A few weeks before leaving Canada, I emailed Juantxo Garmendia, a metal fabricator and sculptor I had met through master papermaker, Juan Barbé in the fall of 2013. I had seen some of Juantxo’s work first hand, and also knew that he had built a remarkable “Naginata fabrication” fibre shredding machine for Juan. We wouldn’t have room in our luggage for the two metal rings we originally wanted to use to hang Claire’s work, so I sent Juantxo technical drawings and asked him if he could make them, and if so, how much would they cost. He said sure, easy, but he wouldn’t charge for this! So I decided I would return the favour by designing and printing some shirts for him, using copper ink as the base.
Shirt design based on one of Juantxo’s pieces.
I had assumed that we would pick up the rings at his shop or rendezvous in Zizurkil or Billabona, then train back to Tolosa. However, when we rolled our two suitcases of art to GKo Gallery on April 8, the rings were already there; Juantxo had driven to Tolosa to drop them off for us ahead of our arrival! How very kind.
Closeup of Juantxo’s wizardry.
Juantxo’s metal rings that awaited us at GKo.
After getting settled in our room at Garikoitz and Kizkitza’s a few blocks away, we unpacked and laid out our pieces around the room according to the miniature maquette we had made back at home; Garikoitz had sent us very accurate wall and ceiling measurements, so there were no surprises; everything fit!
Claire unpacking.
Unpacked and unrolled; ready to arrange and hang.
Claire ready to attach the central fabric column of her piece “Grove” to Juantxo’s metal rings.
Bill & Claire preparing to hang the central fabric column of her piece “Grove”. Garikoitz Murua Fierro photo.
Bill & Claire hanging the central fabric column. Garikoitz Murua Fierro photo.
Hanging canvas pieces. Garikoitz Murua Fierro photo.
We first hung Claire’s green fabric column with her torn, stained canvas trees encircling it. Then we anchored her larger pieces and my larger prints before devising an arrangement for my miniature prints in between.
Hanging system.
Hanging system: closeup of sliding metal hardware.
Garikoitz had milled up a few wooden cleats for some of Claire’s paintings that “float” off the wall; we cut a few more wooden bars at the BoxA Arte Elkarte studio. Other pieces could hang from the gallery’s heavy duty nylon with adjustable stainless hooks – nice system!
Installation view.
Installation view. Garikoitz Murua Fierro photo.
Silkscreened beetle galleries & bark textures by Bill Horne.
Silkscreened beetle galleries by Bill Horne.
Claire’s “Forest Carpet #3” (mixed media on canvas) near gallery door to Kale Nagusia.
Display of mountain pine beetle “galleries” in bark, with three of Bill’s beetle silkscreens.
Claire Kujundzic’s “Opening”; mixed media on canvas
Claire’s “Forest Carpet #5” with two trees (mixed media on canvas).
Claire’s “Forest Carpet #4”, “Deferred Area” and “Understory #7” (all mixed media on canvas).
It took all of Thursday and most of Friday to hang everything, and we were very pleased in the end with how everything looked. Garikoitz was incredibly patient and calm throughout! He and Kizkitza generously provided refreshments and lots of local people showed up for the opening. It was great to reconnect with Juantxo and a pleasure to meet his wife, Eli, and their daughters, Araia & Laiene, as well as Garikoitz and Kizkitza’s mothers! Plus Alex, Joseba & Xabi from BoxA Elkarte, Sonia from the Casa de Cultura, Brian Cullen from the Tolosa visitor centre, and Ura.
Conversations at the opening. Garikoitz Murua Fierro photo.
Garikoitz organized several interviews which resulted in two articles in Castellano (Noticias de Gipuzkoaand Diario Vasco) and one in Euskara. We really appreciated the interest and attention to detail of all the journalists who wrote about our exhibition.