Anyway, I actually have two places I make art: my studio for designing and my shop for fabricating. The shop is detached from my house which is great because welding is a very dirty process.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
As Neat As It Gets
A couple of posts ago someone commented/asked to see photos of my studio. At the time I was in the throws of reorganizing. Then Art Unraveled happened and my studio, well, it was a pretty big mess. Things are better now but it seems that as soon as I get my table cleaned off I start designing something and everything gets pulled back off the shelves. Maybe it will never be as neat and organized as I would like. But maybe that’s a good thing because it means I’m always creating something.
Anyway, I actually have two places I make art: my studio for designing and my shop for fabricating. The shop is detached from my house which is great because welding is a very dirty process.
The studio was once my living room. I often hear people say they have no room for a studio. I used to think like that until I realized I have a living room that I seldom used but kept furnished just in case I had guests. But the truth is I seldom have company and when I do we typically sit on the patio. One day I decided that the house needed to serve me better and so out went most of the furniture (some items were redistributed to other parts of the house and some items were donated or sold) and the living room became my studio. I welded table bases and put large surplus wood counter tops on them. Then I bought some inexpensive shelving units and that’s it. I have lots of basket type drawers for tools and rubber bins for storage. I even have these great box shelves that a neighbor was throwing away. Nothing too fancy. It happens to be the largest room in my house and it’s so nice not to have to always pick everything up and put it all away at the end of the day.
So yeah, people have to walk through my studio when they come to my house and I’ve had a couple of strange looks (this may have bothered me a few years ago but I guess I don’t worry about it any more) but for the most part everyone thinks it pretty cool. Besides shouldn’t your house adapt for you instead of the other way around?
Anyway, I actually have two places I make art: my studio for designing and my shop for fabricating. The shop is detached from my house which is great because welding is a very dirty process.
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Jeanie - love, love, love that you allowed yourself to follow your heart instead of your head and make your living room your studio! I needed to hear/see that - I live in a 1 br apt and made my dining area and part of my living room (they are joined as one big room) my studio last year - was 2nd guessing myself but then decided I live here alone plus kitty and that's how it should be! Am so much happier than when I had my art stuff discretely hidden away and had to take it all out when I wanted to work - my dining area has a sliding door that opens onto a tiny balcony which allows in lots of light - the only downside is that my kitchen is right there too but if the refrigerator is calling my name too often I put up a try-fold movable screen which does the trick and then the kitchen is out of sight out of mind! Again love your studio and thanks for sharing your thought process with us - Reva (Los Angeles)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. Wouldn't it be interesting if, instead of the same old living room, kitchen, dining room houses, we all made our houses adapt to us. Wouldn't it be fascinating to visit people then?
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