Savoring Our Home--Creative Use of Space--Art Studio

The reason my last post said that you might chuckle when I showed you my new art studio is that it is located . . . in our master bathroom! Again, I must credit my caring and creative husband for this genius, though unorthodox, idea. He also did much of the preliminary work to create the space for me. That was no hardship for him, however; give Mark a sledge hammer and something to demolish, and he is a happy guy.

Previously, I had been painting in the kitchen and frequently taking down and putting up all my gear because it was in the way otherwise. Workable, but not great, especially as I began to paint more and more often. Also, the large west-facing window often required the unsatisfactory choice of either enduring a glare on my work or closing the blinds.

We had planned some fairly extensive work in our master bath anyway, had the money saved up and our plans in the works. One day this plan came together in Mark's mind with his concern that I needed a painting studio. In our down-sized home, the master bedroom is a comfortably large enough room without being over-sized, and the master bath & walk-in closet are exceptionally large for this size house. Like many master bathrooms, it boasted a huge so-called garden tub which I had used only once in the six plus years we have lived here. When filling it completely drained a good-sized water heater, I decided that using it was WAY too wasteful. There is a normal tub/shower combo in the second bathroom for my occasional soaks.

The garden tub was set into a 5' X 8' nook around the corner from the shower stall with a wonderful, large, north-facing (perfect for painters) window. I won't take you through all the stages of the decision-making process, but simply will say that the sledge hammer performed its magic, and I gained a lovely art studio. For quite awhile, I used it with wall board patches around the tub area, the original ugly wallpaper above that, and an exposed concrete floor beneath (we tore out the worn carpet from that area--why would anyone carpet a bathroom?). It worked great, but was not very attractive, as you can imagine.

Now, we have completed remodeling the master bath and are delighted with the results. Large stone-look porcelain floor tiles laid on the diagonal unify the bath, little toilet room, and closet; the walls are a tranquil, warm caramelly color; we raised the vanity (which did not need replacing) to a more comfortable height on a plinth base (Mark and a handyman did that together) and gave it a new terra cotta colored counter top with vanilla sinks. I apologize if this is more information than you are interested in, patient readers. It's just that I am truly thrilled with our new master bath/art studio.

Question of the day: What has been your most unusual, creative use of space to make your home function uniquely well for you?

Savoring Our Home--Creative Use of Space--Home Office

Since I will not be able to write a new post for the next 10 days or so (for happy reasons--too busy in a good way), I am repeating two well-received posts from last year that I hope will interest new readers. These also tie in with a recent post on green living and the reuse, repair, and recycle principle--in a different way. These two posts are about using space in our homes creatively and efficiently. Hope you like these two spaces even a fraction as much as I do.

For a change of pace, we are back to hearth and home. I wanted to share my awesome, space-saving desk with you. We have discovered some very creative ways to use space in our down-sized home. My two favorites are this custom-made workstation and my painting studio. I'll show you the studio next time. You'll be amazed--and it may give you a chuckle, too.

Twice in our lives, we have chosen to move from fairly large homes to much smaller ones. Each time, we got rid of all the stuff that accumulates when there is always plenty of room for more. Each time, we felt younger and lighter on life's journey after paring down to the possessions we most needed and cared about.

However, living in a dramatically smaller space requires adjustment as well. For example, moving in semi-retirement from a large Atlanta home to a perfect-for-two North Florida home left me without an office of my own. My husband had visions of happily sharing the small third bedroom as a family den/office. He reckoned without the extent to which his need for order clashed with my ten books and twenty projects at once clutter. We coped while he looked for a better way.

His creative genius led to the suggestion that one end of our kitchen, where we kept a narrow bookshelf and an old TV set (TV still there, as you can see) had room for a desk for me. I was skeptical. The kitchen is not large to begin with, and we ate many of our meals at a small table on that end. Also, the generous side window extended to within 22" of the wall--how could that be enough room?

Well, we mused, looked at ready-made desks (none right for the space), and planned until we had figured out the basic design for the office nook pictured above. A retired gentleman turned genius cabinet maker constructed and installed my dream desk and bookshelves. Six roomy file cabinets hold all my projects; numerous small and large drawers, some with built in dividers, hold papers and supplies; a slide-out keyboard shelf serves my computer needs. And whatever is cooking (I call cooking my other art form) is only steps away. What could be better?

Today, it is hard to imagine how unlikely an office location this seemed at first--or that we had actually contemplated adding a small room onto the house for an office/studio for Mary. The space we have is more than enough. It just needed creative re-purposing.

Question of the day: What change in the use of your space has brought you the most satisfaction?

