Home is where my Art is
Tucked away in a corner of the top of the house is my studio. It’s not big, but it’s a bright, cheery place that’s comfortable to work in.
It’s a place where I can get away, hash out new ideas and concentrate 100% on creating.
I couldn’t image a day going by without painting. Even if I’m really busy and can only spend a half an hour pushing paint around a canvas it seems to fill my need to create. Having my studio close means that I can leave out whatever I am working on, pop in, do a bit of work, and then dash out again without having the tidy up.
Not having to tidy up means that my studio often looks cluttered. Maybe a bigger studio space would be different but I doubt it. I think I like mess … it adds to my creative process.
Basically, my studio consists of two work tables, a paint trolley, closet and cupboard. It’s not a big room (something that became obvious when we were trying to squeeze in all my stuff), but with a bit of shuffling I can use it to paint, do all my photography, and manage my business. Perfect!
While I don’t need a grand space there are a few things that are essential to my creative process. The most important is a being able to control the temperature. Everyone knows Sydney can get really hot, but what you might not know is that it gets cold as well. I’m a bit of a “cold frog” who really struggles to work when it gets colder.
The second essential is a good light source and luckily, the room features a large north facing window that makes the room a great place to work.
Working facing the window, allows the light to evenly disperse across my painting without shadows. Desk lamps and lights just can’t beat natural light.
My work table is the perfect work surface.
The natural light of a North facing window is the best feature of my studio.
I like to paint sitting down. Standing or painting at an easel makes my back hurt so I found that working flat, at a table is a good solution. I have an old timber dining room table that sits under the window. It not the most attractive, but it’s solid and doesn’t wobble or move and gives me a large work surface.
I keep most of my paints on a trolley in an old cutlery tray that rests on the top shelf. I organise them by colour and line them up. There’s something weirdly satisfying about seeing all the paint tubes like that — must be my OCD kicking it.
The trolley was a stroke of genius – such a simple solution that makes my life so much easier. I can push it into a corner if I need to, pull it close when working or roll it down the hall if I want to work in another part of the house.
Necessity has made me a bit of a minimalist. We’ve made two interstate moves over the last couple of years and lived in several different houses. I really had to down size the amount of art materials I had. It made me a bit sad because I had some really great stuff, but now that we’ve bought our own house, I have an excuse to buy new materials.
I don’t keep heaps of canvases or on hand because I don’t have the space. My rule is when the closet is full … that’s it!
I have a separate desk that I force myself to keep clear. On the best day I have to twist my own arm to do any admin tasks, so the odds of knuckling down, when I know I have to clear my desk first are almost none. It’s a functional necessity!
Hanging above the desk are an assortment of paintings. I find living with my work lets me see it from a different perspective. I can see what needs adjusting or further work. It’s a means of problem solving for me.
The small glass door cabinet mostly is home to stuff that I’ve collected. The stuff inspires me in some way or I think I may be able to incorporate it into my work at some point in time. It’s not pretty – I need to find a way to organise feathers, leaves, bottles, cards and who knows what else. The flotsam and jetsam of my creativity.
I’m grateful to have a place to call my own, and I’m pretty sure that my family is pleased that they don’t have put up with my stuff constantly floating around the house anymore.
