Dana Brown

Blog Week: Studios

The studio I have now is about 1000 square feet — more than I really need but it is amazing how much stuff is attached to my art making.  I’ve always kept all my supplies, bookkeeping, books, framing — everything art related — at my studio rather than my home.  It’s a much more organized way to approach both places!  This is the front room overlooking my watercolor table and my smaller casein table.

The second room is my office and encaustic area.  I have a utility sink, a small refrigerator, a microwave, and a storage cabinet for solvents, glues, cleaners, etc.

Every medium has it’s unique paraphernalia.  Watercolor is fairly simple in process but framing is space consuming (mat board, foam board, glass, frames, mat cutter…).  My encaustic area is growing daily and I’m continuing to refine the layout so I can find what I need QUICKLY.

And speaking of framing, I’ve slowly accumulated equipment over the years by purchasing from frame shops that are going out of business or upgrading.  I have a wall mounted glass/acrylic cutter, a decent mat cutter, and a shrinkwrapper (which I rarely use now).  I’ve always preferred to frame my own work so I can prepare for a show at the last minute.  And of course, it is so much more cost effective.  BUT, it takes up space!

And I love my books — I like having my art and art business books in my studio so I know exactly where to find what I need.  The lives of great artists remind me of strength and commitment - two things needed in every day life, no matter what we’re trying to accomplish in our day.  

The exterior is brighter and more cheerful now!  I’d like a porch swing and perennials around the front - maybe I’ll get to that eventually.  

My first dedicated art space was a drawing table in our guest bedroom with a cassette tape player on the dresser.  My children were young and finding an hour to paint was a miracle — heck, having a drawing table of my own was a miracle!  I quickly outgrew the bedroom and we enclosed a small porch.  My sunroom studio was probably 7’x10’.  Bright and cheerful, I adored it.  I managed to paint, frame, and store paintings in the tiny space.

When I began to flow into the dining and living rooms, I made the big decision to rent a space of my own.  For four years I rented 500 sq ft. in an old office building.  It was a huge step, financially and in terms of commitment.  I left home every morning at 7:30am and began my work day at the studio, leaving around 4:30pm.  It was a productive and exciting time in my life.  I was anxious about taking my operation “out of the house” but it was the right thing to do.

My next move was to the Meridian Arts building in Gurley, AL.  I was invited to share the building with two amazing artists — Dan Burch and Arch Pike.  We each had our private studios but we shared our daily schedules, experience, and ideas.  It was an excellent experience and I loved spending time with these two guys.  I gained more space for similar rent and learned how to share my day with other artists.  Again, I stayed about four years.

Which brings me to my current studio space.  I’m back in Huntsville and I’m enjoying my convenient location - close to home and errands are much easier to run.  My studio is also home to a family of cats who each, for different reasons, had a difficult time fitting into a traditional home.  I like it that my building serves a purpose 24 hours a day.  

The bottom line is every creative person deserves a dedicated space to make their art!  It can be as small as the corner of a bedroom — what matters is that it is a place where you feel safe to be yourself, make something that wouldn’t exist otherwise, and lose yourself in the process.  

I also feel that maturing as an artist is expressed in many ways.  Obviously our work improves and we handle our materials better with experience but I think we express our progress in other ways too.  Taking control of more of our process, keeping a productive work space, handling our business affairs professionally, sharing our knowledge along the way.  All these things and more are part of the growth process as a creative person.