studios and sediment

Here’s the door that leads up the stairs to my studio. As many of you know my studio, well actually an image of my inspiration board was featured over at the Altered Page this past Sunday, then yesterday while catching up on my blog reading (its been an insane week of grading for mid-terms) I find that Jafabrit is talking about her studio, and how she works there. Since I have no new work at a stage to share, I thought this week I’d give you a glimpse inside my working world. Its pretty basic and often untidy, so if you love those glossy magazine spreads of pristine studios this may not be the blog for you today!!

The images above and below are of what my friend Steve politely calls the environment for my work. That sounds so much more professional than mess don’t you think!! Of course he is a writer and has a way with words!! It is a VERY large table (8×4 feet) that always starts out clean at the beginning of a series of works, but quickly becomes populated with stuff I might want or need. The stuff on the table kind of drives the things I make on the table… which is how series are born in my studio. I keep working until I have exhausted the possible options there, then I clean up and start all over again. When I have cornered myself into a small space I just heap things up until I have room to wield my ruler or whatever! This way putting things away is like unearthing treasures all over again as I sift through the sedimentary debris of paper layers rehousing them in their appropriate drawers and boxes. Once I am rolling and work is being produced I try not to add to the chaos any further!

I do like things sort of organised tho! Although I am not sure that the system would work for anyone else, its kind of quirky and has as much to do with the origin of the paper as what is on it. Some things are sorted by type, mulberry for example, but lots of bins would probably look random to the onlooker, but I know exactly what’s in them!!

I love love love having a space where I can leave my environment (read mess) in full swing and come back to it. Like Jafabrit I used to work in our dining room. The advantage was it its quite literally in the center of our home, the disadvantages would be obvious I would think, like crazy family members who think one should be able to EAT from the table!! Plus I never felt totally free to really get a mess going, and now I have my own space I realise this is pretty important to my process. I really need to SEE my stuff!!