drawers!

this cabinet is the coolest thing on the planet.  it was painted green by some person very long ago who happened to know just the shade of green i love.  this piece was found at a street fair, and i bought it for storage at the shop.  when we closed, i had the right of first refusal.  so it came home with me, and now lives down the hallway from my studio.  i really wish it could fit in the studio, but i will say that it looks pretty terrific where it is.

i spent the other day cutting up some old cards from a "flinch" game to make the numbered tags.

then i decided to put all of my printmaking stuff in the drawers.  i figured since the drawers come out, i can carry what i need down the hall to work in the studio.  the drawers are kinda small, but perfect for carrying.  one drawer is about the size of a ream of computer printer paper. 

here's some of my printing stuff:

warm colored inks,

brayers,

masking tape.

there are 27 drawers, so i won't bore you any longer. 

funny that i decided to make a printmaking station, and now i have lots of prints to make for the cherry creek arts festival!  i think tomorrow is the day i begin.  i'm still terrified, but i think making work will help.  i also started reading "art & fear" again, and that always makes me feel better.  if you are the creative type, it's a wonderful book to read.  it always makes me feel like i'm not so crazy.

the adventure begins!!  

almost there

things are looking better, no?

it gets worse before it gets better

it seems like every single surface of my studio is covered with stuff.  i think that in moving from the shop to home, my studio was dumped with everything that didn't fit elsewhere.  it's a real mess, and is making me crazy.  i went to the art supply store earlier this week to pick up some necessities for my imminent creative rush, but i can't even find a place for them in the hoard.

today is clean the studio day.

i am going to clean, put away, and organize until i have open surfaces on which to create.

i don't know about you, but i find it impossible to make art when my space isn't organized.  maybe another example of my virgo tendencies.  even if i clear the workspace, i can't get past the pile of clutter wherever i have deposited it.  my brain concentrates on the disaster waiting to be put in order, and nothing else.

i wish that this blog post was showing some amazing new artwork.  i really do.  maybe next post will feature the clean space with new work playing center stage versus the  tangled heap you see now.

clean a room a day

there is about to be a surplus of artwork in our house.  with the closing of the shop this weekend, and the end of the shy rabbit show, i will have a bunch of stuff that needs a home in the casa for a while.  john and i were very aware of this issue, so have been working on cleaning a room a day for the transition.  we haven't really stuck to the room a day rule, but we have been pretty good about the project.

this was our guest room yesterday.

john decided to install some shelving in the closet to take care of some of the clutter that was stacking up from the move.  nothing fancy, just some melamine shelving from the home depot.  he installed it on either end of the closet, leaving the center open for a rod.  we thought it would be nice for our guests to have a functioning closet when they visit.

he even painted the interior with gloss white, and trimmed it out with white trim.

here is the after.  we still have a lot to fit in here from the shop, but i am thinking that it won't be a problem.  

ta-da!!  all ready for a visitor!  it feels so good to be organized!!  

(did i ever tell you my favorite store is the container store?  heaven!  i may have to go spend some cash getting some more organizing tools tomorrow!!)