14 x18
Oil
Artist: Susan Tyler
Together
Zoe
You’re a friend, my companion
When you come for tea
You Listen to my problems
And sort them out for me
With Happiness
With Smiles
With pain and tears
I know you’ll be there throughout the years
Setting Up Your Studio
Do you grumble to yourself that you wished that you could paint more often. I hear that a lot from artists new and old. “Gee I wish that I could find time to paint more”. There is always something more pressing to do, like the laundry, dusting, cutting the grass and on and on. All of us are busy with our daily lives and obligations. I am not advocating that you abandon those tasks. But rather that you stack the deck in favor of your desire to paint. If painting means that you have to set up your temporary studio, then you will cheat yourself of hundreds of instant opportunities to express yourself.
If you have come to the self awareness that you would like to nurture your creative spirit, then consider your studio options. Look around your environment with an eye to a space, large or small that can be converted into studio space. Some artists like to create in a hidden quiet space, where no-one can witness their struggle and genius. Personally I like to have my studio in a location that during my day, I walk by it frequently. I want to be able to walk by the studio and evaluate the progress that I am making on a painting through out my day.
Having a private space for your studio is not bad, but I like to think that having a studio in the corner of the room is a statement of who you are. The baby grand piano is proudly displayed in the home of a musician. It is not hidden away. You should think of your studio in the same light. If you are serious about your creative expression, then you have to have the confidence to integrate it into to your home.
I set my studio up so that everything is ready. I can just walk up to the easel, take the protective covering off my palette and start painting. I might paint for two minutes or a couple of hours. I might paint in my pajamas first thing in the morning or all dressed and ready to go to the store. Everything is there, the solvent, the palette, my brushes and of course the painting that is in progress.
Susan
