After several days, my pieces for the 'Ripped Off' show are STILL not dry. Not surprising really, since I've learned through painful experience just how our typical Midwest summer weather can have its affects on papier mache. In winter, when it's a deep freeze out there and the furnace is running nonstop and the air is so parched, things can often cure thoroughly within hours. But summer? It's a whole n'other story (le sigh)....
Turning on our air conditioner would likely help, but I'm such a stickler about that (much to my kids' consternation). I just can't personally stand A.C. -- can't abide the cost nor the emissions nor especially how it makes me feel so cooped up indoors, almost claustrophobic. I miss the open windows --miss hearing the birds outside, and the summer breezes gently blowing the curtains, the barking dogs and the neighborhood kids whooping and hollering, plus just stepping in and out of the house at will all day long, because it's no hotter outdoors than it is indoors. I mean, what's the point of being stuck inside a dim, quiet, shut-up house while summer passes by just beyond the window pane? Guess I'd rather sweat to death (if that makes any sense). Therefore, we run the a.c. as little as possible around here-- firing it up only once a summer, just to maintain its working order. And no, it's just not that time yet (bound to be even hotter next month)....
Getting back to my projects however, I really can't move on to the next step until these dry a bit more thoroughly. So I'm trying an experiment --to see if my kitchen crockpot, of all things, will help evaporate some of the moisture. I've heard of this before somewhere -- let's see if it actually works**. One of my pieces is small and fits right inside, while the other is able to hang over the top. Perhaps in a few hours they'll be cured enough for me to continue work on them (and if not I'll just throw in some dinner and that will be that)....
(**Edited to add: Indeed. It works!)
