Studio Clean-Up Round 2

If you read my last post you know I have been on quite the cleaning kick lately.  After getting the porch area cleaned out, I tackled the indoor area which was much more disheveled and disorganized.  I had a couch in this space that served no purpose (I never sat on it) so I took that out of there which opened up a LOT of space as well as the dresser that I moved out to the porch.

This is my new art storage area.  I used the shelving that originally went with the work table outside that perfectly lined up with the spacing between boards.  Foam core boards give some stability to the larger paintings on top and a piece of board was used on the bottom to connect the bottom shelves which keeps my 16x20's off the ground in the middle.  It's still not a perfectly ideal storage solution, but it's better than what I had been using.

 
I went through the dresser on the porch and organized each drawer.  Above (from left) you'll see one for brushes, one for drawing materials, and one for water media.

Here you'll see my new shipping/framing table with various tools, hardware and shipping supplies tucked below.  To the left is my stack of paintings that still need work and/or can be painted over.  They are right by the sliding glass door that leads out to the porch so they are ready to go with easy access.

Here is the view looking out to the porch.  On the left are paintings that need some TLC due to slight damage or other issues.  On the right are my canvases waiting to go and up above the door is a collection of trinkets I've collected and special paintings that remind me of my favorite places, people or states of mind.  An "inspiration shelf" if you will.

And finally, I just had to share this picture of my beautiful one eyed boy Leo who posed for me in front of the studio.  What you may not be able to get a sense of is the fact that his entire body is tense with anticipation of me throwing a frisbee in one hand while I snapped the shot with the other.  He looks so calm and docile here but in reality he was seconds away from sprinting full steam ahead after his wonderous flying friend.

Spring in the Studio

Today was absolutely GORGEOUS here in northern Connecticut. After weeks of rain and waiting for that perfect sunny, warm day to mark the start of painting in my outdoor studio, it finally arrived and I took full advantage! Rather than tackle the interior of my studio (which is a dreadful mess - sorry, no pictures! ha ha) I focused on the screened in porch and cleaned it top to bottom. With my music playing from the laptop, the sweet breeze blowing through, and busily gathering my supplies, all felt right with the world again...

And of course, having it all cleaned wasn't enough - I had to actually paint! To start off the season right, I began with my favorite color, my besty, Phthalo Blue.


The following are some work in progress shots of the painting I worked on today. I worked over a drip painting that I was only kind of happy with on it's own. If I'm not feeling it 100% - it's getting a makeover! Starting with some blue circles to get the ball rolling...





I just had FUN today - which is, at least for me, what it's all about. No expectations, just pure play. I'm not sure where this painting will go from here, but I feel great about where it's at right now. A little more tweaking and layers, a few more pops of color, and it will be there. Woo hoo! We're back in business baby!

Clean Studio - Outside

Yesterday I cleaned out the outside portion of the studio and created two separate work areas. The picture above shows my new framing area. It's a blank slate at this point, but I've got my hardware and tools in the drawers below my work table. I'm thinking I either need to put it up on blocks or add some height on top because it's too low to stand and work comfortably. But it's a start! As well as being my framing area, it will be a generally clean dry space to work on things that need such a work space.

Across from the framing table is this table which will be a wet work area. Here is where I can work on several canvases at once, priming, painting and other messy jobs. This table is a hand me down from my best friend (thanks Em!). The slatted shelving makes for good drying racks.

Homemade tools of the trade

Ok, so this picture is really blurry, but it shows me holding my transformed milk jug. I have found this to be one of my fav inventions in the studio in a while. I took one of the large, plastic milk containers with a handle and cut out a section at the top to fit my brush handles. Wash, fill with water, and voila! - you've got a portable water source! This comes in handy when I am dipping large brushes into paint on my palette, then into water for that "drippy" effect. Do you have any DIY tools you love to use when you are working?