In the process of transforming my art studio from a photography zone to a group painting and drawing space, I spent a week sorting, clearing out, and bringing in some new furniture to make the studio feel welcoming, inspiring, and fresh. I gotta say that it feels amazing to work in there now, and I thought you might like to see for yourself.
Let's start off with some BEFORE views and a peek at the first bit of progress. In this video, you can see backdrops and wraps on a rack behind me, all kinds of props and accessories spread out, while I was sorting and organizing, floor mats, toys in the background for siblings who came along to shoots, tables from my open studio displays and framing area, boxes for packaging, and just a general madness everywhere as I took stock of what was going to stay, and what was going to go.
Now, after all the clean out and changes, it's looking absolutely amazing! I still have a bit to go with the very back end of the studio, where my computer and printer live and my storage area. But I'm thrilled with the working space in the rest of it! I'll record a full, updated walk-through studio tour in the future, but here's a good peek at what it looks like now, with new tables and chairs and a drawing bench by the easels:
It's beautiful inside, and feels so good to be back to painting in this space now. Here's a photo of me before the transformation, working on one of the paintings in my new collection, Bare Branches, that comes out March 26th. You can see in the background that I had a shelf of backdrop blankets and rolls of backdrops covered up with a white sheet. All that is out of there now, and I even repurposed my Grandma's old China cabinet, in which I had kept newborn headbands and outfits, into a storage spot for group art supplies. Now, I'm working on the final painting in this collection, and it is so tidy and spacious all around me.
PS: One of the evenings while I was working on sorting things in the studio, I caught an absolutely gorgeous view right outside. I went out for a better view and recorded a short video. The sunset was amazing, and I want to leave you with that beauty. Enjoy!