Terracotta Warriors Rehab

When you do art you get challenged to do more than create an original artwork. Sometimes a repair of an art object is requested. To date this project was my most intensive and was quite rewarding.

They are done! The Terracotta Warrior Army (replicas) is done along with a couple extra pieces. All in all I painted 9 Warriors, 1 full size horse, 1 small pagoda and a panda. Some were big, some were not as big and 3 were huge. I survived the nearly 12 weeks of wind, sun and heat as they had to be painted in situ (outside) as they couldn’t be moved either because they’d fall apart due to damage or just too big and heavy. I wore long sleeves, big apron (I like pockets) and a hat with neck covering every single day. I couldn’t put up the sun umbrella most days as it was too windy… but what a great office space; right on the water. I cleaned up and took everything home every day so there was a lot of schlepping back and forth. Art… that’s my gym!

So the gist of the story is they belong to a local family. They are big and heavy and are outside where they should not be (and the owners are first to say it). They were in various stages of deterioration and disrepair. These replicas were crafted mostly from “terracotta clay,” which is the same as the originals. Each needed to be scraped, sanded, repaired (a strong mixture I made to mold and model, which is the orange areas), primed, coated with a membrane to seal, then painted (and each color is about 3 coats), antiqued (kinda scrubbed on) and, as a super coat to extra protect, I then varnished. I did a super duper job in repair materials as I knew the home of these Warriors will remain outside. It was messy (lots of paint chips and dust from sanding) and physical as lots of times I had to be on my knees or even lay down to get to every area.

They are in a gorgeous setting along the river and I did my best to repair and preserve them. Exposure to sun, rain, humidity and heat is brutal on anything.

Read up on the history of the Terracotta Warriors. It’s quite interesting. The originals are historical treasures of China. These replicas are pretty amazing actually. Very well done and authentic looking. Just my observation… there are only certain warriors and horses replicated for distribution. The “Pit” of Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi’an, China, is filled with row after row of individual and different-looking warriors, but only a few are replicated.

It was a long and physical process but I really did enjoy it. I loved being outside doing it. I loved hearing the Osprey, seeing dolphins and fish jump. I loved all the yells from folks on boats going by saying such nice things about my work. I loved thinking about the Warriors and their history as painting and touching an object is very personal. We have visited the Terracotta Warriors Pits in Xi’an, China, so I had that connection and understanding. I love a challenge and having to problem solve the extraordinary repairs needed, repairing and finally painting. And I love the sense of accomplishment.