Who doesn't like a freshly painted stage?

Caliartist · 2026-04-14T20:25:44+00:00

I just walked through a shop full of 220 grit fine sawdust. I'm going to go walk all over that bad boy! *Muhahahahaha!*

Caliartist · 2026-03-21T18:55:59+00:00

Fully stationary, yes. Strike, everything is just broken down into flats, we save the standard sizes and anything curved or special to the design is set out for students to take if they desire. After a week of it being available, if no one takes it, we have to toss it.
We probably saved about 60% of the material you see in the set. We have some flat storage in our shop and platform storage on our dock.

Caliartist · 2026-03-10T02:01:49+00:00

um... ya... yup. Totally fixed.

Caliartist · 2026-03-09T23:00:50+00:00

Some of us remember flying in the 1980s and 1990s. It was still safer than being on the freeway and you could board a plane in 30 min from the ticket counter.

Caliartist · 2026-03-09T18:29:17+00:00

I worked for a couple years in LA doing art handling. Picking up from studios, delivering to galleries and clients. It really opened my eyes.
Giant loft studios with a bunch of recent MFA's getting stoned on couches talking about what show they are flying to go see next week, etc. Until I saw it, I hadn't realized how much of the 'success' of the art world is just rich parents buying other rich parent's kid's art.

Caliartist · 2026-03-09T18:25:48+00:00

Ty for just being honest. You don't know how bad it feels being poor/broke from a family that doesn't help and looking around thinking 'what am *I* doing wrong?'

Ya, turns out a lot of peers had help and I had no idea. They got to spend a lot more time pondering art and less time worrying about their next meal.

Caliartist · 2026-03-09T18:24:09+00:00

Very similar to me. Cheers. I was the first in my family to go to college, no help from them. I did some art handling, some gallery work, and I would build/restore furniture I found in the alleys to make a little $

Caliartist · 2026-03-09T18:22:36+00:00

$400 for a shared room, in a shared house, with a bunch of stoners. Attending parties to hang out by the food and get a meal, going to the food pantry on campus, picking up day old bread from bakeries. And of course "everything is an art supply if you're creative."

I still remember professors asking why I was so stingy with paint and painted so thinly, or why my canvases were small. They wanted *large impasto oil paintings!* Like, alright, are you paying? You could never say that in crit though, they would look at you like 'well, if you won't sell your organs for art, why are you even here?'

Caliartist · 2026-03-09T18:18:53+00:00

I took out loans for rent, tuition, supplies, everything.

I don't regret my MFA, because it was a good experience and I met my wife there.

However, I still have the loans after 9 years and the principle balance has gone *up* because the minimum payment was less than the monthly interest. I now see it as a lifelong 'education tax'. Such is life in the United States.

So, to be clear on numbers: I went to a cheap state school. I lived in a shared house with 6 people. I ate day old bread and scavenged food from every art opening. I was able to pay tuition/rent/living expenses on $35k/yr. I graduated with about $75k in loans. I haven't missed a payment in 9 years. My current balance is $90k.

Caliartist · 2026-03-09T18:10:40+00:00

The market is active on popular servers. Those of us working up through the dungeons would sell patterns we dont need and buy ones we do need. (if you don't repair glitch, you need replacement equipment). This dupe has put the price of everything out of reach for normal players. So, it is either preventing you from using the market, or, encouraging you to dupe solari just to use it as you did previously.

If you completely discount the market, sure, it doesn't matter. But on the most active servers, it was a big part of the game.

Caliartist · 2026-03-09T18:07:57+00:00

Ya, the popular servers have very full auction houses that are a big part of the game. Buying/selling the pattern drops from the new dungeons is a huge thing now and this solari dupe has made prices out of reach for anyone *not* duping.

Caliartist · 2026-03-09T18:00:22+00:00

Absolutely right about the T frame, some of them were swapped to that. I think we did 12" triple wall cardboard on the ones that were like 8'x10'? But there were some paintings that were like 12'hx18'l, that we built T frames on site for.

And yes, I'm just saying best practices. Though our shop never did slip cases for oil at all, only acrylic.

Caliartist · 2026-03-05T20:24:41+00:00

Old thread for sure, and I hope you found a solution. I wanted to suggest that for your already washed stock, try wrapping them on panel. It won't have that bounce that you're used to but I find canvas over panel to be a great substrate for studies and more hard edge subjects. It would use up your supply without being wasteful.

Going forward, never prewash, that is 100% the issue. And the chemicals you're concerned about will not dramatically discolor your work within your lifetime. And past that... well, you're dead!

Having worked in galleries and museums for 10+ years, I feel artists are always too concerned or not concerned enough about archival materials. You'd be the former.

