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Art, artist, Bible, Edgar Allan Poe, explanation, Painting, portfolio, quotes, studio
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Every artist needs a space. A space to call their own. A place that inspires creativity and is conducive to productivity. Every artist needs a studio.
Gather and hoard your inspirations as you live, then recapture them as needed in the studio.
~ Nita Engle
A few of my hoarded inspirations. Dracula, Nefertiti, a Doctor Who (10th Doctor of course) sonic screwdriver, and my Complete Definitive Collection Twilight Zone DVDs. Best birthday gift ever.
Duane Bryers is best known for his plus-size, red-headed pin-up, Hilda. These three wonderfully whimsical artist-pose pin-ups hang above my window. One of my favourite studio pieces is the stone bust (sporting my graduation cap!). A homemade Twilight Zone “Willoughby” sign hangs above the doorway, as does one of just a few sassy pin-up-style tin signs.
It doesn’t have to be fancy or filled with expensive art supplies, and you don’t have to put a lot of money into it. It doesn’t need to be a smarmy loft area, or a quaint little separate building in the backyard. It doesn’t need to have wall to wall windows or a huge work surface.
No, the only requirement of an artist’s studio is that it reflect the personality and taste of the artist who works there. As the artist, it’s the one place you should be completely comfortable in. It needs to be what YOU want, what YOU like, and most importantly, the place you’re going to want to go and work.
All artists are different. Different styles, different techniques, different inspirations, different needs. So no two studios will be alike. My studio is where I spend the bulk of my time. It’s MY space, filled with the things I enjoy. Being in that room makes me want to be creative, and that’s the whole point of having a work space.
So how about a peek inside my studio?
What you’ll see when you walk in
Too many artists get seduced by sunlight and have to continually adjust for light variations. The lighting conditions in [my studio] are perfect. It never changes from day to night. I always know the color on the canvas is what I want it to be.
~ Jack Cassinetto
Before we look at the fun stuff, let me impart a little wisdom here. That quote is SO true. One of the biggest misconceptions in the art world is that natural light is the best light source to work by. If you’ve ever actually tried to work in front of a huge window, you’ll know that simply isn’t the case. Natural light is bright and harsh. It can be blinding and overpowering, it distorts colours and casts shadows which are difficult to work around.
As you can see from the photo, I too was initially seduced by this supposed “Artist’s Choice” of lighting. The first sunny morning I sat down to work at my desk, I knew I’d made a big mistake in believing the hype. Painting, sketching, or even using my computer before noon? Forget it. There’s just too much light. And my five-foot picture window happens to be facing east, compounding the problem. A large window has its benefits, and working in the afternoon when the light is less intense isn’t too bad. But take it from me, it is less than ideal. My next studio will rely on artificial light which I will strategically place to avoid things like hand shadows and glares.
Okay. There’s my lesson for the day. Now, sit back, relax, and we’ll take a tour of my creative space.
At one end of my studio is something you’ll find in practically every room of my house – a bookcase. I have an actual library upstairs, and it’s a fair size, but let’s face it. Unless your name is Belle and you’re married to the Beast, your library is going to have to be of a moderate size. Meaning books will likely spill into many of your other rooms.
You can learn a lot about a person by snooping through their books. This bookcase is art-related only. Well, related to MY art. I love Bible symbolism and the Latin language, so I have a Strong’s Concordance and an English/Latin dictionary mixed in with the other more conventional art books. A few anatomy books can be found, as well as books focusing on my favourite artists — Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Bob Ross. An illustrated history of the first Crusades and a collection of horror movie posters are in there as well. Practical and inspirational.
And of course in my studio there was bound to be a Bible. Displayed on its own shelf with my cool Angels and Demons bookends.
I looked at my studio as a painting. Now whenever I need a break, I paint this area where I just love to be.
~ Richard Poink
At the opposite end is a comfortable spot – a necessity in a studio as far as I’m concerned. As I’ve said in past art-related posts, 50% of the work you do when creating something is in the designing stage. So a quiet spot in a room which is meant to inspire you, can be the perfect place to brainstorm ideas and do a little design work.
