Saturday, August 22, 2009

My Creative Space (And a short bio)








When I started this blog a couple of months ago, I posted a little "Hello, I'm new to the neighborhood," thing but I never really introduced myself. I think it might be time to do so.

I have no formal art training. I've never been to art school, though I desperately hope one day to spend a few years in England getting a cities & guilds credit in textiles.

I've always been a crafter, the daughter and granddaughter of crafters, but I didn't start making art full time until my own daughter went off to a private boarding school for her last three years of high school. Looking around at old, beat-up furniture and plain while walls, I decided it was time to get serious and revamp my space.

I refurbished a few furniture pieces, built some new ones, and painted large canvases for the walls. That exercise not only created a preliminary studio space, but it also lit a fire in me to explore paints further than I ever had.

Since that time, years gone by now, I've taken multiple classes online and in person, trying to educate myself about art and in particular, the kind of art I want to create. The gaps in my knowledge were tremendous and I've slowly been whittling away at those gaps over time.

Two years ago, as a passionate paper artist who became sick to death of making beautiful art and then having to encase it frames behind glass, I looked to quilting as a way to not only expand my art, but get me out of the "box" that framing all of my work had gotten me into. I wanted to make textural art pieces that could be handled without damage and could could hang right out there in the open without suffering overly from their environment. And I could finally create pieces of any size and shape without the deep concern of how in the world to frame it!

So that's me, now... learning to create new art, after having already spent years creating art. How lucky can one woman be?

9 comments:

jojo said...

Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed the unguided tour of your workshop. What is on the big roller? Butcher's paper? I'd love to have that in my workshop so I can just grab it easily and rip off a piece.

Thanks again.

jojo

Nancy said...

Your studio looks like a wonderful haven full of goodies. The kid in me is thinking "can I come play?" It's no wonder why you are so creative, you're surrounded by fun creative toys.

elle said...

Whoa, that is a serious studio. Yes, please tell us a bit of what you can do with what you have surrounded yourself with as most of what I see I can't identify.8)
How inspiring that you have actively pursued what you have in your heart to do. That is extremely commendable in itself yet you share with us as you step along the creative path. Thanks!

Jan said...

I hope you answer all your commenters questions here because I want to ask all the same questions! Is that butcher paper? (In my studio the big rolls are cotton batting.) I can tell what most of the stuff is but am wondering if the bottles of what look like paint, on their sides in a lazy susan shelf thing, are those all Golden paints? You look very well organized. Plenty of creative stuff to feed your Muse.

Anonymous said...

Oh, only to riffle through that studio.... You could hold a raffle of getting 10 minutes to what you can carry out :) Wonderful space you have there.... Thank you for sharing!

jojo said...

Also - LOL - what do you do with Armor-All and Suave hairspray - besides the obvious? Do tell:)

Gina said...

It's nice to have the further intro, thanks for sharing. And what a great space you have for creating!

laura west kong said...

What a wonderful studio ... and you're one very lucky woman!

Robbie said...

No formal art training? Your work is WONDERFUL! I'm not even sure how I came across your blog but I love it!! I'll be back for sure!! Very inspirational!!