Studio time

The major bonus for me in the warming up of the weather down here in CT (we had a couple of days of 8C!) is that it inspired me to get into my "studio". My special room, for those who don't know, is a kind of attic room at the top of the house. I'm not really sure when that part of the attic was made into a room- the rest of the attic doesn't even have insulation. And it's FREEZING up there in winter (and roasting in summer). Since we bought the VT house, I've been mainly using it for sewing. It's so cold, that there is only so long I can be in there before my hands seize up. Consequently I NEVER put anything away. You should have seen it (actually I'm really glad you didn't). It is a too small room with way too much stuff in it and not enough storage. Unfortunately for me, I don't have one artistic/craftistic preference and so I have all kinds of things going on in there, which makes for one mother of a mess. This week I spent two WHOLE days going through and reorganising and sorting and tidying. And of course the other two days of this week I've been up there playing with my newly functional room.

The oil pastel painting at the top of this post is a product of that. I think I need to do another life drawing course, as I am getting to the end of my sketches that I use to turn into bigger works. I am very happy with it. Especially as it already has a frame- underneath used to be a print of a president of the US. From the VT house. I actually had to empty a cupboard just to put in all the pictures we took out of the house that I intend to paint over at some point.

I also found these photos that I'd ordered big copies of at some point. Some cheap (but stylish) frames from Costco, and I've got some great photos to hang up.

These two I see as a pair.

A happy week. I can't promise that my studio will stay tidy for long. I have another oil pastel nude in process, and I've had to leave everything out until I can have another go at it. Hopefully I won't be struck by the need to make something else before I finish it.

I haven't decided whether or not Ella and I are going up to VT this weekend...I am kind of enjoying the weather down here. Matt and the boys begin their rugby season, and Kit has been looking for an excuse to stay down and hang with his mates. I don't know if I can face the drive and then the digging a path through the snow to the front door on my own....