Studios

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

ElenaRadock — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:42:28 GMT

Hello, I am new to this forum and I hope I am posting correctly.

I have a space issue and I am hoping that someone may have some good tips. My "studio" is a 4 ft space behind the couch in the family room. I have table to work on and a cupboard to store my fabric and materials. Does anyone have innovative ideas for working in such a small space? It is really a challenge!

Tahnks you, Elena

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

Cate Prato — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:42:30 GMT

Hi Anita,

Thanks for the compliment.

We have had several dyers in Studios, notably Melanie Testa in the Spring 2009 issue and Rayna Gillman in the Fall 2008 issue. But I like the idea of a how-to-set-up-a-dye-studio article. We'll put that on the list for an upcoming issue. I think a lot of people would find it useful. And thanks for the tip on Sandy, too. Her work is wonderful!

Cate

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

amclarin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:58:31 GMT

Hi Cate et al,

I love Studios Magazine. I think that I have every issue. As a beginning dyer, it would help me tremendously to see how someone who has been at it a while organizes their chemicals, work flow, etc.

On another note, have you considered including Sandy Webster of Brasstown, NC. She does amazing work, particular in book forms. I've taken two classes from her and am constantly amazed at her energy and enthusiasm.

Anita

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

Belinda Spiwak — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:36:16 GMT

Since I am a full-time teacher and I have no official art space, I have claimed my second story loft as my own. I have even commandered a walk-in closet. I have bookshelves and odd storage all over the loft for all my art and fabric supplies. It is pretty neat most of the time. I know where everything is by material. My family knows when I am working on something because there is red rosin paper all over the floor for drying and different piles for various projects sectioned off by colors. Once the project is over, it is all put away. That is how I work. I have to see everything out and visualize it to be able to flow. I cannot stop and keep getting things out. Once I get going, nothing gets in my way until I am done. Only hunger and a soccer game will stop the creative process. My fingers and clothes are covered in whatever medium I am using.

However, whenever when people come over or if I am taking picts for an article, I do clean up because I want to appear tidy. Don't we all? Cate, maybe, we should have some "Before" and "After" pictures.

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

Cate Prato — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:18:46 GMT

Hi,

I'm chiming in again on this thread as I do appreciate the feedback. "Clutter" is indeed a relative term. Me? I like a lot of visual enticement and do just fine by clearing a space for the process at hand. My husband, who draws, must have everything just so before he begins.

However, the main reason we show primarily "neat and tidy" studios in Studios is two-fold:

1. When you photograph a room, if there is a lot of clutter (papers strewn about, books piled haphazardly), it is very difficult to focus on the bigger picture, e.g. furniture, organization tools, even the artwork and artist. So we do ask people to tidy up a little.

2. Most of the artists INSIST on cleaning up their studios so that they are fit for "company," the way most people would when entertaining at their home. So, yes, you can assume that if there is a picture-perfect studio it rarely actually looks like that.

3. Some people actually do clean up regularly and prefer a streamlined environment in which to work.

However, in response to a call for more "real" studios, we are asking artists to feel free to submit images where there is work in progress so readers can see working studios. In the Spring 2010 issue, you can look forward to seeing more "real" studios. And please, everyone, DO submit your studio for consideration. We want to see them all!

Cate Prato
Studios Editor
cprato@interweave.com

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

Shebikes2 — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:18:03 GMT

Thanks for a great opportunity to see other's workspaces. We moved 8 months ago and i have been collecting the Studios issues in anticipation of setting up my new space. I've got more floor and less closet space than i had before. The Studios issues have offered a lot of great suggestions and things to consider when setting up my space. I'm not there yet, but it's coming along.

I really enjoy looking at the floorplans and organized "dream" studios. Usually, I am looking for the work flow of a room - just like kitchen planners use the work triangle to set up a kitchen workspace. Of course, my studio gets that "lived in" look, but I find that I prefer to enter an organized, cleared room. Visual clutter confuses me and makes it difficult for me to work in an area.

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

smidgen — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:19:48 GMT

I like to have some visual clutter for the shear joy of seeing where I am going with thoughts and ideas since most of the time I am doing multiple projects at once. My ideas come to me in flashes of energy (I think is because I drink a good deal of coffee) and I try to jot them down or work them out in samples. This makes for messes sometimes and that is hard to keep under control. I do my best but... sometimes I am not as organized as I would like to be? I do try to keep my areas in craft "stations" so that I am able to think in one medium at a time. This works very well for me since I can find things much easier than if it is mumbled together. I would like to be able to get more of my supplies made into something because I am tired of it all being in my space, I would rather have it spread out all over to whoever wants to buy it so I can share the love with all. Maybe someday?

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

paws3 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:43:54 GMT

I agree with you. My grandmother used one of their spare bedrooms as a sewing room Monday through Saturday, but on Sunday there was no evidence of the previous six days. On the other hand, my aunt, who is an artist, had a studio built onto her house and any day of the week including Sunday, after church, she can pick up where she left off. While it is my deepest desire to have a studio that I can leave cluttered, the reality is I have a small home and have to use my dining room table and clean up immediatey, which actually interrupts my creativity. There is no doubt in my mind this scenario is more the norm than the completely uncluttered work space. While everyone creates in different environments, it would behoove them to show cluttered spaces as well, and when you think about it, clutter is a relative term.

