User Comments

1. 

   1/16/09

   mark4art

   Right now in our new home (we moved here last August) we were fortunate to have a garage that we converted into a studio. It is heated by a small wood stove. The walls were insulated and sheetrock, but the ceiling was not. I put up fiberglass (nasty but cheap) and covered that with plastic. Finally I had space, all kinds of space AND it didn't matter if my paint went flying. That is a change from where and how I have worked in the past making do with small, cramped, lit or not lit places. Laying down tarps or plastic, making a drop cloth (plastic) walled studio with a tarp floor in places where I had to protect the floor and walls.
   
   I have one west facing window and several north facing windows in the garage door in my part of the studio. I share the studio with my girlfriend she has a large south facing window and a west window. Natural light is the best in the afternoon. I use several lamps and a overhead to add light. I would love more natural light than this, also morning light. When it gets down to around 20 degrees the stove can't keep up so we have a spare bedroom we have crammed with stuff. We both paint and sculpt so it is messy and crowded. Also our computers/printers are in that room and bookcases. Projects tend to overflow onto the kitchen table or into the living room. I bought a large plastic tool box to put my paints in to bring into the house so they wouldn't freeze at night. With warmer weather I have started working in the studio again on a large painting. It's pretty much impossible to work on large paintings in the house, so I concentrate on small paintings.
   
   What I love about the studio is when I work there I don't have to put things away. My paints and brushes can stay out, canvases can pile up or stay on the easel, which I could never do in other places. That is a big gift. I can go work on a painting anytime when I am using the studio.
   
   Right now all my work spaces are messy, given more room it just fills up. I require a bit more discipline than I have right now. I definitely think my art is influenced by the space.

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2. 

   1/24/09

   kaslkaos

   A dining room table covered in pencils, paint boxes, rulers, paper. A small drafting table, a west window, a jungle of houseplants, bird feeders beyond and plenty cat hair.

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