Ahh The Serenity … a new Printmaking Studio and Workshop Space

Never ever ever in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would call home a place as beautiful as where I am now. And with that find myself a new studio space; a bigger space, and a space perfect for creating my own art and teaching others all that I know about printmaking.

Earlier this year I looked back on my year that was 2018, and shared my goals and dreams for 2019. I’m chuffed to report that I have achieved 3 of the 7 goals and dreams, and its only April:

• DONE – I will have a new studio space. Big enough for me to spread my wings, create and teach.
• DONE – My husband and I will have OUR home.
• DOING – AND I WILL SLOW DOWN!

We bought our new home on an beautiful 1 acre block still in the same beautiful regional town we already lived in, and love. With the house came an expansive 4 car garage – the perfect size and space for me to covet as my new studio; a space big enough to spread out and create ‘creative zones’.

AND the new studio space is big enough to run my workshops. I will have all of my resources and reference material at my fingertips. The space is being prepared and customised for the workshops now. It is at a point now that I can get back to printing. Another few weeks and it will be workshop-ready.

Before introducing the studio to you, let me introduce you to the beautiful views out the back of the property, and the loveliest of neighbours …

My Old Studio Space

I spent 8 years at my previous home. 6 years were with the studio I built under the house. I loved that house. I loved my studio. But over the 6 years my arts practice grew, as did my collection of art materials, and my repertoire of art mediums. I can remember when I first set the space up – I was running a commercial marketing/web development business. The space was almost completely allocated to that business. Over time that need changed and my fine arts practice took over.

The photo below is my studio in the last few weeks I was living at the old house. It was a tad overcrowded!

My New Printmaking Studio Space

From a room the size of a single-car garage to a four-car garage … WOW! To say I feel like the luckiest little printmaker on the planet is an understatement … the space, the position, the space, the environment, and the space. Did I say the space? Below is the transformation from brick and concrete garage space to light, bright and airy studio space…

What a difference a coat of paint makes (or ‘goat’ of paint if you’ve followed the studio progress on Instagram LMAO).

Now I could start to move everything in to the new studio space. My previous studio was kitted out with Ikea furniture. This one is no different. I have declared myself the ‘Flatpack Queen’. A fabulous bank of shelves and cupboards along one wall will house most supplies and reference materials. I now have enough space and storage for my printmaking papers; enough cupboard space to categorise what goes where; and there was enough time between property settlements to let me take my time to move and sort.

But it felt like the more I sorted, culled and packed away, the more materials and supplies kept showing up. Boxes and buckets and bags of paper, art supplies, books, feathers … where did it all come from? How on earth did I fit it all into my previous studio.

But 2 weeks later, several trips to the local tip, numerous exclamations of “wow, I forgot I had that” and “oh look, another [xyz]“, everything has a place. I have surface space and I can start printing again!

THERE IS STILL WORK TO DO, and that should all be done over the next 3-4 weeks. Some more cupboards; improved lighting; glass doors in place of the garage doors; some comfy furniture at the front to create a sitting space.

While I’m ready to get back to printing, I am within a few weeks of being able to say “open for business” for workshops. My next workshop, and the first to be held in my new printmaking workshop space, is Reduction Linocut Printing on Saturday and Sunday 18 and 19 May.

Stay tuned for an upcoming Open Studio announcement. I plan to open the studio for an opening event in the very near future. Watch this space … !

Printmaking Studio ‘Zones’

The ultimate lack of working surface area and storage space was a major issue in my old studio. Both problems have now been solved.

Now … linocut printing; gelatin plate printing; screen printing; cyanotype; eco printing; paper rusting; printmaking on clay; monoprinting; etching; collagraphs; and letterpress … can be accommodated.

I have created mini creative zones within the studio space.

Art supplies, paper and other materials are properly stored and easy to access and find. There is ample surface space to work on; giving me space to leave projects-in-progress in place without having to pack away to work on another project. Sheer luxury!

I feel enormous gratitude for my new space. And I can’t wait to share it with students in my printmaking workshops.

Back to my goals and dreams for 2019

Moving home and studio has taken up way more time and emotional effort and energy than I anticipated. I know moving is hard work, but this move was probably to most emotionally taxing move I have ever done. And I have moved A LOT. This is my 36th or 37th move. I haven’t cracked 50 (as in age, not moves) yet (but I’m not far off!), so that’s a lot of moves in a life lived so far. I was at my last home for 8 years, so I’m hoping I’ve cracked the moving pattern and have every intention of staying put for a long long while.

So if I look back to my blog post The Brutal Art of Slowing Down, I can see that the big changes and grand adventures are continuing. It’s great to look back on the goals and dreams I had planned for 2019 and see that I have achieved some already:

• I will continue to create … after no studio access for several months, here’s to getting back into printmaking and creating art. I still have 8 months of the year left. That’s 260-ish days. Lots of hours. Lots of ideas.
• DONE – I will have a new studio space. Big enough for me to spread my wings, create and teach.
• DONE – My husband and I will have OUR home.
• My family will be a priority … distractions are over. I’m planning lots of cups of tea with my folks, quality time and visits with other family members, and grand adventures with dear friends.
• I will create as many prints as my body and soul will allow … refer to number 1 above.
• I will write blog posts when I can … ok, so this is #4 for the year. And 3 were in the same week. I’m on a roll!
• AND I WILL SLOW DOWN! … and I am! Despite the crazy busy of moving, I can feel my pace of life slowing; the pressure to perform slowly lifting; and I’m starting to find time to read again.