Where Bloggers Create 2011

I just did a complete reorganization of my own studio space this month, and posted it here on my blog.  You can find it in the post right below this one or by clicking on my studio tour on the side bar.  I look forward to picking up some more great ideas on this tour but I'm  going to have to wait to implement them at least until I've lived with my present arrangement long enough to know what works.

For more inspiration for your creative space, starting on July 15th, you'll want to visit lots of  the featured studios at Where Bloggers Create 2011.  You don't have to rush.  Karen Valentine from My Desert Cottage, the event host, keeps the list posted all year. 

Studio Reorganization Number ?

I love organizing my studio!  I have no idea how many times I've tweaked it in the past 3 years but I'm sure this won't be the last.  I get an idea in my head for one small change and before you know it the whole room is upside down and I'm as happy as a pig in mud!  Maybe this time I'll let it be long enough to remember where I've stored everything.

View from the hallway.

Pottery, mosaics and stained glass.  The stained glass is in a unit that stored old LPs and singles at the local radio station where my husband was a DJ.

This big drafting table is one of the few pieces that has stayed in the same place through every reorganization.  The area in the corner is for my encaustic work.  It's higher so I can stand while I work and the window allows ventilation.

Ice cube trays from the Dollar Store make great storage for all my little charms, brads and beading supplies.  This shallow drawer unit is from Ikea.

Old pop caddies are perfect for keeping tools accessible.  Plastic cups help contain smaller items.

Wet zone for soap and paper making and dyeing fabric.

These map files hold my pressed flowers, larger sheets of paper and stamps.

This old microfiche cabinet was an auction find and it currently holds all of my different paints as well as batik, bookbinding, printmaking and silkscreen supplies.  Can you believe I once gave it to my husband to use for his tools!?  He wasn't surprised when I asked for it back.

Books and other reference materials and packaging supplies live here.  The armoire holds canvases and frames.

Now that my space is all organized and I have the whole summer ahead of me, I'm ready to create!  I worked on this encaustic piece while I worked on my studio.

Birch 2 - Encaustic - 12x12 on cradled wood panel

Form or Function?

I have spent the past week, and most of this long weekend, trying to restore order to my studio.  After several months of preparing for a group show as well as creating work for our artisan cooperative, my space was in drastic need of an overhaul.  But what could I do to keep it from getting into this state again?

I want my creative space to look nice but I want it to work for me.  So I had to address some issues.

Do I really need all this stuff or can I let some of it go?  Yes, I need it.  No, I'm keeping all of it!!
Can I finish one project before starting on another one?  Not likely.  One idea always leads to another and usually in a completely different medium.
Will I put everything away from one project before starting on another?  Well, let's see...I'm over half a century old and I haven't trained myself to do this yet...so I have to say, probably not!

It's pretty clear that, in my case, function overrules form.  For form to be the primary consideration, one should be able to actually see the aesthetically pleasing arrangement.  So, in consideration of my rather chaotic style of working, I have reorganized my space for function.

Art Zone

Everything in my art zone is now within easy reach, including all of my different collage elements, paints, printing supplies, and mediums.  The smaller desk is dedicated to encaustic painting since the plugs for the elements, stylus and heat gun are right there.

Encaustic painting area

I liked the flow of the room better before without the rather large cubby unit dissecting the room but, in order to have all of my supplies at hand, it had to be.

I wasn't really keen about adding a table for sewing between the armoire and the bookcase because it's a small area but, I knew if I relied on using my painting table to sew at, it wouldn't happen.  My mom sewed at this table for many years and when it comes to sewing, I could use some of her good karma.

The rest of the studio should function better now that it won't be heaped with the piles that needed a temporary home when I had to clear space on the art table.  So that's the theory.  Now for the practice!