Today my buddy Joel and I hit the bitter cold streets of Philly to do a little subterranean painting. We decided to do a little painting in the commuter tunnels that run underneath the city near City Hall which connect the various subway and trolley lines. They also house all kinds of homeless people, some cool and some very very weird and crazy. We lasted about 3 hours before the cold just was too much to bear. My feet were burning they were so cold and the paint was just turning to sludge--unmovable despite my trying to keep it loose with medium and terps. the subject wasthis weird spire/wheel looking spire that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. Boy I was working fast but the cold just beats at you so sometimes I'd have to stop and stomp around a bit and try and get my hands and feet warm again...
The painting was a small one on purpose because I knew I might not last that long with the cold. It's 8 x 10
As always when we are out painting in a public spot we get the usual comments and ogles from on-lookers and passers by. In fact today we also answered a lot of transportation and gave directions to a lot of lost folks wandering the tunnels. painting outside is a real challenge, despite three layers and two pairs of socks I was so cold at one point I felt like the Tin-man--I could barely move!! The tunnel has a pretty good draft which must have dropped the already bitter cold down a good 10 degrees more.
That's when I gave it up and the light was also going, and tunnels are not the best place to be at night. We packed up lickety-split and celebrated our DPC venture with a hearty iHop dinner of pancakes.
1 comment:
I keep one of those old fashioned hand warmers in my pocket. It's a bit of smoldering charcoal in a asbestos lined box. Helps a bit.
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