This is my Kansas studio - it was a great space. Sadly we moved JUST AFTER I had a new roof put on the building. The old roof leaked. The new roof was probably a selling point to the farmstead.
Many, many memories there...11 years worth. That is probably one of the few things I miss about living there.
However, of all the 'hits' that I get on my blog, the most viewed used to be the one of photos of my (physical) studio. SCROLL DOWN FOR THE TOUR...
Many, many memories there...11 years worth. That is probably one of the few things I miss about living there.
However, of all the 'hits' that I get on my blog, the most viewed used to be the one of photos of my (physical) studio. SCROLL DOWN FOR THE TOUR...
The building that housed the studio, used to be a garage with an open area behind
the garage for parking farm equipment when we purchased this property in 2006..
the garage for parking farm equipment when we purchased this property in 2006..
At that time, we poured a concrete pad and enclosed the space..1/2 being allocated for a studio and the other 1/2 allocated for a shop. Each is about 750 square feet.
We dropped the ceiling and insulated it well.
Here we go - into the finished space that has been used and used and is now recently cleaned up and reoganized, altho I have lived with it in several different arrangements over the 11 years.
As you enter the studio, this was your first view.
Walking towards the north window and 'design pit'. The drumset is for taking music breaks. ( Drums were eventually sold. They were in the way.) I have a ton of books - I am a retired teacher, a reader/researcher, and have lots of art instruction books. I have a difficult time getting rid of any of 'my friends', but upon moving to Colorado in 2018,
I DID find new homes for about half of the books.
DH erected a 'drying rail' attached to that wall you see - behind there - is a closet...that tour is at another time. Those colorful drawers house materials and gadgets I use to paint and draw.
Entering the 'design pit'.
This is a bohemoth of a desk I recently acquired and part of the reason for the rearranging...it took the place of another desk but is much larger. It was so heavy, it got left behind for the new owner. Sometimes I wish I had it, but I no longer have the room for it. A lot of what you see in my space is given to me second-hand or I bought it second-hand (thanks to my brother and his wife for a lot of it). We weighed this desk and it topped out around 380 pounds - a solid wood wonder!
Looking over that colorful bank of totes from 3 photos ago into the drafting table cubby.
Another view of the drawing and painting area. I have a David Sorg (monster) studio easel there by the window. My empty frames are hanging on the wall near the corner you see. They hang on galvinized pipes with pipe foam covering them attached to the wall with flanges. I tried PVC but it broke with the weight and so did several frames. There is AC around the corner from there.
Walking all the way to the window and turning around, this is the view. There is a south window as well you see across the way.
Oh ya - you can't create without tunes and TV for playing instruction vids. That's the entertainment center. The cabinets below the frames are from a N.M. kitchen - we had leftovers from our kitchen recycled remodel. They are nice and roomy! Not yet full - and that's a good thing because some of those closet items will need a new place when we build shelves inside it.
Standing at the drums and looking south.
Walking toward the south window and looking into the middle of the space is my 2 tables put together for big layouts and my tall table for matting, framing and shipping. That table sits on concrete blocks and gives good height so I don't have backaches from standing there so long. There are several layers of carpet to stand on to help with back issues, as well. You've got to protect your body wherever you can. You can see the furnace on the far wall to the right. It used to be in the house, but we added central heat when we moved in.
This kept me and the studio cats warm and toasty for the cold months.
This is the view looking over the framing table. I use a piece of leftover countertop laminate for my cutting surface. Had the same one for years! That large painting you see propped up on the back of the futon is one that my daughter painted. I still have to hang (most) art on my walls.
Between the concrete blocks, under the framing and shipping table is where I keep many of my framed pieces. There is a great under table storage area full of boxes, mat scraps, etc.
Turning back to the left is my magazine/catalog racks. This is the best new item, in fact THE best item in the studio. It has saved lots of space, allowed me to keep my hundreds of art magazines which are very useful and created a space for more organization.
Between the two racks I finally have a place to hang the weaving in progress piece I got while on my trip to Guatemala to paint with a Kaye Franklin of Texas. Sewing is a hobby, that piece of furniture stores one of my sewing machines.
To the far right is the door you came through on the first studio photo.
A good look at those wonderful shelves!
Standing at the door you came in you are looking straight west. You can see the shop door and concrete block bookshelf.
More of the south wall and the bookcase and one of the cabinets that I picked up at a used office furniture place in Lakewood, Co. There are two of them. We used to use them in the house to flank the bigscreen TV, but no room in the house for them made them repurposed for the studio. They are nice and large and house my photos, scrapbooking and stamping stuff - yes, I used to be BIG into that, and hope to get back to it someday soon. Almost to the door there is house paint and drywall mud - kept inside here in the cold season as the temp without the heat running stays at about 43 degrees.
Turning around to see the door again, there is the other cabinet. Now these cabinets flank the south window. There is a pegboard on the wall by the door where I hang my framing and packing tools. There is a dehumidifier on the bottom right. It HAS to be run in warm and hot weather to protect my paper from buckling..and believe me I have LOTS of paper in here!
This space is complete with TWO Studio Cats - the kittens I rescued in Nov. 2013.
Walking towards the shop door and turning back around to look at the 3 work tables.
You can imagine how nice it is to have such ample space to include your exercise equipment as well. Here you see the futon - keyboard and treadmill and are looking toward the 'design pit'.
As you walk past the treadmill and heater and turn to the right, this is the view of the east wall.
Well, you've been on the tour. It took me weeks and weeks to rearrange and reaorganize for efficiency and aesthetic. I have 'lots' of stuff - however, living where I did - one can't just run out to the store to get what is needed for a project or a painting. For years, I have collected and hoarded (I guess you could say but I don't know many artists who aren't hoarders) - I have held onto many things I probably shouldn't have, but find that I DO use them eventually. It all helps me live the life of an ARTIST.
That was then........ sometime soon, when I get my current studio in Colorado (about 1/3rd of the size of this space) the way I want it, I will share that one as well. Most of this was written in the present tense...when I read over it, it makes my heart ache a little. Such a grand spot.
Lots of art was made there.
Addendum - and so many days go by and I MISS this space. It was an
amazing place to make art. It's now a bunkhouse
with the current owner - bah!
Glad you could see where I CREATE!
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