In a painting studio, you have to have a display wall to show off some of the goods. Prove that you do at least SOME work in there. It can be tempting to sit around watching episodes of the Twilight Zone all day long. Not that I’ve ever done that…
Speaking of the Twilight Zone…
Above the smaller window is a little collection of fun things, including two of my favourite possessions: a mini TZ Mystic Seer and a Howling Man doll. There are no words to express how fond I am of those. A plastic raven (looks more like a crow, but beggars can’t be choosers – it was a dollar!) paying homage to Edgar Allan Poe, as well as a few other items that mean something to me. I especially like the quote on the little pin attached to my Nancy Drew 75th Anniversary ornament, which says, “The fact that no one understands you doesn’t make you an artist.”
Here you can see my marvellous revolving book stand. A birthday gift a few years ago from my dad, who made it for me. I designed the panels in a Byzantine/illuminated manuscript style. Each side features a favourite Bible verse and one of the four living creatures of Daniel and Revelation. There’s a compass rose on top, and each of the panels can be propped open to hold a book. One of my favourite pieces and very helpful when working with multiple reference books. And if you’re interested in a closer look at that large painting on the left, “Armageddon“, I have a number of posts written about it.
Without the studio, however humble, the room where the imagination can enter cannot exist.
~ Anna Hansen
All this practical stuff is nice, but there are more fun things in my studio as well. Case in point, the newest addition: a fabulous pair of fuchsia heels!
My gorgeous pink shoes, bought to be displayed. On the wall is a lithograph print of a painting I was commissioned to do: “Still Life Portrait: Megan”. And below the shelf is another of my favourite Duane Bryers’ Hilda pin-ups.
I do like figurines and toys (in case you hadn’t noticed), and here are a few more. I made the prop “I Dream of Jeannie” bottle many years ago. I’m a big Tinkerbell fan (Peter Pan is my favourite Disney story). But my Jasmine Becket-Griffith “Once Upon A Midnight Dreary” figure is awesome. All of Poe’s “The Raven” is written on that paper scroll.
But wait. Something’s missing here. It’s a studio, where I paint. So where are the paints?
Housed in two custom built paint bottle-sized cabinets, hung on either side of the picture window, are the paints. Acrylics, arranged by colour, from dark to light. What can I say? Some people like to be messy and chaotic. I enjoy order and neatness, especially in my work area.
An artist cannot do anything slovenly.
~ Jane Austen
In most studios, this would likely be the end of the tour. You’d have seen everything there is to see. But… this isn’t most studios. ;) Thanks for stopping by. Visitors are always welcome. Be sure and look UP on your way out.
The ceiling is big time real estate. No sense in wasting it! And don’t you dare judge me for the Edward poster. Those books were amazing.
Studio Ghosts: When you’re in the studio painting, there are a lot of people in there with you – your teachers, friends, painters from history, critics… and one by one if you’re really painting, they walk out. And if you’re REALLY painting, YOU walk out.
~ Philip Guston
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Fantastic studio, Wendy, and thanks for a great cyber-tour of it. I love that Mystic Seer machine – probably the one TZ toy I’ve ever been seriously tempted to buy. Will I ever give in? Outlook hazy; ask again later…
Funny thing – I initially misread the words on the pin-up poster as, “The BOOKS are real…” Ha! I must be a nerd, indeed.
Ha ha! Nothin’ wrong with that! ;D
Thanks so much, Michael! That little Mystic Seer is great, but I can’t wait until my full-size replica arrives — hopefully sometime in September! I’ve wanted a MS since I was about 5 years old. It might even get its own blog review! Stay tuned…
Fantastic! Loved getting an inside peek at your creative space! Very different from my artist-mother’s, but that’s what makes every artist special. My “creative” space will be a bit different, as my projects aren’t of the painting kind, but your post has inspired me to do something fun with a little extra space I will have soon. Fabulous shoes. ;)
Excellent! Happy to think I provided you w/ a little inspiration or an idea or two. Hope you’ll dish about your space when you get it all set up. :) And yes, those shoes… Lord. I’m just crazy about them!
