Old Studio in Calgary - Sewing and cutting table
Where an artist works can play a huge part in the creative process.
Being able to work in a space that you are most comfortable in can influence what you produce and how much you produce. Although I’ve heard some artists say that if the work is made a top priority, they can create anywhere, I really believe that your environment must be conducive to your personality in order to produce your best work.
I am a visual artist, therefore I need to see my supplies right in front of me. If my materials are hidden away out of sight then they are also out of my mind. I have found that storing things in transparent containers works well for me, and if that’s not possible , then boxes and such must be clearly labeled. I love organizing everything by colour – again this is the visual artist in me. Colour is often the inspirational muse to my creative process.
I am a tactile person and because of this I choose to work in fibres and textiles. The sense of touch is the most important part of creating things with your hands. When I work through the process of creating a piece of art I caress, stroke, pat, and carefully array the various supplies, auditioning each item until they form a relationship with each other and with me. I become personally connected with the resulting artwork when it’s based on such a close relationship with my medium and process.
Why have I explained all this to you? Perhaps in order to give you an idea of the kind of workspace that I require in order to produce my best art. I need to spread out and I need to have my supplies within reach at all times. I need to be able to leave works in progress laying about while problems are solved and changes are made. I require space to work on various projects at once and space to work through all the processes I incorporate into the finished piece. I have never had this space that I describe to you now but it hasn’t stopped me from making my art, maybe not my best art but art none the less.
I used to work on the kitchen table and that was my little studio for many years when the children were growing up. When they left home I took over a small 10’x10′ bedroom and that was my studio for about three years. Now that we’ve moved to an old Saskatchewan farmhouse I work smack – dab in the middle of the living room and as you can imagine, this is not conducive to the aforementioned style of working. On some days it is a complete disaster! And, as you can also imagine, it also makes it very difficult to have guests over for a relaxing evening at home. But through it all, I still seem to be able to make art.