Studio Tour - a peak inside

Easel in front of North facing windows

Today we take a studio tour since nothing in process do I want to post yet. Here is my easel area. It looks cramped but actually works well for me. I know a chair in front of the easel is not the ideal image of a painter at work, but I forgot to remove it from the scene. OOPS. I have had sore hips (bursitis?) which has made standing for any length of time hard, so I only stand when I really must and then I switch back to sitting when it gets to be too much. And yes, I use color charts. Sometimes I just need help if it is color I may not use in my everyday arsenal.

moving to the right of the easel

Fritz the Wonder Dog was hounding me for a walk or he would never have lowered himself to come into the studio. I think he must be sensitive to the smells as he has never liked to hang out with me here. He will lay in the hallway at the door. In this area of the room is where things are stored. The teak china cabinet I inherited  is full of art supplies. The dresser holds my CD's, extra oil paint and other mediums. The doorway connects to the second studio. The paintings stacked around the room are awaiting attention.

moving to the right again is my desk area

There is a doorway to the hall between the chest of drawers and the desk area. Here is where I do my blog, develop and upload my photos, correspond, and all other computer related tasks. Nothing is level in this old house so the drawers never stay shut...yes, I know I could level the desk...but the desk is solid walnut and it is heavy. I never think of it when I have brawn available to assist. The old radio cabinet to the right is not very useful but I love it. It stores books I am referencing and other things I want close at hand but it does make the area a bit tight. It should have probably stayed with its original finish (and yes, it did have the fabric front on it when we found it but the inner radio parts were gone) according to Antiques Roadshow, but I stripped it to show the beautiful burl wood veneers.

opposite the desk and behind the easel is where I store small panels and found objects

This fits nicely behind the closet door, an otherwise useless space. It has objects I found of interest that may find their way into a still life and small panels for plein air painting. Does anyone know what the metal object is in the upper left hand top shelf?

2nd studio where I gesso, varnish, frame, etc

Moving into the next room is where I do the nuts and bolts associated with my work. I think this room was once a nursery as it is small and has no closet. It was also used as a kitchen when our house had been divided into two units during the Great Depression. While in use as a kitchen, it had a fire! This is one room that now has drywall as opposed to lathe and plaster.

opposite wall in 2nd studio. Trunk and suitcase stores old paintings and frames

We end here with the packed trunk and suitcase. I can't help myself. I would rather have interesting furniture than more space efficient studio furniture. In the trunk are old paintings and smaller frames. In the suitcase are plein air paintings on canvas that never made the grade to be mounted and displayed, but I somehow can't throw away yet. To the left and behind the trunk are various sizes of canvas. I store only one of each size here to keep them close at hand and the bulk of blank canvases live in the basement.


Thanks for coming along on the tour. I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my world.