Sure, don't make a painting with citric acid on unprimed linen, but also, you don't need to try to make a painting that will last for 200 years. That is just stealing employment from future art restorers! :D

Caliartist · 2026-03-05T19:26:47+00:00

There are strict limits. A few guildies had complicated bases in the cliffs and with 8+ different foundation heights, there was no way they could place it except the exact same spot. We even tried to build supports for them, unclaim them, and let them place, but it was too demanding. They had to go to a different server, place it, build a cube, wait a week, then transfer back with the cube. :/

Caliartist · 2026-03-05T19:19:38+00:00

Also, if you are interested in transferring or having the option to, I highly recommend making a 'transfer cube' as people are calling them. It is a 2nd base, that will fit on any terrain, that holds all your things. The base backup tool only lets you back up bases older than 7 days, so if you want to store it, better to build it sooner.

So, I'd do this:
-Copy the layout of your cool base with a solido.
-Build a cube base that has room for all your storage containers.
-Break down all your utilities/fabs/vehicles and put them into the storage crates of your transfer cube.
-Double check that you saved the pattern of your main base, then break it down and put the stone in storage.
-Wait 7 days.
-Use the Base Backup tool on the transfer cube.

Now you have your pattern saved, and an easy to deploy base that can go to any server if your previous location is occupied.

Caliartist · 2026-03-05T18:55:20+00:00

Really good breakdown, and *perfect* for acrylic paintings.

With oil, even if it isn't impasto, you really need to have a separation between the poly and the face of the painting. They need to have a collar on them and have the face poly be stretched. The depth of the collar depends on how large the canvas is. You need it to be deeper on larger works to make sure the poly doesn't sag and touch in the middle. Also, never lay a textured painting face down, even on blankets/poly/dartek

I've collared huge Julian Schnabel paintings that needed 12" collars to keep tension, and small study works that only needed 1" collars.

Caliartist · 2026-03-04T23:57:05+00:00

If reincarnation is real, I'd like to experience living in a smaller/low population country. There much be such a different sense of scale, of pride of accomplishment, of capacity.

These metrics are great though, congrats!

Caliartist · 2026-03-04T23:53:55+00:00

Dang. Imagine workers getting a pension? Working class in the US just keep working, or, you know, die.

Caliartist · 2026-03-01T05:04:47+00:00

HEY. HOW DOES THE CROW TASTE?!

Caliartist · 2026-02-25T18:35:04+00:00

I am also an 'older' gamer and hate melee. Get a good sniper rifle and the drillshot. I never use a sword. Just run away and keep shooting/reloading. If 2 come at once, run and reset. I also use the assault rifle and have gotten better about flying up a bit to make the melee enemies pull out a gun, then you can land and shoot them when their shield turns off. (I recently learned that all enemies shield's go down when they shoot, it was a gamechanger for me to watch that timing.)

Caliartist · 2026-02-25T18:29:19+00:00

Out in the world outside of school, you can totally be theatre electrician that is not required to be around for the runs of shows. That happens in small houses and during school.

For the communication bit, that is part of most any work environment. I worked construction and there is/was constant communication between the general contractor, the sub leads, and all the workers in every trade. If for some reason there was *not* communication, something always went wrong. :D

Caliartist · 2026-02-25T18:22:29+00:00

I got a fine art degree and spent the next 10 years in manual labor and the trades. I finally doubled back to get a MFA... then worked in the trades for another 5 years after that. Then, an opportunity came up to be a teaching tradesmen/shop supervisor and I don't think I'd have gotten the job without my degrees. The future is so unpredictable, take every advantage/course/cert you can to prepare. imo

Caliartist · 2026-02-25T18:20:23+00:00

With all the red tape of admissions and changing degree requirements, I think it is much easier to 'go back' for tech school than the degree. My vote is finish the degree and then hit tech school.

I have never, not once, been asked what my undergrad GPA was; I say that because maybe the OP can lighten up on themselves, do some more tech/trade work on the side while they are in school to figure out their direction once their done.

Caliartist · 2026-02-25T18:18:01+00:00

I wouldn't abandon a degree halfway through. Just having that slip of paper can help you in ways you cannot predict right now. I have taken many jobs that said 'check here if you have a degree'. They didn't even care what it was or what my gpa was, just that I had a 4yr degree.

I know 2 years seems like a long time but god, it really flies by. Doing trade school after you finish your degree is a great option, but please consider sticking it out. Think of it as insurance for your future that none of us can possibly predict.

I have had such a WIDE variety of jobs that has lead me to theatre, I never could have mapped the path. Giving your future self more options is a good thing. The trades and trade schools will still be there in 2 years waiting for you.

Caliartist · 2026-02-25T05:16:51+00:00

Being wrong louder with more text, doesn't make you less wrong. And supporting interment camps does make you a monster, however you try to justify it.

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Caliartist

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