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!

a studio makeover!

WELCOME TO MY NEW STUDIO! 

the key word here is SPACE! i've been longing for more of it in my life in all sorts of ways-- scheduling less so I've more time for random events and nothingness, cleaning out closets, going through digital detox and spending less time on my computer. but i didn't realize just how much i was craving actual FLOOR SPACE!

if you remember, i had my painting tables in the center of my studio, right under the window. this was the messy, have fun, throw paint around side...

and then there was the space against the wall for all of my keep-it-clean printing and packaging and shop supplies. just looking at this photo makes me feel boxed in!

so, i moved the clean part of my studio into a room all it's own!

well, it actually all fits right into this giant closet! i added a few hanging shoe racks to keep all of the mailers and packaging supplies organized, along with postcards and business cards that go into each package. 

along the top (which you can't see here) is another shelf for my extra special tissue paper, paper for prints and clear bags too!

and it all fits behind this closed door when i'm not using it. i love that!

so now, my painting tables can take up the entire spot where all of the clean stuff used to be (and i don't have to worry about splattering paint)! 

i'd so been missing painting outdoors in the backyard and spreading out all of my paints and canvases in the grass. and not only do i have my painting tables now...

but i made room for all of this floor space and my easel that i haven't stood up in years! 

yes, this table is crazy messy, but it's actually organized (if you can believe it)! i've got a spot for everything! plus, i took the cart on wheels that i filled with supplies to take outside during summertime, and used it to store all of my spray paint.

AND there's lots of space to write all of my ideas down on these giant sheets of newsprint and then hang them on the closet doors!

i really just spread all of my art out on the floor and feel like a little kid. i could dance in this room now! so much SPACE and FREEDOM! a studio makeover was just what i needed!

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ps. see that little elephant up there on the easel? i'm loving how he turned out and will share all of the in-progress shots along with the finished painting with you next week!

pps. in case you missed monday's note, i'll be sending out my next monthly newsletter on friday! if you're feeling so inclined, sign up right here! there most definitely will be a coupon included!

ppps. more old studio photos here! for the most part, i didn't even need to touch the inside of the closets. as a creative person who loves to make a mess but can't stand losing my supplies, organization is key!

Studio Tour and Organization

TITLE: The Gardener. The Original Mixed Media Painting has SOLD (Thank you so much for your continued support!). Prints are available in my etsy shop.

In the summertime, I paint as much as I can outside in my flower garden. I have my little supply cart that I wheel beside my outdoor studio. I LOVE it! And it's   always so fun and inspiring. But last week we had six straight days of rain! I was feeling mighty stuck inside. My studio was crazy unorganized! Any time I had packaged an etsy shop order or cut business cards quick before an event, I just left the mess. After all, I was painting outside. But last week it hit me. Not only was I feeling uninspired, but I was totally frustrated and couldn't finish a single painting. I wondered, "what's wrong with me?" and "will I ever be able to paint again?"

Whenever my head feels cluttered, I know it's a good time to clean, reorganize and get rid of ANYTHING I don't really need. So, of course, I started with my crazy mess of a studio. My creative biz has really evolved these past six months, and I hadn't updated my studio to reflect that. I'm focused on original paintings and prints now, so I moved most of my jewelry and card making supplies out, making much more room on my studio tabl for painting canvases (maybe even large canvases!).

When I first set up this studio, I had wanted shelves in the closets, but then I found these cloth shoe racks (super cheap from Home Depot) and I keep all of my random paper and supplies separated in each pocket. It's perfect! 

I love making a mess and it's SO hard for me to keep things clean, so this way, everything has it's space, and it's pretty messy in all of those spaces, but I can always find whatever I need. There are pockets for my mounted print supplies (wood blocks and mounts together in one pocket), 

every sort of paper (an origami paper pocket, a sheet music and maps pocket, a colored paper pocket),

and then pockets for all of my ready-to-go packaging supplies...tags, labels, fun freebies, pre-written and blank thank you cards, postcards, and business cards!

 I have this separate shelf for my printer (the inkjet I use for printing promo materials. I have a separate archival printer for printing my prints). And lots of little paper piles inside Anthropologie catalogs (I love to use them as folders) that I label with BIG letters on blue tape.

And the best part is, I can close the doors and really hide my organized messes.

I added a bigger space for packaging orders. Notice the laundry basket (filled with all of the random vintage wallpaper I'm constantly cutting that's far too big to fit in the shoe pockets) and the bag for trash, right there underneath so it's super easy to sweep in cut ribbon and trash. 

 I also moved all of my stock items (mounted prints, cards and jewelry related things) to a table that slides underneath my workspace. When I first set things up, I had these items front and center. I was so proud of everything I created and sold in my etsy shop. Now I need more shelf space for in-progress orders and all of the shipping supplies for paintings and prints. It's all very stream-lined and organized in a way that works for me.