Friday, October 23, 2009

Getting organized...

For anyone who's seen my studio recently, disaster zone is a fitting description. I had a path from the door to my work table and everything else was essentially thrown on the floor. And don't even get me started on my "office" space... Anyway my wake up call came when a good friend and fellow artist was over a couple of weeks ago. We'd been talking about messy studios, as if it was someone else's problem...ha!, and the look on her face when she saw my space was priceless. Knowing me well, I don't think she expected to see such chaos which only reinforced how pathetic my situation had become.

So here's the deal, I have limited studio time since I work full-time during the week, and for numerous reasons, I'd been putting off the organizational activities in favor of just creating. But this only increased the mess, the clutter and my denial. In fact, the chaos was preventing me from finding materials, working in proper, safe conditions, and getting things done efficiently. For example, let's take cutting glass. It's best to work on a clean, clear surface with good lighting. Right? Or trash... let's talk about trash. It's sort of a well accepted concept that it should be thrown in a bin or bag and NOT on the floor. blah, blah, blah... so I guess what I'm saying is... "my name is Liza and I had a MESS of a studio + office". There, I said it... and I finally decided to do something about it:

Step 1: I cleared EVERYTHING out my studio, and I mean everything. p.s. not. fun.
Step 2: I selected what would go back into the space... or not. p.s. fun.
Step 3: Lastly every item was given a home, preferably labeled. To help with organization and increase work surface area, I purchased 2 new shelving units and a 4' table. p.s. if you're freakishly organized and enjoy this sort of thing, give me a call.

As an artist who works in multiple media, I tend to collect and accumulate a lot of different materials because you never know what you'll need or may come in handy. However, sometimes that pile gets a little overwhelming and grows untouched for months if not years and there's a point where it needs to be addressed. So anything I hadn't used in 4 years (and yes, it's been 4 glorious years in Plymouth!!), I put in a box, or let's face it, several boxes, and I plan to reassess each item: keep, donate or toss. It's still a work in progress and I have loads more to do but I've made a small dent and I see the light at the end of the tunnel. And now I look forward to working this weekend in a clean, organized space! Pictures of the newly spiffed up spaces to be posted shortly...

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Drummer Boy Park in Brewster - Oct 9-11

Time to bundle up with a warm scarf and some hot cocoa!!
Even though it's a tad chilly, I participated in one of my last outdoor shows of the season... a 3-day show with 20 vendors in Brewster, MA this past weekend. The Cape is lovely this time of year but the weather was rainy/windy on Friday so I left a smidge early. Then Saturday was supposed to clear up but never really did. AND as the day progressed, it got super windy! We're talking 15-19 mile an hour winds! Not the greatest tent/display weather! So by the time I left on Saturday evening and buttoned up my tent for the night (yes, we leave the tents up overnight), I drove away hoping my tent would be there upon returning. Below is the scene at around 6pm on Saturday when I was leaving... biting my fingernails with worry... And fortunately, when I returned the next morning all was well, but I did notice that a few of the other tents looked like they had a really rough night. The photo below was from my drive home on Saturday night... (yes, I took the photo while driving.. oops... not nearly as bad as texting while driving, right?)On Columbus day, I played catch up in the studio. The christmas ornaments have been a hit thus far so I prepped, cut, foiled and soldered til my lil hands couldn't take it...

Friday, October 2, 2009

Two Paris Paintings

I'm excited to report that 2 paintings sold this week!
I traveled to Paris last year with my pal Nicole, Froggie Baby. We both snapped a ton of photos (who could blame us!). And I was so inspired by the trip and the beauty of the scenery that I started a series of paintings based on the photos. "Green Chairs" (above) was purchased at the Plymouth Art Center's most recent juried exhibit, and "Wine After Marie Antoinette" (below) which depicts a well-deserved glass of wine had its last public viewing at the Jamaica Plain Open Studios. Such memorable images of my time in the beautiful city of Paris! For anyone interested, limited edition giclee prints are available of these paintings.