Basement Artist Studio

What started as 'I need to clean up my space' turned into a two day total clean out/up of my basement Art Space! I cleaned off every shelf vacuumed up every spider carcass as well as a few live ones and rearranged the furniture a dozen times before settling on this set up.

Our basement is concrete and two years ago my husband with a little help from me, cleaned out the space and painted a lovely yellow color. I have taken the liberty of 'creating' a separate space by hanging fabric over the area where we store house painting supplies. I used a fabric shower curtain that we used at previous residence yet I still loved, to shield my eyes from the shelves that house cleaning supplies. This gives a nice backdrop to the book shelves and still allows any natural light that may come in through the tiny basement window. I employed a piece of peg board to hold lots of scissors and other items I would like visible and handy!

A friend who has moved to Idaho left behind this tall table so I wanted to find a way to use it in my space. I think this works! You can see the peg board and wheelie carts that I use to hold more stuff to create with. Eventually I will clean those out too! Behind the long table was an awkward space due to the way the concrete was poured long ago with a 'shelf'. It's about 2 and a half feet deep and runs the perimeter of the basement. I used metal shelf units to allow me to stack clear boxes with supplies; easier to reach and see through so I know what is in them. 

I also have rolly carts which house paints, pencils, pastels, and tools for my work; this works well because I can roll them closer or move them if needed. I have used metal garden pots that are about two feet tall to house rolls of paper and reused the bottom of a box to hold up larger papers and boards there in the corner. The lighter area there with bars... that is the other window in the basement. You can see I have a power strip which hangs from the ceiling and have attached lights to the rafters. My mom contributed a string of LED lights which are on a battery I have those hanging from the ceiling also. 

Here's another picture which shows the box organization station a bit better. Though in the picture it still appears cluttered, it is actually quite organized and currently spider free :) 

Now that I have a clean space I can't wait to get in and dirty it up by creating some wonderful art!! 

Hope to post some soon!! 

Until next time....

Simple

Wow, the weekend is gone already? Here in Portland we are experiencing a spell of cold but no rain! Joy!!! Ok, perhaps its a groovy thing that I am enjoying but in terms of futures it is probably not such a good thing; snow pack = water for the summer months. But I have to admit I have really been digging the sun and being able to enjoy the backyard.
I am totally guilty of getting lost in the backyard. Not that it is oh so big but because it's sooooo enjoyable! And it was so active over the weekend. All kinds of birds visited and honestly they bring me such joy!! It's like having a flock of friends :) The backyard is where I gain A LOT of inspiration for the art work I have been working on for the Big 200 which opens December 10th at Pioneer Place Mall. I managed to take a few pictures for when it's rainy and I can't get out to enjoy the birds like I like to!

This one is the Golden Crown Sparrow... any wonder why? Hee hee!!

And here is one of my favorite subjects - the Hummingbird! Anna's Hummingbirds stay in Portland year round so I keep feeders out year round! I pull in at least one feeder at night and return it in the morning, it has been getting colder and colder overnight and I would hate for them to wake up and have frozen food for breakfast! (that and I worry, I mean in the Christmas Story that kid gets his tongue stuck to a pole... hummingbirds have long tongues and I wouldn't want to see one get stuck to a feeder!!)
So I had promised a few more pict's of the works done for the art show, now you have a glimpse of what inspires here's a few more of the 8x8's -

Hummingbird and flower; wood burned and then painted

Song Sparrows in flight

Nuthatch on a tree, I love the background on this one too!!

Another Hummingbird; wood burned and then painted.

I will save the others until next time, don't want to blow out all the picts in one post!!
These are the little ones that inspire me to attempt to capture the small joys and pleasure that comes from viewing nature in my backyard. Consider something that brings you small joys that you see everyday and share them with me!
Until next time, enjoy the Sun!!