Surfacing

SURFACING

Stack of boxes in the bathroom

I'm coming to the surface after a hectic move. In June we decided it was time to do a major downsizing, quickly found a wonderful one-level home, prepared our home to sell after living there 24 years, and finally moved in early September. Whew!  Some major decisions were in order.


LETTING IT GO

Many things went to charity. Many things were sold in the estate sale to end all estate sales...household goods as well as art and art/craft supplies. It had to go.  Believe me, I could have stocked a small art store, because I'm an education junkie and bought supplies for many workshops and classes, and for experimenting with a wide variety of techniques along the way.

But in the end I decided to keep most of my acrylic paints and supplies, all my watercolor supplies, most of my drawing papers and tools, and let the rest go, including most of my fabrics, patterns, sewing notions, encaustic supplies, craft paints, books, artworks, and small canvases.

Drawer of brushes

I measured the footage of my one bookcase and determined that I could pack 10 small boxes of art books, and knowing which pieces of furniture would fit in my smaller studio I packed the supplies I knew I could shelve and let the rest go.

I don't regret one decision.

However, I haven't unpacked my studio yet so who knows what I might long for enough to buy again.

RE-PURPOSING the rooms in my home

Over the years I've created studio space wherever I've lived...
The corner of a desk
An armchair
The dining table
A tiny bedroom
A table in our bedroom
The rec room after the kids left home
A huge purpose built loft studio
And now my studio is in what was the master bedroom

Planning center

We aren't ones who use the bedroom for other than sleeping so when we bought this 3 bedroom home which has no studio space we decided to sleep in what was formerly the guest bedroom since it has a bathroom attached. My husband re-purposed the smallest bedroom for his den, and I got the master bedroom. It's plenty large, has a wall of windows on the south, a door to the outside, and the nicest studio bathroom ever! I haven't unpacked my art supplies because we're waiting for our contractor to free up some time so he can replace the carpet with cork flooring. That'll happen soon.

Stacks of paper, scanner, basket of cables, printer

I've been lying fallow since June. Perhaps some of you have experienced this...that during a time of intense change there's been no time to make art, nor any desire to do so. That's me. Once we gained access to this house all my creativity has gone into feathering my nest. It's still that way, though I'm getting antsy once again, making plans to pick up a paint brush and spread some paint around on canvas or paper. But I know that if I get it out I'll just have to pack it away again when the flooring guy arrives at the end of the month.

Intact maps waiting for a new purpose

So I'll spend the next 3 weeks getting ready to teach the next Collage Bootcamp  which is November 5 at the Village Gallery. I hope some of you who live in the Portland area will join us. Enroll at the gallery: 12505 NW Cornell Rd, Suite 14, Portland, OR 97229

Journals for BootCamp