a NEW studio makeover!

welcome to my new brighter and lighter studio!

when i got home from the beach, i just knew my studio needed a makeover!

the beach gave me a perspective of open-ness, grounded-ness and vast light and space. and i wanted to feel these things whenever i painted in my studio.

my old, green room studio felt cramped and dark. the green walls had to go. and i planned to paint BIG canvases, yet every time i turned i seemed to spill something...so i really needed something new! 

the last time i remodeled my studio, i also created more space. i took over the closet in our listening room/library for my printing and etsy shop supplies so that anything that needed to stay clean and tidy was no where near my painting space.

it seems each year i makeover my studio. changing up the space not only fits the growth of me and my business, but it really makes everything feel new and full of life!

that move definitely made me feel much more free about painting. but now i needed more light and space! 

i was feeling ivory walls with a red concrete floor...

well, we decided to leave the wood floor and clean it up a bit. even moving the work tables against the wall opened up the room. 

i also reorganized all of the art supplies i currently use most and moved them into the studio closet, so that the tables could be almost-empty.

i chose an ivory for the walls, but even after a coat of primer and first coat of ivory, the green still showed.

a second coat of ivory did the trick. the room finally gave off the warm hue i'd been hoping for...

since i'd decided not to go with the red concrete floor, i was still craving a red hue to compliment the room. i'd also been searching for a solution to my always getting paint splatters on the wall and floor. 

i found this giant roll of red rosin paper at menards. we taped the edges to prevent the paper from tearing when we nailed it to the wall... 

so that now i can splatter the paper and my canvas drop cloth without ruining the rest of the room.

and since i've taken to holding open art studios at our home, we created this space to display my square paintings. 

i also painted my studio tables white...to mirror the lightness of the rest of the room. they've become a fun space for me to doodle and try out colors now too!

photo by Stephanie Claire Birr

and, since my true love is painting outdoors... 

brian picked up this perfect art cart (by stanley) for all of my supplies. i keep it wheeled at the end of my studio table when i'm painting inside.

then it goes up and down the steps (so i don't need to carry it) whenever i paint in the backyard! it not only fits all of my paints in a removable top section, but water bins, brushes, and papers for collage in the middle section, and paintings in the bottom section...

perfect for an artist like me who simply must sprawl outside with my art supplies on a sunny day.  

i hope you've enjoyed my studio tour!

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ps. i have some of the BIG paintings i've been working on that i can't wait to show you later this week...best wishes!