Almost ready for a Toast

Things are building up more quickly.  Check out the base and see what you think.

I had to beg for the last couple of bottles around the base and then an amazing thing happened. Hibou's vet arrived with a box of pill bottles.  They will be used on the bowl. 

Here is a sneak preview of the bowl under construction.  oops no that's the stem.  I am still on the lookout for a few HIV medication bottles which will be added to this Cocktail glass.  It's now more fun than washing pill bottles.

AND I now know what works best for washing off the labels.
Step 1 - Soak the bottle in hot water for a few hours, or overnight - most of the paper or plastic label peels or scrapes off.
Step 2. - Rub oil - cooking oil works - on the bottle and leave for several hours, or overnight.
Step 3. - Rub the bottle with a coarse rag until the residue is almost gone.
Step 4. - Use GooGone to get rid of the last little bit of sticky stuff.
Step 5. - Wash the bottles in soap to get rid of the oils.

I then have to prepare the bottles for adhering to the plastic form-work for the sculpture. This means sanding and cleaning surfaces with alcohol.

Another day I'll talk about what i have learned about adhesives for this project.

Getting the completed glass, or parts of same, into a vehicle that doesn't eat gas as it rolls across the country has many people talking and measuring. Cathy's van is just right as far as fuel goes but may be too small.  My truck needs a custom box for it.  So many miles between here and St.Andrew's, and we aren't heading in a straight line.

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Thanks to friends - 'This Aint No Cocktail Party' has Wheels!!!

This has been a great week - although my daily cycling routine has gone to the wind. So many wonderful people came by to help. We created a plywood platform, for the sculpture, painted it and put that on wheels with a pulling rope.  I wanted to get this done before completing the base as there are a few fragile bits around the edges.  And the wheels will make it easier to move the growing giant - later we can use them as a very frightening go-cart or skateboard!

Pill bottles were washed by at least five other people - faithful friends for sure. We finally found a simple way to get the labels off - completely!  We soak the bottles overnight in extra virgin olive oil, then take the elbow grease and Goo Gone to them in the morning. The final cleanse is done in the dishwasher to remove oil residue. It seems all the 'washers' still have five flesh covered digits, so it works better than before. My arthritic hands are feeling a whole lot better than last week, and really it just felt like they were worked to the bone.

Another bit of help fiberglassed labels to a set of HIV specific medication bottles that will be used on the stem - so that people can see them. There are still more bottles to collect - hopefully at the POZ Gathering in Vancouver next weekend. It amazes, even me, the number of different bottles just for the medications that target the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Thanks to an array of research and dedicated science, we have many options here in Canada.

And finally we have a devise for splitting pill bottles on the table saw. Not my design, but one I have to thank my fine carpenter friend for.  So the first round of bottles has been popped onto the bowl of the cocktail glass. I think I won't post any photos until its done, which should be soon as I only have 10 days before toe surgery.

And I am hoping you will see that first row, and all the rows after that, by - as they used to say in The Friendly Giant " Looking up - Way up there". 

Getting the Goblet ready for Ornamentation

jjj

The "Toast to Toast" Banner

I can't believe how quickly time is passing.  My next step is the banner.  You can't drive across the country without a banner. Here's another minion, my co-conspirator from the Oak Bay Mapping project, working on the banner for the Cross Canada Cocktail Tour - from Toast to Toast - "in a cluttered Victoria basement" as they remarked so astutely on CTV. 

This reminds me of a friend request that I need to put out there.  Because I'm working on the sculpture so many hours each day, I haven't had time to post, or organize the tour, so if there is a talented IT person or artistic geekish soul that wants to help - please join the team.

Base is almost complete!

Finally, I feel like there is an end in sight.  I've spent weeks washing pill bottles.  I'll arrive in St Andrews with nubs instead of fingers. It was with great enthusiasm that a friend took a bucket of pill bottles to wash. "Are you sure?" I asked. "Give me more she said. What can be so hard about getting labels off bottles." We were not so excited when she returned unwashed bottles - an old injury flared under the stress. Yes, there are many tedious tasks that underlay beautiful art! Imagine the old artists who ground their pigments... O.K. - they had minions. I've got minions of friends who are stepping up at every turn.  Thanks my merry minions - it's not even about washing the bottles but knowing that I am not doing this alone.

Look at the base - what an array of colour!  What texture! What shiny clean bottles! What an incredible beginning! 

HIV no longer a death sentence, but stigma remains | CTV British Columbia News

 (HIV no longer a death sentence, but stigma remains | CTV British Columbia News

I am not sure how many found the link to the video that CTV showed on the news one night - here is one http://www.bcwomensfoundation.org/news/videos-at-bc-womens/articles/314.php.

Notice, yet another helper on the back of the truck with the sculpture skeleton. yep, poor fellow was here to build me a better bathroom and - bingo - an opportunity for film footage that couldn't be missed.

I have had many messages saying how pleased others are that I am willing to talk out loud. We are now many who say it like it is - who are PLOPAs. It's enjoyable to talk about everything from the changes in medication since the early years - to the challenges of living a full life - the craziness around criminalizing the possible transmission of HIV.  As we tour across the country, I would love to talk about anything that is pertinent to my fellow Canadians.

PLOPAs is one of my favorite acronyms from Lesotho.  I met a man on the road who was also a Person Living Openly Positive to AIDS. May I say that it's a lot easier here than there.

Thanks to all the PLOPAs out there, and to those who are PLS, We love you too.

The beads are ready

I just received word that the beaded ribbons I ordered from Kenya are ready. I wanted to adorn the pill-bottle cocktail glass with red ribbons, but also wanted these to withstand the weather. The answer is simple when you have positive friends in Kenya.  I asked Mercy to find women to make the simple red ribbons and she founf - in her words - 'H. I. V, victims, single mothers who came up with this idea to stop depending on a local NGO - Osopet for school fees, uniforms and food.' Of course I wrote back to her aboutus being HIV victims.  We are survivors! Below is a picture of my beading Kenyan survivors!

They are strong and beautiful women who want to keep making money by beading intricate things like the ones they are wearing or holding in their hands. Please contact positively AFRICA (see the side bar) if you have need of something beautiful to wear, or want to host a party and sell African wearable artwork to your friends.

It means schooling, food and a future to amazing people far away and yet connected to us in a deep way.