The Poetic Eye

WIP

I've been getting ready for artfest, and thought I'd give a peek at some paintings I have in-progress that I plan to take aloing to sell.

this one is 20x24, mixed media- acrylics, pastels, charcoal, watersoluble media, etc.

and this one is 12 x 16, same sort of thing, with half an antique doll dress embedded in the painting.

I found that it's hard to take a quicky iPhone photos of dark-hued paintings; so my apologies for the images. I'll re-shoot once they are done, but now I'm outta here to run a couple errands..

only the heart remains

 

 

one of my favorite songs:

 

 

I hope your Valentine's Day was lovely.

one of those "YES!" moments

Four new posts today- don't forget to scroll down!

Studio Tour

Okay, just as a frame of reference, the room size is basically 9.5' x 13' with a triangle missing from one corner where a closet was created sometime in the house's history.

Just for some sort of logical perspective, I'll start with the doorway and go around the room.

At the top of the doorway are some of my favorite pieces of art.  These were given to me as a gift by one of my favorite artists ever, my youngest little. Here's a closer look:

 
I have this kid's book display rack doing double duty to hold magazines, and a collection of books that have accompanying CDs for the littlest's distraction enjoyment.

 Onward!

Next is the maple cabinet.  The top half holds books, journals, tchotchkes and vintage cameras. The bottom half has electronics, magazines, art supplies in three drawers, and the other drawers are currently empty.  The cabinet space on the lower right has book covers from old books that I want to re-purpose. 

The closet is mostly empty- it has my easel and my photo equipment.  I am patiently waiting for Joe to make some shelves for in there. (The closet is a triangle-shaped space that didn't work well for clothing on hangers anyway.)

You can also see my work table.  I'll talk more about my table soon; it is another DIY project that needs to be completed.

Here's a glimpse inside the cabinet: 

• 
• 

I used vintage cameras as bookends inside this cabinet and on the shelves in another corner.

Next, comes the long cabinet that you saw below the chalkboard & picture line.  The cupboard/filing cabinet was left on the street outside of a local business bearing a "free for the taking" sign. The cabinet is a heavy steel office unit in a sort of dark raspberry color with a removable wood top.  There is a single shelf in the section on the left, behind two removable steel sliding doors. On the right are two file drawers.

Colored pencils are divided into two groups- water-soluble and not, and kept on two different lazy susans to reduce the margin for error. I have them further split out into warm (red/orange/yellow), cool (blue/green/purple) and neutral (browns, whites, blacks).  My pastels and crayons are in plastic trays on the top surface of this cabinet broken out the same way. The corner of the desk has paintbrushes, sculpting tools, blending stumps, scissors, brayer, exacto, razor blades, & water containers.

The next images are a closer look at my storage in this area.  This is the corner of the workspace you saw above.

 

Next up is the corner with the white cupboard. You can see where I painted the interior panels on the the insides of the doors with chalkboard paint. This cupboard contains journals I am working into, canvases, wood boards, along with some other supplies.  The black cabinet beneath houses my vinyl record collection, and one drawer has the littlest's aforementioned books on CD collection.  The other drawer is empty. (I have empty drawers! ) Big canvases, rolled canvas, canvas board, works on paper, and my drawing board are stored on the floor between the cabinet and the stereo.

Then, of course, comes my beloved stereo:

 

 
Isn't she beautiful? Sigh. Okay, onward.

So, the unresolved corner was resolved with a little set of shelves that had been in the basement. The mirror in the corner helps reflect light around the room and brightens that corner quite a bit.  The shelves house my journals and book-binding books, and I have my printer on the top shelf.  My full-size (22" x 30") sheets of paper are stored in a cardboard container behind the couch. My stencils are in a huge, rectangular, wire basket under the footstool.  Current reading material is in the basket on the floor on the left of the couch. A peek at the bookshelf:

I ended up covering the floor in layers of various wool carpets. (While I loved the way the floor looked, it was very splintery.) I didn't really need that many carpets to cover the floor, I just like the way they look layered. They also feel nice underfoot. (and under my seat!)

