The Benefits Of Studios

Willem de Kooning's Painting Studio

I am so envious of any artist (developing, established, or hobbyist) who has access to a quality studio and work area. The number of benefits from having a large empty space to work, spread out, and get messy are beyond imaginable.

Trying to produce quality artworks from your bedroom is achievable, yes, but I can promise you not only is it incredibly frustrating but impractical and (unbearably) unproductive.
I can't speak for all artists, but my experiences cover everything from getting distracted by useless and time wasting exercises to managing to get paint everywhere, such as the splotch of turquoise paint that now permanently resides halfway up my curtains.

But the tidying- that's the killer. So often I feel forced to stop and tidy away my current project in order for me to also live in my room. Not that my room is particularly tidy anyways but is is a necessary element to the respect of our rental property (and ultimately my safety) if I don't have canvases strewn across the floor, pencils disappearing in piles of wet paint palettes, jars of turps being knocked around, or a nest of paper inspiration and old works instead of bedsheets. Because if I don't sustain and injury via art materials, then I certain won't be as lucky when my mother finds out about the damage that such a lovely mess is creating.

The tidying sucks. So many times I wish I could just leave everything out, and come back to it ready to jump straight back in, without having to worry about getting everything back out again. It's almost as if you have to reset your ideas and inspiration over and over again every time you pack down. Its something that I've always wondered just how much impact it has on my amazing ability to lose interest in 50% of all paintings/drawings that I start.

Seeing studios such as Willem de Kooning's (top image) and Charmaine Olivia's (bottom image) just turn me green with envy thinking about how much more productive it would be to have access to such an amazing facility. But unfortunately as always, these things cost money. Something that's not easily come by in the market of developing artist. So for now, I can only dream that I will some day be able to call some form of studio my very own.

Unknown Studio Space

Charmaine Olivia's New Studio