Tales from an Artist's Journal Part 9..A Room of Her Own...Illustrated..

How very efficient, Wonderful workspace. I create in the attic, but there is no computer up there, just all my bits. haha hugsxxx

Delighted to be your guest in the atelier of my gifted friend!
Beautiful neat effective place to work in.
I am sure your creativity comes from your inner depth, the rest is just a helpful comforted tool.
Blesses Jasnis.

My studio is in my very large laundry room. I feel like it is totally my room but I am always working around piles of wash!!! The other thing about it – its the thru way from the garage to the family room. Not actually a quiet space! But it has a tile floor and a nice utility sink. I only wish I could organize it better. I also mat my own work and have a computer and easels etc etc. . My supplies are growing!

You are very organised …...........Top viewing

Janis..wow !! I like what you’ve written here and as I said before, your space..your studio is amazing and wonderful..sooooo neat janis..ha!! I don’t know how you keep it all so neat..and I think you would pass out if you saw this place of mine.. it really it’s pretty bad here as far as clutter goes!! I collect a lot of crap/stuff that maybe should be thrown out.. but some things are little treasures to me..ha!
A studio space of my own is something that I have always yearned for..we have such a small house..it’s a goverment house and they made them small 33 years ago and it’s totally full up and cluttered..there are three men here and one woman( me)..not enough room to have a room of my own. I have always used the kitchen table as my favourite spot to paint..if I’m not cooking food there..I’m cooking up a painting ..LOL it can be difficult for everyone..once I get my paints and gear out.. it takes up a lot of needed area..hhee!!!
there is also the back porch (also cluttered). because I went on a recent hard rubbish spree with a friend..and I think I bought back 1/2 the rubbish that was out there..LOL . ..anyway I have used the porch in the past for painting some of the big canvases that I’ve done
and on a bright sunny day this can be an Ok spot..though the traffic is very annoying..traffic ..as in my family walking past me every few minutes.. ..hha!

then there is my new spot..which is my very dusty messy bench in a corner of bobs over crowded pottery shed.. boy ! .. Clay dust can be very annoying.. and bob does need to clean up in there.. and he thinks I hoard things !! anyways.. that shed spot has helped me turn out a couple of good paintings..and I’m thinking it’s the best spot because it’s so quiet out there and I can drink my bourbon and smoke some pot and paint in relative peace.hhee!!.... but they still come out every hour though to bug me and ..to ask how I’m going in there.. -which is extremely irritating and annoying to me!!

we need a big bin here and a big clean out..and then maybe I can look at creating more space somewhere.. I do have a nice old cupboard in the corner of my kitchen that I use to store all my painting stuff ..but I have so much in there now and there are bags of paints and finished and unfinished material and paintings all around the place..Oh how I dream of my own studio..you are luckier than you know it must be such a wonderful thing to have your very own room…you can shut the door and lock it..and say goodbye to the family for however long you like…BLISS!!

Hhhha!! thanks janis..and you are soooo right about that..you’re a wise woman
and so true.. I will do that as soon as we can.. I find that I can work in a spot with my crap around me.. I think I have adapted to it..LOL ..but all this mess here is another thing .It needs to GO..!!.
My good friend BJ is a lot like you ..she cannot work in a messy or clutterd space.. her garage is so neat..and she is begging me to get that bin..hhhhe!!!! so very soon..we will !!
but I don’t know about in canada..but here you have to pay close to $500 well around $430 for a nice sized skip bin..it’s such a rip off!!

Janis..you’re so lovely..and smart..but there is a small problem there..
because bob has the pottery shed.. and junk accumulates (I should take a photo)he has about 3/4 of a skip load for himself. because.he has bags and bags and bags of left over plaster and scrap material that has to be thrown out..it’s really a lot of stuff.. I don’t know where it all comes from.. as he tries to recycle any scrap clay that he has

..I guess because he makes his own moulds as well..there is a lot of build up..and he only gets a bin every couple of years… it will take a few days to get all that into a skip.. if not week and I can say with certainty that there won’t be any room left for the neighbours rubbish…hhha!!! true!!

we will get one soon though ..we just have to !!..and you’re right..it will feel like a weight ..a heavy burden has been lifted..it always feels good to get rid of the piles of junk around here..if you could google over our house with that google earth..you would probably see the trailer loads of stuff and the back porch…heee!!!! ..I’m laughing here..but it’s really not funny.
you’re very Insightful janis..and I’ll let you know as soon as we’ve got that bin..hhha!!
thanks- oooxxx

Lovely Janis, it’s like sunshine in your studio…i love that bright yellow happy vibe, and all the brilliant colour and light in there. It’s such a pleasure to view your studio and you are indeed obviously a very organised artist! Unlike myself!! I also must clean up the mess around me each time, before I embark on a new piece and ensure everything is at the ready within arm’s reach, it does get very frustrating otherwise! :)

Always so interesting to see another’s work space! Yours is bright and organized and it doesn’t surprise me at all. I work from an office (unused bedroom that is adapted into a home office) that I share with my husband but I have had the privilege of touring a few studios of artists both here and in Ontario and I would have to say it is now high on my list of wants…having that one space that is all yours must be divine!

