As it turns out, I'm in the middle of doing a full blown soundboard
painting for a rebuild of a Zuckermann large Flemish single. This
instrument is owned by the local chapter of the American Guild of
Organists and had been ignored and neglected - huge soundboard crack,
ugly paint job, etc. I've extended the case for a second keyboard and
plan to install wooden jacks (mine of course) and leathered registers.
So I thought while I'm at it, I've always wanted to do a full,
outrageous Flemish decoration. After stripping the paint the marbling
went surprisingly well - thanks to the MacTaggart instruction booklet,
and hopefully their booklet on papering will prove equally valuable.
Now I'm about two thirds through the soundboard work. From Zuckermann I
got their kit "Soundboard Painting in a Flemish Style" and so far I've
got to say it has been going very well. The instructions are very
detailed and complete, and a separate booklet contains page after page
of templates of flowers, birds, and arabesques. The image templates are
transfered to the soundboard with carbon paper, and then the job becomes
a gigantic paint-by-numbers project. I hadn't done any art type
painting since elementary school, so it's slow going while I learn how
to yield a brush and control the paint. The results are nowhere near
that achieved by skilled artists, but better than I had expected. And
the Ruckers painting is less meticulous than 18 century French, I've
been told, so maybe it will do!
Anyway, as I was tediously painting the 20th cobalt blue arabesque
design, I thought if I ever had the courage to get a tattoo, an
arabesque from a Flemish soundboard would be a great choice. But I'm
too chicken to ever do this - and I'm also averse to pain. I'll leave
it to speculation as to the location .... suggestions?
Norm Purdy
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