Holding my breath

Installation day is always filled with anticipation, anxiety, and—hopefully—joy. There’s a cycle of emotions each time I begin to install a piece: Will it fit correctly? Will it look the way my client and I envisioned? Often, I realize I’ve been holding my breath from the moment we pick up the piece and begin putting it into place. Only after it’s fitted properly and we’ve stepped back to take it in do I finally exhale.

This cycle repeated itself seven times last week when we installed the stained glass pieces I’d been working on for my client in Lenoir. For smaller installations, I usually work with my husband, but because of the scope of this project, I chose to bring in a professional installer. My husband was quite happy to sit this one out. As with most handmade artwork, there was some shimming and trimming required to get everything to fit perfectly, but it all went smoothly—and best of all, my client was thrilled.

The videographer I’ve been working with to document this project, as part of the grant I received from the NC Arts Council, joined us to capture footage of the installation and to talk with my client about her experience with the commission process. She watched closely as each piece was secured, and her excitement grew as everything came together. Because the process took a while, we weren’t able to photograph all the completed installations that day. We’ll be returning to capture the final images and wrap up the last footage for the video.

The end of both this commission and the videography grant is in sight. I’ll be posting the finished videos on my website soon, but if you’d like to see “how the sausage gets made,” you can head over to my Instagram or YouTube, where I’ve been sharing process clips along the way.