Dear Janis, This is wonderful to see, and feels particularly relevent subject for me ,since a I have recently located to Portugal from the U.K ,where we live in a much bigger house..so there really is a chance to make a studio space. I am really excitedto have the inspiration of the pictures you have posted here. Moving was very expensive for us, and we lost alot of furniture due to a mess up with the removals. We are having a stressful time with such limited resources, but painting is my salvation..my partner is very supportive of my work.. so I know we will find a way..but it may be slow.. I am wanting to take the step ,of painting on the ground florr, which is a n open space, whichis the footprint of the house. Presently there are old packing boxes there , from the move..and some of my son’s things ,which are yet unpacked, since he has not made it out here yet. I want to unpack those things..it is a sad job, because I miss him so much, he is only eight, but I know that It may help for mwe to feel a bit better ,setting up his room , even though I most likely will not see him for months yet.. and then only briefly.

On a more cheerful note. I have some really nice materials , and am really enjoying using them. I will visit again here, and tell everyone how I am getting on.
Love and respect to all you brave artists,
Anna Walter

Well I haven’t necessarily went on official tours, although I understand that they are interesting, but I went on invited tours with the artists while in their home as a gues…Converting a basement space would be ideal! Unfortunately we finished the basement into a large family room and the smaller unfinished portion is storage and an area for me to refinish furniture since I do that as well. Guess we need a bigger house lol!, I will let my husband know. :-)

I love your space Janis! It is so true that we do need that little place of our own to create. My office is hard to see as the desk is usually covered in books, notebooks and scraps of paper that I jot ideas down on!
We are renovating and my husband has great plans to make it seem more “my own”. Can’t wait to see what he has in mind!

Love how colorful it is! This is giving me ideas for creating a work space.

just had some more time Janis to refer back to this article and have another read…....we have done the best with the space we have and hubby and I bought a desk for me and some of my art supplies are stored in that but it is only good for small paintings. Most of my paintings are up on the wall hung on a fixed trellis design fixture but we are going to put up another one. I am like you and like everything in its place but find I am expanding slowly and my supplies are spilling over into other space now…I need more room and we do have spare rooms but they are for when the family visits (4 children between us brings a large crowd on many occasions for sleepovers!) ...my husband was thinking of building me an art studio but that will be a while in arriving.!! I note you started out in the laundry then expanded and now you have a whole floor…how wonderful. Every artists dream that is for sure :-D thanks again for sharing your world! such an inspiration and great advice…keep it coming !

WOW … what a wonderful arrangement you have there Janis … a computer room and studio with great lighting and both very well organiized. Thanks for sharing :)

great work area. so much color. mine has walls draped with plastic and drop cloths all over because I’m so messy and I can’t work if I’m worried about my rental deposit. I’ve already trashed the floor, but for some reason I can’t paint if I’m inhibited in any way so I cover everything up and then let the paint fly.

that’s so funny that you say that. I find that if I clean up, I just can’t paint. Days will go by and I just won’t be able to do anything. I’m an odd one, I know. I think it comes from an odd memory I have of my mother telling me to paint on paper instead of the wall. I liked the paper, but the wall was so much more fun.

it’s not perfect, but it works Sounds perfect to me … I use my kitchen as the painting studio and my loungeroom, which also acts as a guest room. has my computer in it. I consider you very lucky to have so much space :)

Thanks for sharing Janis your workplace. For some years I used the kitchen table but now have a small room set up a little like yours, with the computer and a nice desk my husband bought for me. Then to the side I have another longer board set on two sets of drawers and a small bookcase to one end and have enough light during the day, (although I do most of my work at night) Behind me I have another larger full bookcase and to the left near the door a three tiered plastic shelving we brought back from the U.S. with us. I agree with you if you aren’t organised then it can become a mess. We rent so I am not able to hang paintings on the wall unless they already have a hook or two. My husband is an academic and leaves the art to me! but is also supportive.

no closer yet Janis…but we have been talking about it …priority at the moment is getting rid of these termites etc costly thing…but one day I will surely have a bigger area for myself…fingers crossed..thanks for asking!