This photo, of course, has led us right back to the door!  I kept to my goals of making the room functional, warm, and comfortable.  My family has already been hanging out in here quite a bit! The sofa is my oldest's new favorite homework spot, and the middle slept on there last night.  I've spent less than $20 on making this room happen.  I do still need some additional hardware for the table project, so that will be the only other expense.  Except for the freebie cabinet I found on the street, I simply moved things out of my old space and other places in the house. I used several different cans of leftover white paint to paint the walls, and used supplies we already had on hand to tackle the various painting jobs.  Joe will be re-purposing wood for the closet shelving.

I think need to come up with some sort window treatment (nothing too curtainy, just something to deal with the stark bare window feeling created by the dark woodwork around the window). I'll make that out of something I already have in the house. I have been thinking of shredding a sheer panel to make a short valance-curtain-veil sort of thing; we'll see.

Come back soon to visit!

 

 

A DIY Picture Hanging Line

(I've raised the lamp since I too this photo. I can see the chalkboard when I am seated at the worktable, but it is smack-dab in the center of the view from the couch.)

I wanted a picture hanging line to run below the chalkboard I painted in the work area of the room, but I wanted it to be wire and not string/cord, because of the way fiber tends to stretch and sag.  I did a little searching about for something simple to buy, but when I looked at the product, I knew it could be made for significantly less. 

I headed to the hardware store and purchased:

• 8 feet of 1/16 inch wire rope @ $0.10/ft = $0.80
• 2  1/16 inch cable ferrules @ $0.50 each = $1.00

Buy the wire rope longer than the intended length of your line, as you will need wire to loop through the ferrules and to accomodate the placement of the studs in the wall.

1/16 inch wire rope

cable ferrule

I also used tools and supplies I had on hand.

• stud finder (could be optional, but with our plaster walls, if I want the screws not to pull out, they need to go into a stud.)
• measuring tape
• screwdriver/drill with screwdriver bit
• wire cutters
• pliers
• painter's tape, masking tape, chalk line (If your floors are level, you don't need this; you can just measure.)

I knew where I wanted the picture line, but because of our ancient plaster walls, I also knew I needed to screw into the studs in the walls, so the screws didn't just pull out.  I was lucky; there were studs fairly close by. 

Next, you would measure up from the floor and mark the wall on each end so your line was straight.  Because our house is rather old, the floors (and sometimes the walls) are not level. So, to compensate, I measured down from the chalkboard, and then ran painter's tape across.  That way, I could adjust the "straighteness" of the line visually.

Install the two screws, but don't screw them all the way in yet.

Feed one side of a ferrule onto one end of the wire rope.

Then, feed wire rope back through into the other side of the ferrule, creating a loop.

Adjust the size of the loop, slip over the screw, and tighten the screw into place.

Use pliers to clamp the ferrule closed and trim the end with wire cutters. 

Take the other end of the wire rope over to the second screw, and using the second ferrule, make a second loop.

Adjust the tension of your line, slip the loop over the screw, and tighten the screw down.  Clamp the ferrule, and trim the wire.

I used bulldog clips to hang images from the line, but binder clips, clothespins, or paperclips would also work.

block print by Gryphon Ludwig

My total cost was $1.80 plus tax, and installing the wire line took no more than ten minutes.

 

Displaying Inspiration & Work in the Studio

I wanted some sort of way to display images and inspiration in the art studio that was neater than a corkboard and more interesting than taping things to the wall. 

I considered a couple possibilities, but given that I really have no budget for this room, I gave them a pass.  I thought I'd share those ideas, because even though I am not going to use them, I still think they would work well.

The first idea I had was to use a display rail.  I have a small one in my kitchen to hold recipes while I cook and bake. 

drawing by Sunny Ludwig

I can't remember where I got it, because I bought it so long ago. (Gryphon was a baby)  A quick search turned them up at Staples, Dick Blick, and Amazon. The display rails seem to range in length from 12 inches to 96 inches, and from $11 to $36 depending on the length.

Another option I liked and considered was a map rail.  They can be purchased from the same sort of places as the display rail, in the same sort of sizes, and slightly less expensive prices.

 

 

(image from the Blick site)

 

In the end though, I decided on a clothesline sort of display.  I knew I didn't want to use string or cord, because the fibers tend to stretch and the line sags.  I did some online searching to see what options there were for metal versions.  I realized after looking more closely at the hardware, I could construct one for MUCH less. ( $1.80 !! )

I'll post a quick tutorial of what I did very shortly!

 

Studio Bookends

 

 

Bella on the left, Lilah on the right

 

See what I meant about the footstool? 