Excellent photos and I must say that you caught my attention with the natural lighting. While working as a graphic artist for the University of Missouri-Kansas City I found that our space with artificial lighting that enhanced our view of what we were working on so that we could actually tell how the colors would look when the printed piece was done was so much better because of the (as you put it) harsh, and bright to the point it distorts one’s views. It’s also not the best to create thoughts if you are a writer.
Your space is wonderful and I especially like the Bible and the book ends. Nice touch.
Thank you, James. I’m glad to hear you say that about the lighting. So many people disagree and swear by that natural stuff, so it’s nice to hear that others share my viewpoint. I can imagine it wouldn’t be ideal for writing either. That huge window has its perks, but it is also a hindrance, unfortunately.
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Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing your sanctum sanctorum. It definitely is not lacking in inspiration…or distraction! :-] I like the log home and wood paneling! Uneven-sized logs, at that! That seems rare these days, and indicative of an older structure, from what I’ve heard. Anyway, very nice!
Thanks a million, Frank! I may be biased, but in these parts, my house IS known as a pretty spectacular example of a log home. They’re saddle notched Scandinavian scribed logs. And it’s actually tongue and groove pine boards, not paneling. Built in 1987. :)
And yes, my work space CAN be distracting! But they’re the best kind of distractions!
I also wanted to say that I think it was Rembrandt who also knew about the harshness of natural light and liked to paint in his studio…by candle light. That it was that light that most people viewed their artwork by and better brought out the “atmosphere” of his work, if memory serves me correctly….
So, there you have it, WendyLovesJesus, you have just been compared to Rembrandt! :-]
Wow, I’m honoured, sir! Thanks so much! That’s my day, MADE. :D
What an interesting and inspiring post, my friend! Interesting because it gave me a closer look at your studio (which I was privileged enough to have seen in some detail before now). Inspiring because it made me want to pay greater attention to making MY creative space work better for me when I write.
It’s easy to forget what an impact, for good or for ill, that our surroundings can have on us. It’s too important to leave up to chance. We’ve got to do it right, or our art will suffer — and so, by extension, WE suffer. By contrast, a well-appointed “studio” will enhance our art, and make us better people.
And no one can tell us what will work. We can get tips, as you’ve given us here, but only through trial and error can we make our work spaces … well, WORK. BuzzFeed ran a photo spread earlier this year called “40 Inspiring Workspaces Of The Famously Creative”: http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/40-inspiring-workspaces-of-the-famously-creative I was struck by what an incredible range there was among the writers, painters, poets and critics. Large, small, clean, cluttered, bright, dark, colorful, monochromatic … no two spaces were even remotely alike. They had only one thing in common: they WORKED for the people who made them.
And that’s really what we have to do, isn’t it? Make our creative spaces work … then let them do their work on us.
You really have a great place to work here. I like to think of my Gal Friday doing some of her amazing creations here. I’d like to slip some high-falutin’ words in here, but “neat” and “fun” are really the main ones that come to mind! :)
So thanks for this post. I think it will help a lot of people. I know it’s helped me. My hat’s off to you. You’ve impressed me. Again.
P.S. Love the Twilight Zone DVDs. A present from a friend, perhaps? ;)
Thanks, Boss! I don’t think there’s any praise greater than to hear I’ve impressed you. :)
As you know, I was really passionate about doing this particular post. My studio is where I can almost always be found, it’s where the magic happens, and in many ways, the studio is a work of art itself. And as most artists feel about their work — I wanted to show it off a little.
Thank you for sharing that wonderful link! It’s amazing to see such diversity. I mean think about it: All of those people are essentially doing the same thing — making art (whether it be with paint and canvas or pen and paper) — and yet how tremendously different their work spaces are! So much goes into cultivating your own creative space and it’s such a treat to see what works for other artists. And you’re so right, the one thing they all have in common is that they worked for the individual.
I’m happy to think I may have inspired you in some way, my friend. Can’t wait to see your finished perfect creative space someday.
And you know what? I will gladly take “neat” and “fun” over something more high-falutin’!
As for the TZ DVDs… only a girl’s very best friend would get her those. ;)
Very energetic post, I enjoyed that a lot. Will there be a part 2?
Possibly!