The New Studio

I haven't told you all about the new studio. We developed the basement here at our new house and I have a real live art studio! But I'll get to that. First a little history...

I have had lots of different studio spaces over the years, starting with the kitchen table, then a walk in closet in the basement in Calgary. I wish I had a picture of it. Maybe I'll run across one one day. There were no windows - I had to take over the "playhouse" and kick the kids out. It barely fit my drafting table, a chair and a little cupboard. The basement had a little wet bar so I had somewhere to wash out brushes and wash charcoal off my hands. I had stuff tacked to the walls all over in that little closet... things that inspired me, things I'd done... I loved that little space. I guess I did wish it had natural light and a little more space. I was content because after using the kitchen table for so long it was so great to not have to get everything out when I wanted to work and then have to pack it all away again. So many artists, scrapbookers, crafters, seamstresses know exactly what I mean. It was a space for the art stuff. How wonderful.

Then I started my art degree at the University of Calgary. My first year there I worked in class and in my painting class I had a portfolio slot to keep my current "works in progress". But my SECOND year I got a "Studio"... a cubicle of my very own. The equivelant of an office cubicle, I had a tabouret with a lock to keep most of my materials in. Hardly anything was ever stolen from there - as long as I remembered to lock it up. But there was light! And there was peace and quiet from the kids. There were other artists around for inspiration and critique. There was an instructor for guidance and knowledge. I would go early and paint while the kids were at school and sometimes go back after they were in bed and stay until late. It was so great. I really felt like an artist.

We moved to Utah and my wonderful husband developed the basement with an "art room" for me! I got to put in flourescent lights and linoleum floor. We built in an exhaust fan so I didn't die from the fumes of my paint thinners. (Didn't have THAT in the closet!) I put up shelves and my big beautiful easel. Then I covered the walls with my paintings and drawings. I had a big easel, the drafting table, shelves, and just outside in the furnace room I had a laundry sink put in! Even though it was in the basement I had natural light too. This was so great! When I started teaching children's art classes it was in this little room. We fit 4 students pretty easily. Then when my class size grew I put up a long folding table just outside the art room in our karate/dance studio. Still lots of space to put things away.

But NOW... drumroll please... this room! Oh, this room! Today for the first time I found myself down there not to organize or move in, not to teach a class (which is going great, by the way, with two classes of 10 students each and one adult class) but to work on my own artwork! As I stood over my great big art table painting a board and a canvas with gesso, listening to music on my stereo, I looked up and saw the mountains out my windows and started to grin. I stood there and smiled. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought back to my kitchen table and my walk-in closet. I spun in a circle and looked at the big closets and my big easel in the corner. I have shelves that aren't even full yet!

I debated running up the stairs and hugging my wonderful husband who finds my art important enough to allot me all this space, but let's be honest, with a teething infant my art time is limited and I didn't want to lose a moment of this precious time. Luckily for me he came down to see what I was doing and I got to give him a great big tearful joyous hug.

So it doesn't have flooring yet - that just means I get to make all kinds of mess! So it isn't decorated and organized yet - I'll get to that. So there isn't a sink yet - it's coming WITH a countertop and cupboards in a few weeks. So the closets don't have doorknobs and the windows are dirty - ALL FIXABLE! I am in heaven in my new studio. Two paintings started and hopefully thousands more to come. I will always be grateful and never forget working in a closet. One day when I'm in a studio with gorgeous wood floors and coveted "North light" and my paintings are showing and selling all over the country I will still be grateful for this workspace. I will.