Chalkboard Paint

 

One of the ideas I wanted to incorporate into the room was to include some chalkboard paint.  I had done this in the dining room of a house we lived in eleven years ago, and I really loved it.

supplies

 

 

 

I also used painter's tape, of course.  Depending on your personality, you may also want a tape measure and a level to be sure your chalkboard is straight.  I just eyeball stuff. (this drives my husband nuts, as the results of the just-eyeball-it method vary.)

I wanted a narrow long chalkboard over my workspace for quotes or what-have-you, and for drawing on, placed above the sofa like a large painting. I also wanted to paint  the interior panels of the white cupboard doors to create space for reminders.

The instructions, and most of the advice on the internet, advise you to use a foam or smooth surface roller cover to get a smooth application.  They also advise you to spackle any uneven spots. Since the walls in our house are hundred-year old plaster, making the area smooth would have involved far too much spackle.  I knew from before the chalkboard would work just fine anyway, so I went right ahead and used a cheapo semi-smooth roller cover we already had. 

Also, the instructions on the internet suggested leaving the painter's tape in place for days. My experience has been that results in tape painted onto the walls, so I take my tape off when the paint is still wet. 

Before:

 

 

 

During:

 

 

I'll show you "After" in a bit. :>

 

 

 

 

 

 

Studio Update

Not to be deterred by something as silly as a ruptured tendon, I've been busy getting the new room converted into a studio space.

At this point, the furniture is pretty much situated. I've got a corner to work out, but I'm happy with the room so far. Already, everyone is hanging out in there, which was one of the goals for the room.

I'll share more about the workspace as I get that area situated. 

 

looking in from the door

 

The white cupboard was something I found eighteen years ago at a flea market. The piece was some sort of hundred-year old, homemade wall cabinet that had been pulled from a house. I brought the battered thing home, stripped off the umpteen layers of paint, and painted it two shades of white. The black cabinet below the white cupboard was a $5 Goodwill find from a couple years ago. Originally yellow, I spray-painted it black, and use it to house my vinyl records.

You can also see my old Magnavox console stereo.  It is just a turntable and a radio, and I love that thing more than is healthy (maybe because we were both made in the same year.)  I was looking for one on Craigslist a couple of summers ago, and I scored this one, in working condition, being given away for free.

The maple cabinet below was picked up from an auction eight years or so ago.  In a previous life, the cabinet was in a school science classroom. There are glass doors for the top that I have removed temporarily. The bottom half has drawers and a cubbyhole cabinet.   I am still kicking myself for not buying the other two pieces of this furniture. (one with two solid doors and just shelves, and the other, just drawers and cubbyhole cabinets)

The hanging lamps were repurposed from ones I had Joe assemble for the room when it belonged to my middle little.  Huge chinese laterns + lightbulb socket + extra-long lamp cord with a switch + cup hooks = very inexpensive, easily installed ceiling lighting.  This room, like all of our second floor rooms, has no ceiling lights. I had scored the matching lampshades, brand new, at the Goodwill for $3 each and put them away for what I thought was going to be Joe's man-cave.

 

 

 

looking at the door from the opposite corner

 

There's the leather sofa I dropped on my hand last April; it had been a terrific find at just $75, but then with the subsequent E.R. and orthopedic co-pays, the cost of the couch rose a little.  The fabric is on the cushions because the room's

temperature  is on the cool side, so the leather makes for a cold seat.  The footstool had a previous life as a reproduction Victorian fainting couch that looked sorta like this, except that the base cushion wasn't removable.  It was a $7 Goodwill find that lived in the old art space and was usually occupied by one of the littles, doing homework, reading, or napping while I worked.  I yanked off the back and side pieces, re-covered the base with some gorgeous Pindlar fabric a friend sent me, and we used it in the living room for a while.  You can't see the gorgeous fabric because I have a rug on it.  (My two dogs have decided I made them a dog bed, despite my trying to convince them otherwise, so I have a rug on there to keep it clean.)

You can see the other end of the couch below.  The antique mirror on the wall helps reflect light about in that dim corner of the room.  The palette of the light in this particular room is too cool and grey for my taste, so I used this trick to warm the color in that corner.  The tall black object full of candles is a repurposed antique cast-iron plant stand of my MIL's.  Our local dollar store carries cemetery candles; their glass columns contain the mess nicely.

 

unresolved corner