What actually happens in studio?
I have a studio space, but what happens in there? You may be surprised to learn it’s not all painting.
There is of course a lot of painting, it’s why I have the studio space in the first place. I can however only paint for a couple of hours at a time as my eyesight and headaches (from a head injury) don’t allow me to focus on the process of painting for too long. And every artist will tell you, painting doesn’t involve sitting still for hours with a paintbrush in your hand.
Sometimes being in my studio simply involves being there. A cup of coffee and sitting in the quiet amongst my art is one of my favourite things to do, just quietly sitting looking at what I have accomplished. I live in a very noisy environment due to building construction, and I often struggle with the noise as I am quite noise sensitive, so having a quiet retreat is a real luxury for me.
I might go to studio to read about art and think about new projects, which will involve playing with block set ups and photographing them, or drawing up a canvas, or making a colour chart to see what colours actually work versus what I think might work.
I have been known to get to the studio, walk in, sit there for a few minutes, not really feel the vibe and turn back around and leave.
I may even drop in just to fix something that I have thought about, like today, I knew there was a line on a painting I am working on, that was swinging out, almost curved, so as soon as I walked, in I fixed it. It is not uncommon for me to do the fix and leave again.
And you often need to walk away from what you are working on, take a break, and do something else before you begin to overthink the whole piece. Paintbrushes always need a good clean, a canvas may need a layer of gesso, or a canvas needs a hanging system, paints need their tubes tidied up, there is always a little job that needs doing. A studio is a constantly evovling space, from one week to the next it will be different.
Not every time I am in the studio painting is the focus, however I am always thinking about it.
Oh, and sometimes, there is that sneaky nap in our artist lounge as there is no one else around and that ticking clock in the quiet is just so soothing.
How do you spend time in your studio?