My Studio

One of the things I was excited about with my new home in Florida was that I was going to be able to have one entire room to devote to being my studio! Except I've been in my house for 8 months now, and the studio room was the one room of the house that was still a wreck with boxes stacked all around. I also love quilting and fabric arts (though have not done much of it lately) so my studio also needed room for my sewing machine and fabrics, and I had boxes and boxes of fabrics and nowhere to put them.

Not to mention paintings, boxes of pastels, beading supplies, quilt batting, canvases, pastel paper.... I just needed more storage space. So finally this past Monday I went out to look at storage units at Home Depot. I had planned to just buy an open metal shelving unit, but while I was there I was quite taken by this inexpensive Martha Stewart 9-cube organizer that can accomodate fabric boxes that fit right into the cubes! The oraganizer is stackable so I bought two of them.

I had to shift things around a small bit to make room for the organizers, but that gave me a good spot to put the IKEA children's easel that my grandson and I love to use when he comes over for visits.

And the organizers look great. Some of the cubes I left open, and some I bought boxes for - so I now have boxes for things like acrylic paints, beading supplies, picture hanging supplies, small bits and bobs of fabric.

It looks so nice I may have to paint a picture today. :-) Or start a quilt!

Art Critiques

Beth Haizlip of the Art Guild of Orange Park holds a monthly critique session at her house, open to any members of the AGOP. You are allowed to bring up to three paintings and put them up on an easel for critiquing. It's a great experience. Beth has a wonderful eye, and the other members often have valuable comments to add as well.

In Beth's own words:

You man bring up to 3 paintings to be critiqued. I will put the painting up on an easel and anyone is free to comment, good or bad. You must have thick skin - but this will help you become a better artist. 

I've been going to them for the last few months, and find them a fun and valuable experience. I'm always in awe of the work done by other AGOP members! This was the last session before the summer break, and I brought the three "barn" paintings I had done this past week. The feedback was great and I've made some changes to the paintings as a result. Some of the critiques - such as my clouds - I had noticed myself. But some of the other advice was not something I would have thought of. So I always learn something new.