Studio Time!

After an intense four weeks of teaching summer school (Art Appreciation) I am so ready to get back in the studio! Not that I ever really left, but I didn't have any big blocks of time to spend painting so my forays to the studio were more spririt-refreshing than actually productive.

I've eased back in the past few days, and while I don't have any momentous masterpieces in progress, I thought I'd give you some glimpses of my studio. Then in a few weeks I'll show you some works in progress, or maybe even complete.

When we bought our property my studio was a run-down two-car garage being used as a place to work on engines. Everything was covered with grease and spiderwebs; with only two small windows it was a dark creepy place with insects scuttling about, not to mention the rodents, and the snakes in pursuit of the rodents. Transforming this building into a space that feels so right to me has been a source of great happiness.

The sculpture I see right outside my French doors is by Tedd Pettibon, formerly of Huntsville. It's three red bowling bowls on rebar and I love it!

This is the front door, with Minerva the sentinel standing guard. I went to Frazier's (You haven't been? Omigod -- you have to go!) looking for some kind of statue. I liked Minerva right away, but she's the goddess of war, and I'm SO not into war. I kept trying to find something else, and I kept coming back to her. So, OK, she's a little warlike. To me she's a strong female.

I'm a semi-organized person, overlaid with a veneer of sloppiness. I'll admit -- sometimes, and in some places, that veneer can get pretty thick! I subscribe to the theory that if the studio is totally organized, not much creativity is going on. There's probably no truth to that at all, but it makes me feel a little better about the array of stuff.

I do have quite an array, some of it having nothing to do with artmaking, but things I just like to have around. Actually every single thing is meaningful to me in some way. Before I had my dog Sparky, I had a Westie for fourteen years, my sainted Dinah. That black blob on the right is the sweater she's wearing in the little picture.

My apologies for the poor quality of this photo. I just got a new camera -- a Nikon Coolpix SX70, and I think I love it! All these pictures were taken on the auto-for-dummies setting, and after I get the basics worked out, learning how to deal with different light situations should follow. Above are shown some of my bluebirds, a bit of mosaic backsplash, and my wonderful paulaart vase. (You can see MUCH better photos of her work by clicking on the link!)

Below shows the window on the opposite wall, with a few treasured objects.

The little painting was done by my best bud Ann Marie. It's from a photo of us taken, oh, about a hundred years ago. Actually it was the early 80's that she painted this for me.

Here's a glimpse of another artwork where I am the subject/model, this time by good friend Susie Harrison of Fort Worth, who does amazing work, usually with charcoal, but this one is colored pencil. Not quite as old...from the 90's.

My maiden name is Kraft, and I have quite the collection of anything Kraft! I bet you didn't know there was a Kraft Barbie! Most of this stuff I bought at least ten years ago on ebay.

So, no art to share -- yet! I have images in my head, and a few starts on paper, or I could show you a bunch of old stuff! In five days I'm leaving for a ten day jaunt to West Texas with Ann Marie -- Fort Davis, Marfa, and Alpine, with layovers in Wimberly and San Angelo. Our friend Peggy Nino is teaching in San Angelo, and currently in a show there, so I'm looking forward to catching up with her and seeing new work. I've got this week to work in the studio, and then won't be artmaking while I'm gone (other than taking many photos), but I'm looking forward to being pumped up with West Texas inspiration when I get back!