art workspace & wishlist

I am absolutely nutty about seeing other artists' workspaces/studios! Yup, I'm a "studio voyeur". I also love seeing fellow artists' watercolour palettes and what's in others' travel art bags, but that is fodder for other blog posts in the future! :)

So, on to workspaces...

Mine certainly doesn't classify as a "studio" whatsoever, but it's a workspace and not really something I have the time or funds to change too much right now, so I work with what I've got!

Here’s my little space, shoved in the corner of our study. It isn’t ideal, but it’s one of my favourite spots to be.

Right now, I mostly paint at work on my breaks (30-45 minutes) in my sketchbook. When I paint at home, I paint at my desk here in the evenings after work in the dark where I need my LED lights, obviously. What you can't see much of (thankfully, because it's UGLY) is that I have one of those white plastic storage towers with drawers, stowed underneath the left side of my desk, which offers at least a bit of storage, but also limits my workspace in that I can't move my chair very much. If I am able to paint there during the day, I usually work on the little utility table under the window (shown in the first photo) because I love natural light. At night when it's dark, I move my table easel to the main desk - which is literally being engulfed by all my art supplies - so that I can paint under my LED lights. It's not an ideal setup by any means, but right now it has to do.

Though I enjoy working at my desk, it's very true that my workspace is in dire need of a makeover. It deserves a lot more thought and TLC than I've been able to give it. Which, of course, brings me to....

MY WORKSPACE WISHLIST

- more storage space: What artist wouldn't want this? I am in desperate need of more storage! As you can see, my supplies are starting to take over my workspace. 

- larger work top area: This would come if the former were fulfilled; meaning, once I get more storage space for the majority of my supplies, they won't have to hang out on top of my workspace so much, though some of them probably still will! 

- better desk: This one is just an old repurposed particle-board one (remember the ugly glued on wood veneer?) that I’ve had since I was a kid. It literally sags in the middle. Haha! For now, I covered the top with an upside down green cutting mat to hide its "blight on the landscape" ugliness. The little black utility table under the window is just one of those collapsible ones we got from Canadian Tire a few years ago. It's small but sturdy and I like the fact you can adjust it to 3 heights. Alas, it's super tiny!

At the moment, space is at a minimum as we live in an older home with very small rooms and little storage space. I also have a lot of supplies pertaining to my leather journal bookbinding business as well (leather hides, fittings/notions, thread, paper, etc.) which compete for space. Mainly I’m longing for more storage, which hopefully hubby will provide at a later stage in the form of a new counter-top that spans across the side of the study, cabinet, cupboards, etc. That may not be for a while though, as so many other more important things need attention first. So I think I may try and look for some quick storage options that aren't permanent. I may also try adding another desk somewhere adjacent to this one, again a temporary fix for a lack of worktop area.

I should also mention that on really cold days when I want to be close to the fire, or if I want to watch a documentary or film (pretty much anything BBC, please!) while I paint, I will take some of my supplies downstairs and just paint on the coffee table sitting on the sofa. Killer on the neck and back, but so worth it! It's also where I take most of my photos. Hubby made these awesome coffee table tops out of reclaimed wood from an old gate.