Open studio

This week is my open studio.
It has been a labour of love ...a few years ago I built my studio, on the foundation of 45 years of making art. This past year I joined my cold water cabin to it....literally. it was lifted from its place in the lowlands of my  property here in Springtown, and transported to its new position, almost ajacent to my studio. Then, a place I call the new room,  was constructed between the two.
Heaven on earth I have created here for myself. It has become a rambling telescoping structure. I have lived in a 14' X 19'space for several years now, and so, just about anything is rambling from my perspective. ....

the north side

The south side

From sticks. ...

always busy

Birch

A few years ago now, I painted the set for King Lear at our National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The director, Peter Hinton, had set the play in Canada at the appropriate time period. It was a wonderful rendition of the classic. It was a simple set and included a large faux birch tree. When the production was finished the tree was destined for the dump. With the help of  a few friends I managed to get it out to my property in Springtown. A few days ago it finally found its resting place, alongside my studio!
Here it is......it is made of sona tube, foam, and paint, and a little theatrical ingenuity.....
21 feet long/high...

studio time

ahh where does the time go?

Working quietly in the studio today. I say quietly, but it is interspersed with periods of song. I often sing while I am painting, and dance. (I can't actually carry a  tune in a bucket but hey I'm alone so who cares?) The actions energize me, and the work. 

Right now I am working on some undulating keyboard images that will become small floorcloths. I am doing two at a time here and one is upside down, so can move the board around and not be distracted by the other image. It also gives me a chance to see the image as an abstract, so I can check composition. 

But today my paint brush has been all over the proverbial map. I painted a silver coat on a gate that will eventually grace my studio wall, a piece of theatre that will involve my bathroom door. I couldn't resist. Right now it is outside leaning against the wall, drying. 

I also went at my cabin, and screen door. First priming them, because much of the paint used here has been oil based, so priming was a safe bet. 

The O'Brien theatre doors I have been working on for a while now are done, they wait quietly in the corner, they need three layers of topcoat to keep greasy popcorn hands from ruining the paint job. 

I am still just getting used to the new space and am spending a lot of mental time wondering, pondering about how I can make this space work for me, monetarily. Lots of people have ideas for me, solutions....but I will of course go my own way. I'm like that.