Learning--Reference Photos for New Landscape Painting Projects

Each of these photos is slated to serve as a reference for a new coastal North Florida landscape painting. The sandpiper feeding in the foam spun by Atlantic Ocean waves is started on a 9" x 12" canvas board. So far, the major change from the photo is to swap positions of the bird and seaweed debris--didn't want our feathered friend skittering right out of the painting :>). The major challenge of this piece will be to render a pleasing, faithful impression of the sea foam and the wet shimmer on the sand. Even in the photo, that ridge of foam looks a bit unreal--so stay tuned for how my wrestling with it all turns out. It will be great for my learning process to work on this scene.

I think I mentioned the other photo a few posts ago when we had some fun conversation (thank you, thank you, commenters!!!) about a dune scene that left the viewer no clear way to cross over to the beach. This scene shows one of many dune-preserving boardwalks on Jacksonville Beach, the only permitted way to cross our precious dunes in order to protect them and the life forms they support.

Right now, I have just begun to sketch possible compositions for the new dune scene. The photo cuts the composition almost in half vertically--not acceptable. Secondly, I am not happy with the way the foot bridge competes for attention with the white fence. So, I have been juggling the elements in thumbnail sketches in a way to feature the foot bridge, the intended focal point. Once the plan for the composition is ready, I will consider the palette--will punch up the color and contrast some, but still keep it natural and a bit soft. Lots to think about for this one. It's time for me to paint something new in an 18" x 24" size (or possibly even larger). Dune Crossing may be the one.

Question of the day: If you are an artist or have a creative hobby, what is your planning process? Are you more intuitive and inclined to pursue that flash of inspiration spontaneously; do you have a meticulous planning or preparation process; or are you somewhere in between?

Savoring--Signs of Spring

Today, we are thinking spring and enjoying our exuberant azaleas. After a harsher winter than normal for so many regions of the U.S., I imagine many of you are enjoying any indicator you see of a new season. For our friends in the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, you may be seeking spring's new life as well. Since I have some readers in the Southern Hemisphere, my thoughts also fly down to you and wonder what your week of March into April will bring.

Although we live in coastal North Florida and enjoy extended moderate to warm weather, we had an unusually cold winter, too. However, I wouldn't want to live somewhere with little or no seasonal change at all. One of my reasons for declaring to a hot weather loving husband that this is about as far south as I want to go is my enjoyment of changing seasons. Thankfully, we have four distinct seasons here in Jacksonville, Florida, and I love the unique beauty of each.

Question of the day: What's popping outside your windows?

Learning--North Florida Beach Painting, Final Version

Here is a better photo of the 16" X 12" dune and beach scene from a reference photo taken on a calm day at Jacksonville Beach in coastal North Florida. A few posts ago, I described the painting process and the revisions in this piece from a combination of my own ideas and the expert advice I received from my mentor Linda Blondheim's e-critique service. An added hint of low waves breaking just over the sight line of the dip in the dunes is one small change not in this photo. Since I forgot to take another picture before I added the final coat of satin finish medium to the painting, I am posting this photo. It is much more difficult to get an accurate photo after the medium is on, given slight reflective areas under any normal lighting conditions. Dune Shadows is now signed, sealed and ready for sale.

I loved getting your comments on the previous post. My favorite comments reflected a preference for a previous version with more of an opening in the dune grasses. Even though that is a gentle criticism of the final version, I didn't mind at all. The fact that some of you were disappointed that there was no longer an obvious way down to the beach struck me as a very positive reflection on the painting. What I hear in those comments is that viewers are actually putting themselves "into the picture", and I am delighted by that. Besides, no one is supposed to cross over the dunes as they are protected, both for the sake of the natural vegetation and critters living there and to help prevent erosion (not that a mental crossing when viewing a painting hurts anything).

I have a nice set of photos of a wooden walkway nearby, one of many crossings up and down the miles of gorgeous beach on our city's off-shore island. When I figure out what angle I'd like and how best to compose the scene, I'll start on a painting just for all y'all who want to run into a painting and onto that beach. Thank you for giving me the idea for a new work.

Question of the day: Isn't feedback wonderful? I love hearing reactions to my work, even thoughtful negative ones (in moderation :>) as I continue my lifelong learning journey.

Exciting Opportunity--New Venue for Painting Sales

This 22" X 28" acrylic painting on gallery wrap canvas, called Textures by the Creek is now for sale in a lovely, classy shop called Trends Home Decor. I am thrilled with this new opportunity and will show more pieces there in the near future.

Through a happy serendipity, just at the time that I had been investigating possible outlets for my work, we attended an art reception at Trends. Our friends, a florist and a musician, were participating in the event--the florist having opened a satellite location in one portion of the shop. When we walked in, William, the florist, introduced me to the owner as a painter. She immediately asked if I "already had someone representing" me. I was momentarily stunned because that sounded like a question for a bigger name artist than me. However, I tried to act cool and said, "Not at the moment."

