I am not a hoarder. At least not by TV show standards. I do have a lot of art supplies, partially due to the fact that I keep getting attracted by new mediums and techniques. And it’s not that I have too many art supplies, it’s that I don’t have enough space for them! It is some comfort to know that I am not alone in my addiction to art supplies. Many of my art friends, as well as Youtube artists that I follow, openly admit to their addiction. During online art demos, viewers want to know what brand of brush or paper or canvas the artist is using, convinced that if they themselves used that brush or paper or canvas, their own work would be magically improved. People gloat on social media about the latest color of So&So paint they just bought, bringing their collection to 257 colors! Manufacturers know this. Art stores know this. They create “clubs” with loyalty points to keep you coming back. They send you enticing emails at least once a week to let you know what you now need. I used to think like that. Thankfully I have learned to mix colors from a few basic ones, so I don’t fall into that trap. Much. Except for pastels. It is much harder to mix colors effectively in pastels, so I do need to keep adding colors to my collection. But I still have a lot of stuff from the “old days”. And new stuff that I already bought but have yet to try (that photo above shows a lot of that!!). And old stuff that might come in handy someday. I learn a lot of my craft by watching YouTube videos, so I see the inside of a lot of professional artist studios. Most are cluttered, but also organized. I am always amazed and somewhat comforted to see the quantities of stuff all over the place in these studios. I must be an artist! But I also get a bit of storage envy when I see all their wonderful shelves and custom-built storage units! I keep dropping hints that the basement would be a great place for a bigger studio, but up to now they have fallen on barren ground, or deaf ears, or whatever metaphor you want to use. That’s OK, sometimes these things take time. In the meantime, I have to make do. I am grateful that I even have a studio, as many of my artist friends have to be content with a corner of their dining room table to make art. I am very lucky in that I have a dedicated room, not large but sufficient really, plus a recently reallocated storage cupboard just outside the studio. If I could eliminate one or two mediums it would definitely be enough. But now, with printing having been added to the mix, space is really getting tight. I can only dream of getting a printing press some day, but right now I don’t really need one, because it would definitely have to go in the basement, if only because of the sheer weight of it! If and when that day comes, maybe I could do my printing in the basement and everything else upstairs. Having limited space can be seen as a good thing. It forces me to make choices. For example, I could choose to no longer do any of my framing myself. In addition to taking a lot of time, this takes a lot of space, because I have to stock frames and mats, both cut and uncut. I also don’t have a large enough surface in the studio itself to actually do the framing, except for the smallest pieces. So I have to lug things down to the dining room table where I can spread out and cut mats and frame the work. Besides enjoying the process and helping to keep the cost of my work down, I choose to mat and frame my own work because I can then control the timing of it. I don’t want to have to take my work to a framer then be at their mercy as to when I get it back! I don’t work that far in advance! But it does mean that I have a stash of recycled frames that take up space! I could clear a bit of space by getting rid of a lot of beginner level books that I bought years ago when I was just starting. They are fine books, but I don’t consult them any more, and someone else could use them. I will have to look into that, but it will at most clear 1-2 cubic feet of space…. just enough for my printmaking supplies…. for now anyway…. So, if you would like some free books on how to learn watercolor, or if you happen to have an old but functional printing press, you know who to call!
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AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
March 2023
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