Welcome To My Studio. North Light at Left; West Window on Right. From Left to Right: My Custom Palette Table, Bookshelf, and L-Shaped Desk.It is a life changing event
to have a big, new studio.
Last year we installed and leveled the 14 foot by 60 foot house trailer that was to become my art studio. Before the winter, we trenched in the electricity and my new studio was electrified. After that, I had to replace the floor substrate and lay linoleum in the kitchen and studio room. Then I moved the balance of my furnishings in, and went to work.
Kitchen, with Large Flat File & Book ShelvingThe studio building has two bedrooms, the larger of which is for framing and the smaller for storage. The bathroom, which is not yet plumbed, serves as more storage, and the pantry, by the back door, is mat and large frame storage, with a cupboard for common tools such as drills, hammers etc.
The kitchen is a flex-space, with a large pantry for storage, wall space for mounted book shelves, my file cabinet and two flat files for paper stock and originals waiting to be framed. Recently, we began cutting glass here.
Uber-Organized With a Peg-Board & Bookshelf Combination.A recent addition was a bookshelf that I surplussed from the old Seattle REI store. Complete with pegboard back, I now have well-organized tools and accessories. My desk, shown in the picture below, faces the front door, and allows me a dual use surface for business and some drawing.
Brown All-Around. The Original Paneling May Be Low-Rent, But it Has The Advantage of Being a Neutral Value for Displaying Art Against.My laptop comes and goes from the house, and when it is in the studio it provides tunes with a nice speaker system. I have a relay for internet, but somehow it decided to quit working and so I rely on a dim signal for limited internet use.
North Facing Studio Receives Muted Light. On The Left is The West Window.The studio is north facing, but large pane windows also face west and east. Here in sunny Eastern Washington, the Southern exposure can be brutal, and so it is nice to have the bulk of the trailer insulating me from that awful orb. I keep the west windows shaded in the AM, and the east is blocked in the PM.
The studio is north facing,
but large pane windows also face west and east.
Additional artificial light is provided by various sources. My former drafting table light now covers the palette, and track spots with alternating warm and cool cans provide the additional light I need for the big easel. A wall mounted easel allows me to mount bigger paper, since the mast of my big easel bumps the low ceiling and denies the big sheets. My convertible easel, which becomes a table, moves from the studio to the kitchen. Several knock-down tables provide additional flexibility.
Future Plans:
The skirting on the trailer needs to go on, and an already purchased air conditioner will be installed, hopefully before August. The plumbing will be served by a septic and drain field system.
A section of drywall will be put up in the studio with display lighting. I also want to add an outdoor "pila" sink, and a deck that may accept an easel, or provide covered outdoor seating and sleeping space.
The big plan? I want to break ground north of the studio proper, and lay the foundation for a pole built addition that will be the new, new studio. The trailer will remain office, storage and framing. The addition will be at least 20 feet by 20 feet, with a minimum of 9 foot ceiling height. The dream is to have north light via skylight and/or picture windows. Limited to no side windows, of course.
a severe case of envy going on here!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, sometimes I count the drawbacks. Yesterday we had 103 degree heat (where I moved from never sees hot weather), real and acute isolation (we are very rural), and that paneling is seventies retro on a rail. And, it's a trailer.
ReplyDeleteAnd, owning fair sized property is an endless maintenance and upkeep job. But, if you dig wildlife, I have that in spades.
But, my wonderful in-laws found the trailer, bought it, and helped install it. How blessed can one get? And I know many artists have a spare bedroom for their space, and so I can't complain.
Even my beautiful new studio has drawbacks!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, great to see your space, I always love to see how artists organize their studios. You are very practical in how you put it together.
Yeah, the paneling. Reminds me of the lovely trailer we lived in when I was 13. You could paint it, that's probably what I would do.
I thought about painting the stuff, but it's low priority given that the color is already neutral value.
ReplyDeleteSomeone gave me an awesome idea of keeping it as is like wainscoting, then adding drywall above as display space. That might happen, but I, like you, Tracy, don't want white walls. Too much light!
I am a putz when it comes to finishing. My son's room, that I built 5-6 years ago, still needs the trim!
Thanks for reading! I really don't have the type of studio that will get visits, except rarely. So, a little red@eck works fine for me!
like the idea of a 'sleeping space'...
ReplyDeletebuilding... homes... spaces...
plein-air is outside, sleeping in the high grass :)
paint on casey
Silly, I read all of your posts. I just don't comment much since I put everything on bloglines and I am way too lazy to click on the title in order to get to the comments. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteWell, I probably wouldn't paint the paneling white either, but I know what you mean, painting (and finishing) sucks.
Anyway, if the neutral wood doesn't bother you, great. A little redneck never hurt anyone:)
Thanks, Adam. I actually found space under my palette table to store my cot. I pull it out for a catnap, and I keep a dust cover over it.
ReplyDeleteHey, I know you read, Tracy. You are a peach. I actually thought about a gray color to paint the panel, but it would only serve vanity. I am Mr. function, you know.
Great to have a nice studio. Now, I gotta get that A/C in place!
Very tranquil. What music do you have playing?
ReplyDeleteSteph., since I moved out rural, I have learned that I like both types of music: Country AND Western.
ReplyDeleteI can never resist lingering in your studio updates, Casey. To have so much space must be wonderful. To have a little bed on the deck is essential - best thinking is done lying down!
ReplyDeleteYou deserve it!
Well, Robyn, my studio and yours exist on opposite poles on the aesthetic spectrum.
ReplyDeleteHey, my somnolence problems are improving. I am seeing a Physical Therapist about it, and the results are good. Chronic pain is down, and energy is up!
But, I still have that Army cot in the studio!