workshop toilet and shower was installed, all 91 square metres of the concrete floor was finished, and the thirteen metre brick wall was built in three days. Finally, Dave, our trusty electrician, who had been with us from the very start of our life in Heavenly Beverley, toiled for a day and a half to add a myriad of lights and powerpoints.
With a day to go before the opening of the Christmas Exhibition and the Gallery already starting to fill, Michael's workshop had been transformed from disaster to a dream come true. We now had a perfect, airy, well lit space for the Last Supper - our planned dinner with the exhibiting artists, invited guests and partners.
Four trestle tables and thirty chairs were hired from the Platform Theatre. A donated fridge was hastily cleaned and painted, the BBQs brought from home and the round table in the outdoor patio readied as a preparation bench.
And then, after a marathon job, the Workshop and Studio was finished. All 91 square metres of it was ready for the dinner, hopefully the first of many such occasions.
From this.....
(cat pawprint in the brickwork)
to this.
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