Well, no need to make this a long involved story--I browsed the shop that day with a careful eye to the art pieces, home accessories, and furniture sold there, the presentation, the clientele, and other factors that mattered if I worked with the shop. It seemed that my work would fit well there, being compatible, yet not exactly like, other pieces, and being in a similar price range. The atmosphere is classy, yet relaxed and welcoming. The owner, Lori Taylor, is a savvy retailer, but also a personable, caring colleague to the consignors whose works make up part of her inventory. She is a fine artist herself, with some lovely, interesting mixed media pieces displayed in her shop.

When I made an appointment to show her some of my work, she was very enthusiastic about working together. Her terms are simple and fair. So instead of taking a complex contract home to study and think about as I had planned, I decided on the spot to leave the largest piece for her usual 90 days. The only reason I don't have more pieces there yet is that I need to decide how to price them in order to make a satisfactory amount after her commission without ending up with too high a price--a new and interesting marketing puzzle for me to solve. I am very excited about this new venture and hope that if you live near Jacksonville, FL or visit here sometime, you will stop in at Trends Home Decor. 3919 Hendricks Avenue.

Question of the day: Isn't it interesting that sometimes we have to struggle and sweat to advance toward our goals, and then, once in a while, a sudden serendipity opens a new door?

Growing--Creative Green Living

You may be wondering what these two photos have in common. They illustrate, on a small scale, an important feature of a green creative everyday life: the trio of Repair, Recycle, and Reuse. Your favorite applications of this principle will probably be different from ours, but each of us helps preserve the earth as well as our family budget when we follow this path.

When one of our favorite blankets got too worn on the top edge and was shedding little fuzz balls, I decided to find some blanket binding and repair it. For the price of a modest sewing store notion and a little time at the sewing machine, we have a newly usable blanket. One of my mantras, going back to our early married student days, is that things cost either money or time (or sometimes some of each). When time is in short supply, it may not be feasible or wise to spend it mending old blankets. When there is more time (and you're cheap!), a repair may be worthwhile.

The other photo shows our humble compost bin. Since we eat large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables and since Mark loves gardening, we decided to start keeping compost. That very week, Mark saw this bin out at the curb for trash on his exercise walk--a small serendipity for a happy scavenger. Although it had no top, we gave it a try--Mark fearing that animals would get into it and make a mess. Well, no mess after a couple years of use, so it will do. We are lazy composters, not bothering to turn the compost or making much of a project of it. We simply collect scraps in a plastic container with a tight lid, kept under the kitchen sink. When it's full, we dump the contents in our bin, cover it with "brown" material (mostly dried leaves from a pile we keep next to the bin), and pour one watering can full of water over the top. Whenever Mark needs to feed plants or enrich soil, he opens a door at the bottom of the bin and scoops out amazingly rich organic material. Except for eggshells, we don't put any animal related material in the compost, but we do include used tea bags and filters full of used coffee grounds. Our trees and plants flourish on their gourmet feast!

Question of the day: How does your family follow the Repair, Reuse, and Recycle principle?

Growing--Painting Done to Study Tree Structure

Although I don't have much time to post tonight, it has been too long since my last post and tomorrow looks even busier than today. So, I'll show you a study of a slash pine, done in acrylics on an 8" X 10" canvas board without my usual longer description of the painting process. This is nearing completion and is on a stand on my dresser so that I can look at it in varied light conditions over the next few days. It may get some revision in the foliage, but it may be that the wisest thing to do is to declare it completed before I overwork it.

This twisted slash pine, a very common sight in North Florida, stands like a sentinel in our neighborhood. It has been instructive to work on the trunk and limbs as they appear in strong sunlight late in the afternoon. I hope you enjoy seeing this little study.

Question of the day: Where does the time go?

Learning and Growing--Critique Service Results on Dune Painting

On February 1, when I posted this 12" x 16" painting as a work in progress (the small photo), it was ready for comments from my painting mentor, Linda Blondheim. You can scroll down to that post for more information about Linda's teaching services and a link to her website. I had signed up for her e-critique service for the month of February and have found it immensely valuable in the development of five paintings. I was aware of several changes this piece needed, and Linda suggested other modifications--most of which I included in the revision. By the way, I photographed the earlier version in much brighter light, so please don't think that the whole painting is darker now. If you'd like to see more detail, you can click on the photos to enlarge them.

