Wednesday, February 17, 2010

But I Digress - A Peek into My Studio

I'm part of a blog carnival that starts tomorrow, Friday, 2-19. The Blogfire group, artist-bloggers who sell on Artfire, is the organizing host. The first carnival I did last month was about Valentines and I had an older post all written and ready to use that I could readily link with. This month, the choice was either to do a show and tell of my studio - or something about "the kitchen." Well, "the kitchen" and I aren't on the greatest of terms. I've mentioned before that I get by, but that cooking isn't my big interest, & isn't my forte, so I've opted for a few words and images of my actual WillOaks Studio workspace.



The room I use as a workspace used to be the master bedroom of the old family farmhouse that I'm now living in. It's up on the 2nd floor and one of the best parts is a couple of nice sized windows--one facing east and one facing west. I can watch the sun rise (not very often, frankly) and the sun set (every day.) I've rigged up one window to quickly throw it open to poke my camera outside for shots such as this recent sunset series. The past few days, the sunsets have been very brilliant and colorful. When it isn't winter, this tree that I'm looking through right now (a big basswood or large leaf linden) is in full leaf and it's beautiful. Quite an active habitat for birds and squirrels, too.



Inside, I've chosen a couple of images that don't show the worst of the mess that sometimes happens here when I'm in a creative frenzy. I've actually got a fairly good organizing system--when I bother to re-file things! On the other hand, having some odds and ends handy and visible can sometimes lead to an "aha" moment that might not happen if I had to go hunting for everything all the time. The challenge is that balance between being too organized and too messy! As long as most things are filed "like with like" I can usually find what I need when I need it.

What isn't in sight here are 3 other shelving systems with more materials in labeled boxes and drawers holding stones, pearls, fibers, leather and all the other materials I've collected over the years. It's hard to turn down a pretty strand of beads or handful of stones when your whole philosophy to making art is "You never know where a good idea will come from!"

And when it comes to more serious metal working, including chemicals, fire and the like, I don't use this room--I have an auxiliary space downstairs--which isn't particularly photogenic! Thanks for visiting!

10 comments:

J. M. P. said...

So everything starts here! It's great to take a look inside an artist's workspace, and yours is especially nice with these views and these intriguing boxes. I agree with the messy thing and the "aha" moment :D, I don't ever write while my desk is too much tidy.

Duni said...

I love peeking into other artisan's studios :)
I'm currently revamping mine, and I just might post a pic on my blog when it's cleaned up!

Unknown said...

Wow, you always get the best sunset shots! Seeing sunrises and sunsets like that is one of the things that I miss most about not being out on the truck anymore. Oh how I wish I had a camera with me (and was able to pull over in time) while the sun was coming up one morning while I was headed east on I-10 west of Jacksonville, FL...

Dori said...

I love your beautiful outdoor shots and it's so interesting to see your workspace :-)

Joanne Olivieri said...

First, those shots are absolutely stunning. I also am amazed at how organized your studio is when I know you have so much work to do. Kudos to you.

Ann said...

Wow, those sunsets are amazing. When I try to see one out my window it's blocked by roofs and power lines.

It looks like you have a well stocked and organized studio. You have to have some things sitting around.

Anonymous said...

Those skies are beautiful...

storybeader said...

what a great space. So nice and big. And I love shelving units. The views from a second story of a building is always fun - and your view is beautiful! Thanks for inviting us in! {:-Deb

David said...

I loved getting a peek into your studio and I would love to have a room with a view like like that out the windows where I could work. If I had that I wouldn't have to drive to the lake so often to find spots to work on my hats. I also love how organized your materials are. I can't even imagine how many beads and other things you must have stored in there. I have sort of a similar setup in my craft storage room with a couple of boxes full of beads from when I did jewelry myself but I'm sure I don't have as much jewelry supplies as you do.... in fact I haven't made any jewelry in so long I don't even remember what I do have lol. I need to get in there and do an inventory and make a list of everything I have.... hmmm maybe that could be a summer project for me this year if I have the time. But anyway I love the view of the tree and lake/pond outside your window.

AliciaMae said...

Wow, all my Blogfire peeps are so much more organized than I am, including you. I respect organization, maybe because I'm so awful at keeping things organized lol :) You have a very nice workspace!

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