I spent most of today in my studio. It’s my favorite place. It’s where I create.
I have already decided that this room will never grace the cover of House Beautiful. It’s definitely a Linus-Van-Pelt-humble-pumpkin-patch kind of space. It’s not so fancy, but hard-working. Pretty much like me.
Here’s what I see as I walk into the studio in the morning. It’s a few steps from the living room through the laundry room to here. This space is the size of a single-car garage. Plenty of light. Easy-to-sweep concrete floor. The big worktable is the center of my daily routine. I complete a task, clear it off, and use it for a new task.
This is my sewing table. I have three small portable machines – two Pfaff Hobbymatics and a newly acquired 1970’s Kenmore which runs like a Harley Motorcycle. Each machine is a standard small-throat machine like one would use for mending or garment making. This constraint is an interesting challenge to my quilt construction, and has inspired me to learn to create and quilt in sections.
My worktable is covered with a cutting mat for fabric cutting. I put a drop cloth over it to paint and collage. I move things on and off the table as needed, using portable half-sheets of ¼” plywood as moveable easels.
Here are three collages I glued up this morning. (This is the first layer. Each has more work coming.) I enjoy creating small collaged works in between large quilt projects. I collage onto 140# watercolor paper. These are the watercolor paper blocks, allowing the paper to stay taut and shrink back to a nice flat surface as the collage glue dries.
These are some of my most frequently-used stencils. I like keeping them out and accessible, and seeing these inspires me to think in patterns. All my stencils are hand-cut, mostly from thin card stock. I have smaller ones that I store in manila file folders in a plastic file box. I have some that are larger that are kept flat on the shelf protected by cardboard.
This is the easel right in front of my worktable. The work on the left is a quilt I just completed today. I was doing the hand sewing of the binding on the back. While I worked, I could look at and think about the work on the easel – the one of the little girl beside the house falling into the sinkhole. That quilt has gone through several unexpected evolutions. It’s about ready to enter what I hope will be its final stage.
Sometimes works that are larger or more complex (this one is complex visually and emotionally) take time to work themselves out.
A dedicated space to work. Being in a stage in my life where I can do this all the time. What wonderful gifts! I am very grateful.
I hope you enjoyed the tour. For those near (or driving through!) central Florida – I always enjoy studio visits. I’m friendly and I’ll make us some coffee.
For all the artmakers: Happy creating
For all the art lovers: Happy appreciating
Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi
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