Garage Studio Progress and Found Items
I made the huge push yesterday to clear out my basement studio of all of my art supplies, books and furniture. It felt like a gargantuan task and at times I was overwhelmed with how much stuff I have accumulated over the years. In those moments, I would sit down, catch my breath and wonder how this happened. The other question floating around in my head was how did I cram so much stuff into a roughly 10′ x 13′ space??? To read more ruminations about stuff, check out Andrea’s blog…take a look at her art while you’re visiting too.
In my quest to make sense of my stuff and to organize my items sensibly for future use, I went through everything very methodically so that I could box drawing supplies with similar items, etc. I also found some things that have been MIA for some time including this sketch which I drew using a great Japanese ink brush pen (that I also happened to find BTW) on heavy weight paper back in ‘03 or ‘04. This eventually became a lino cut which I’ve used many times including on this ceramic wall piece.
My former basement art studio is now our TV room, small and cozy. But, hey, how much room does one really need to sit immobile staring at the tube? We all cram on the futon next to each other anyway. Personal space? Not in our household.
I’m pretty excited about my new studio space, it will be almost triple the size of my basement studio. As you can see from the photo below, the garage studio is definitely a work in progress. I can already visualize what my space is going to look like after the drywall is installed and ample lighting is available with the flick of a switch. Until then, it’s functional, but not terribly comfortable on cold days like today. It’s overcast and cold here in Colorado this weekend with a few spits of snow thrown in. It has made me realize that I need to make huge strides in finishing my space before next winter.
Last night, we’re talking about installing some solar panels on the garage to provide heat and power to the garage. We have it wired for electricity, but, wouldn’t it be cool (maybe I should say hot!) to have the sun provide all my energy needs? Colorado gets over 300 days of sunshine a year, so it seems logical, plus it will ease my conscience about contributing to our energy crisis. I should research other ceramic artists who use alternative energy to power their studios.
I hope everyone has a nice Easter weekend,