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

QE2 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:16:18 GMT

My first studio was a very small room and I organized it, decorated it and filled up every space with inspiration. It took trying/improving three more times to realize that I don't do well with ALL that inspiration. Each move brought me to a bigger room and better layout. I'm in the masterbedroom now. 8^) I have a layout that is working. But I covered my bookcases. I'm gonna cover under the cutting counter. I have some bare walls showing . I have edit.ed out a lot of 'pretty'. And I just finished cleaning out some of my auction sale enamel bowls. I'm probably gonna paint the wicker baskets white and add a covered cork board to show case an inspiring collection as Melissa Averinos suggests in Studios Spring/Summer. The messy part is at the computer corner and that hasn't a solution just yet. I'm slowly finding the balance to inspiring, pretty, unclutterd and accessible.

Noisey, distractable brain probably describes me pretty well. But sometimes the music HAS to be loud!

QE2

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

Whidbey2 — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:27:54 GMT

I have to laugh. My mom and I are just the opposite. She is Mrs. Clean and I have a high trash tollerance as she says. But actually my hands are always so far behind my mind and my studio time is limited. With several projects going at once and piles of fabric waiting to be started on future projects there is no use trying to spend my time neatening up. I am also the only person allowed in my studio so I am not worried about it. Like you said it is stimulating for me to see the next project's fabric while working. Oh well, what ever works and lets your creativity fly free.

Whidbey

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

jane davila — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:40:30 GMT

Kathy:

My studio is a sunroom, three walls of windows and four skylights, and really minimal wall space. It was featured in the very first Studios issue if you to see how I cope with the storage issue. I do have two bookshelves that are filled with fabric and I used tension rods at the top of each and sewed panels of a pretty Kaffe Fassett stripe to cover the fabric so it doesn't fade. The panels are easy to move out of the way when I need to get to the fabric and look neat and tidy when I don't.

I built a window seat below (about 17" high) one long set of windows that holds my thread in boxes, bins with handmade paper and my digital projector. The ends of the window seat are small flat files that I bought from *** Blick. I added a looooong cushion to the top for visitors or for my little dog to hang out on and watch out the windows for squirrels and chipmunks.

I also built a big island on wheels for the center of the room. It has storage on every side and holds a LOT of stuff. My husband keeps joking about having to brace the floor underneath my studio, because that thing must weigh a ton. I appropriated one of the two linen closets in another part of my house and use that to store batting, paint and unfinished projects. My big ironing board lives in there too. I mostly use a small tabletop board, but every now and then need the big folding one.

I adore my studio but really, really wish that it had a closet. I'm one of those people who can't create with too much visual clutter. Too much stuff out makes me itchy and I can't think. I know lots of people who are much happier with all of their stuff around them when they're working and I have a theory about the difference. I think that people who can and like to work with happy clutter have much more organized brains and are more focused. And people who need clean, visually quiet spaces have very noisy, distractable brains. I know that my mom and I are really opposites in this, her studio is always piles of things, projects, supplies, fabric and mine is (or tries really hard to be) empty flat surfaces and everything put away. She's very focused and enjoys the stimulation of the piles of stuff and I'm easily distracted and can't focus if there's too much to look at. What do you guys think?

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

mary j3 — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:43:17 GMT

Absolutely fabulous! I love the idea to organize strings and yarns "fibers" ... am going to do this summer. I have my fabric organized by color, but the yarn pieces, ribbons, lace, stringy things are all tangled in a drawer. I adore the Christmas card use - old friends and artsy goings on - what a lovely mix of good feelings. thanks. Mary j, Fresno

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

Whidbey2 — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:16:44 GMT

Welcome Kathy,

I work in a sun room a lot. I work mostly but hand but I have a sewing machine in there with an old tredle cabinet that has front doors. So when it is closed up it just looks like a normal piece of furnature. I only store small things in there. Everything else is stored in my studio that also has many windows. I also live in the Pacfic Northwest so our sun room is only really usable for about half the year or less. I wouldn't store fabric in there if the sun is going to shine on it much.

My sun room is the only room with enough floor space to pin and baste large quilts. We are about to replace our windows and I have suggested that we make the windows a bit higher off the ground so that I can put benches under them for storage and seating. My grandchildren have their toys in there.

I look forward to seeing what you do. Your progression sounds much like mine.

Whidbey

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

KLSpaints — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:01:59 GMT

Hi there! I'm a newbie here. I am a sewer turned painter turned quilter turned art quilter! Now I finally feel at piece! (ha!) Anyhow, just wondering, does anybody else out there do their art in a sun room? I LOVE the light, but lack of wall space is challenging when it comes to furnishings, especially for storage. Any suggestions?

Kathy

Re: Welcome to the Studios Forum

Whidbey2 — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:13:08 GMT

I forget about wonderful treasures when they are hidden. I have cleaned up my studio for a charity studio tour and it drove me carzy I couldn't find a thing for months. I did inheret two truck loads of my best friends mother's stash. That totally messed up the last of organization in my studio. I have 12 feet by 6 feet of design wall and most of it is filled with pins holding important papers or thoughts that I want to keep at the top of my mind. My mind works so very much faster than my hands do. Throw in family obligations and I get very little accomplished in record time. If I had to stop and clean I might as well just give up.

So we all make choices I guess and what works for one would never work for someone else.

Happy creativity

whidbey