The work seems about finished to me, but you will notice that it is not yet signed. That means it will rest for awhile so that I can live with it and decide if any further tweaking is desirable. As I have mentioned before, knowing when to stop revising is both crucial and difficult in any art form. The piece is based on reference photos from a June visit to Jacksonville Beach, Florida, looking out at the Atlantic Ocean over the dunes. All along Jacksonville's offshore islands, the dunes are protected so that natural vegetation and critters can thrive; beach visitors may cross to the beach only on boardwalks.

For those of you who are interested, here are the main details of the revision. Probably the most noticeable change is the stronger, darker fence. Since it is the focal point, it needed more drama in size and tonal value. Even those of you who paint may not guess what gave me the most trouble in this piece--it's the top half of the dune on the right. In the earlier version, the tall grasses drew attention to themselves and distracted both from the fence and from the bright wildflowers that I considered a secondary focal area. As Linda and I considered various possible fixes, I first painted the grass out completely but did not like the look of the dune completely bare either. My final solution was to cover more of that dune with grasses, carefully keeping them soft, nearly uniform, and neutral in tone so that they would blend with the dune and not pull attention away from more important areas. Other changes in tonal balance (degrees of dark and light) on the horizon line, on the sunlit left dune top, and in the foreground increased the interest and drama of the scene. The ocean is deliberately kept as a quiet area, somewhere for the viewer's eye to rest, as one looks out toward an interesting, but not overly dramatic, sky. The painting now captures my impression of that lovely June day.

Question of the day: In your creative projects, do you enjoy the ups and downs of the process, or do you feel impatient for completion?

Exploring--More Photos from Punta Gorda, Florida

Since I seem to keep running short of time to write a post, today I'll show you a few more scenes from our recent trip to Punta Gorda, FL with fewer words than usual :>). One photo above shows the incredible base of a banyan tree in front of our hotel. Yes, that is one tree, believe it our not. Banyan trees spread by sending trailers down from branches, which root and grow up as new trunks attached to the existing branches. The cypress swamp scene is from a walk on our guided tour through Babcock Wilderness Adventures (described in the previous post).

The other photos are views along Charlotte Harbor, off the Gulf of Mexico. I took the sunset picture through our hotel window, while the palm-framed photo looks in the same direction from the town park which was just below our window to the west of our hotel.

Thank you to all you faithful blog friends who keep on checking in and visiting, even when my posting slows down. I think that I'll be able to get closer to my goal of posting once every four of five days in coming weeks.

Exploring--Babcock Wilderness Adventures in Punta Gorda, Florida

Last week, Mark and I visited Punta Gorda, Florida, on Charlotte Harbor, a large bay off the Gulf of Mexico. Although it was much chillier than normal there (but a good 8 - 12 degrees warmer than we would have been at home in Jacksonville), we had a pleasant, relaxing visit to this beautiful area. We have explored other Gulf Coast cities and towns, but Punta Gorda was new to us. By far our favorite vacation outing was to Babcock Wilderness Adventures, a 90,000 acre working ranch and farm with an extensive nature preserve.

The history and present operation of the ranch fascinated us, but I won't report all that in this post. Interested readers can visit the Babcock Wilderness web site for more information.

The guided "swamp buggy" tour, lasting over 90 minutes, traveled through a variety of habitats, from sweeping Florida prairie, to deep woods, to silent cypress swamp. According to our guide, we were particularly fortunate in the number and variety of animals and birds we saw that day--many quite close. Several deer, one with a very young fawn, quietly watched us watching them, alert but showing no fear. Alligators who had found sunny spots on that cool day moved only a wary eyeball as we stopped to view and photograph them. Wild hogs and the unique Florida Cracker cattle breed are both protected here and gleefully ran to the bus (the hogs) or sauntered over (some of the cattle) to take corn feed from our guide. The photo ops were numerous, and I'll show you some of the animals and scenery in a future post.

Today's photos show a few of the magnificent birds we saw. The Great White Egret is taller than those we see in North Florida, but is otherwise very similar to ours. The Sandhill Crane blends so perfectly into the dry winter brush that we could spot it only by its characteristic facial markings. The male wild turkeys, apparently entering mating season, proudly displayed their tail feathers and strutted their stuff. Our visit seemed perfectly timed for sightings of these and many other birds, including ibis, red-tailed hawks, turkey vultures, and bald eagles.

Question of the day: What area within a four or five hour drive of your home would you like to explore, and what would you do and see there?

Exploring--A Pocket Park in Jacksonville, Part II

As I considered the previous post, it struck me that although I made a point of finding a park along the St. Johns River, most of my photos were of other subjects. Here are a couple of views of Jacksonville's mighty river looking west from this pocket park. The third photo shows a live oak tree with personality and character to spare. Even though the day was overcast, the unique winter charm of our city shines through.

Question of the day: What is uniquely captivating where you are this winter?