Creating my dream studio space
As winter settles in and work in the gardens slow down I have the time, energy and creative space to turn to some projects of my own. I have been working on creating a studio corner in our lounge – a fairly minimalist set up that can easily be packed away and brought out again as needed.
It is nestled into a little corner that holds a potent energy. An almost silent thrum in the air of ideas moving overhead, ready to gently tease apart and bring down one by one to turn over in my head; considering, backtracking, trying on new forms, until one becomes defined and ready to bring to life.
My studio essentials:
Desktop Easel: I love this little easel! It folds away very small and I found an unbranded one that was identical to some of the leading art brands ones for a fraction of the price. It has a little drawer on the side that I can keep little bits and pieces in and there is also enough room to store a few canvas panels when the easel is folded down. The painting that is sitting on the easel is one that I have been working on as part of Paul Foxton’s online art school - https://www.learning-to-see.co.uk/
Daylight Lamp: I chose the Easel Lamp Go from the Daylight Company. It clips on easily to my easel, has a variable dimmer. It is especially great in the low light of winter and for working at nighttime for mixing accurate colours. Highly recommended!
Glass Palette: Changing over to a glass palette was a complete game changer for me. (I will do a whole post on this soon).
Jug: I have a lovely little Spanish terracotta jug that I use to store a selection of paintbrushes as well as palette knives. An old jam jar would work just as well.
Antique brick mould: I store my paintbrush jug in a beautiful old wooden antique brick mould. I also keep my medium, Gamsol solvent and jar lids that I use for pouring the medium into. Any type of caddy could be used but it is really helpful having most of my tools stored in the one place.
Vintage Suitcase: beautiful way of storing all of my tubes of paint. I love opening up the lid of this and seeing all the old specks of paint from a painter before me.
A block of Savon de Marseille olive oil soap: perfect for cleaning brushes the non-toxic way. I just need to find a sweet little plate from a secondhand store for it.
Apron - great for protecting clothes while I am working.
Tablecloth: I use this as a drop cloth and under the palette when mixing my colours at the beginning of a painting session.
