Tag Archives: studio

2015 The Big Summer Project

Well, this blog has been dormant for YEARS! As has my artwork. This is the summer to change that!

Basement room in progress

Basement room in progress

I haven’t made artwork in years and part of that is because my studio space has not been easy to use. The attic has been problematic for a number of reasons: too hot or too cold, depending on the season; only access is by ladder which my knees can’t handle anymore; and the dogs hate it when I am up there. So not that our basement roommate has moved on we are repurposing many of the rooms. Along with that a deep clean and repainting as things are moved around.

I already finished painting and cleaning the basement room. Next we move Shawn’s books and computer down there. Then I will temporarily move the bedroom to the spare room to allow for cleaning and painting of the bedroom. Next I will do the same for the living room. Finally, I will paint and clean the spare room and move my studio from the attic.

Part of the studio move will require new furniture, including a fabric cutting island. I will also sort and pare down supplies to focus on fiber arts. I am hopeful and excited that the new studio arrangement will allow me to work more often and more easily on my art.

As part of this, I am taking an online class called “craft cleanse” which has assignments geared towards clulling and sorting supplies to make your studio space more usable. I plan to blog as I go along with these assignments and to show the progress on the overall project.

Meanwhile I am pinning lots of ideas on Pinterest.  http://pinterest.com/shebaduhkitty/studio-remodel-2015/

 

 

Questions…Questions…

Seth from the Altered Page has gathered some of my favorite online artists and asked them some questions about their art and their process, figuratively taking The Pulse of the online arts community. So far he has done this twice, each time posing different questions to different artists. Today I noticed that he was preparing for another round of the game. I quickly emailed him and asked to play along. I was tickled when he invited me to play and said, “I have been to your blog many times and love the work you do — so much variety in so many media.” 

While he prepares for the August edition of The Pulse, and I gather my thoughts on the current round of questions, he is sharing a walk though memory lane by reviewing past answers. I thought it would be fun to consider some of these questions for myself as well. I have been searching for a little bit of direction and inspiration these days, so why not? (click on the question if you want to see what other artists, like my friends Bridgette Guerzon Mills,  Jen Worden and Teesha Moore had to say on the subjects.)

IF I COULD TAKE A CLASS FROM ONE ARTIST FROM ANYTIME IN HISTORY, INCLUDING TODAY, IT WOULD BE… One of the great things about being a teacher is that I have to do professional development all the time. I am literally required to take classes. Although most of these have to be educationally related, I purposefully include art classes as well. So over the years I have taken many fun classes from people like Michael DeMeng, and attended lectures by the likes of Nick Bantock. I think that if I could reach back in time Dali would be a top choice. He is so insane! and he also did artwork in a variety of mediums including film and photography (two of my favorites!) I would also like to learn really wonderful swirls and patterns from Klimt. Of living artists I really want to experience working with Anahata Katkin and Traci Bautista.

desk making paper for tags

5 THINGS ON MY STUDIO TABLE RIGHT NOW INCLUDE… Besides being a BIG mess that needs cleaning once again, my collage table hasn’t seen much use lately, which is why it needs cleaning. It currently has, among other things, some new scissors, three mugs full of special edge scissors, an old map to cover the surface and protect it from paint stains…which then will be used as a background of something eventually, some special golden acrylic texture bases that I should use or give to my friend Amy who would actually use them and my Artfest 2008 button.