Inside Our Studio
Have you ever wondered what goes into a working art space?
Let us show you!
Explore our workspace photos below and learn more about what it takes to create our beautiful works of art!
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How our studio was born:
On January 1st, 2024, one of our artists, Shelley, woke up and went into her garage.
Thankfully, we do not have any "before" pictures, but imagine this scenario: The garage, a single car bay, in a house built in 1963...
​The garage door, original to the house, would not open or close, was rusted, partly off the track, and also did not seal at the bottom, allowing for the intrusion of dust, spiders and rats. The space, itself, was stacked with storage items, and also housed the clothes washing machine and dryer. Many of the electrical outlets were non-functional and the utility sink leaked. The ancient florescent lighting had been acting weirdly for some time, and then, that morning, the final light in the room stopped functioning. This untenable garage situation was a result of (in the hands of the home's previous owner) the combination of delayed maintenance and sub-par DIY skills.
That final garage light going out sparked something in our story's heroine, the "last straw" if you will, and Shelley promptly decided to begin gutting the garage, stacking everything in the living and dining room, much to her live-in adult children's dismay...
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They were NOT excited to wake up to their mother's New Year's Day activities!
Thus, the idea of the conversion of the garage into a dedicated art studio began, further prompted by the fact that the art projects and their materials were already encroaching on nearly every surface and into every closet in the house.
Artists are always making a mess...
SOMETHING had TO BE DONE!
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So, over the next year and a half, with an endless incorporated number of DIY projects NOT done by the previous owner, and the reliance on a very helpful handyman friend overseeing the plumbing and electrical work, the in-house ART STUDIO slowly began to emerge! Art materials and projects no longer shoved in closets and under beds, the new space has both indoor and outdoor work areas, complete with a new garage door that allows lots of natural lighting and improved ventilation. The space also has heavy duty shelves, lining the walls, to hold art materials and tools.
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Now, we have a place to work!
Many, many future works of art shall come forth from this space.
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Enjoy the photos of our studio space, below.
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The studio interior is nearly complete. While it is a challenge working IN a studio that you're working ON, the space inside the original garage space is now clean, organized, and ready to use!
Here, we see one of our artists, Isabel, hard at work on a new piece!
A project in process on the easel.
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This is one of two identical work tables which can be rolled around the outdoor studio space and used in many ways. They are mostly made of reclaimed broken fenceposts from this seasons' hurricanes, as well as some gifted tile.
Here we see an assortment of assemblage findings laid out so as better visually assess how they might be used in the finished project.
The front wall of the outdoor studio space continues from the other side of the driveway. Also, we see our four-legged Foreman/Project Manager/Surveyor of her Realm...
Zinnia who is our very enthusiastic project companion!
The outdoor space is slowly becoming enclosed, for both added privacy as well as containing our dog.
Here, we see one of our artists, Isabel, hard at work on a new piece!
Several of the outdoor enclosure components are being constructed from reclaimed fence board, broken by the most recent local hurricane.
We rented a u-Haul to pick the wood up from a nearby neighborhood. This pile of fence parts used to be about twice this size, before the building of the rolling planters and work tables began.
One side of the outdoor workspace is enclosed and equipped with a self closing gate. The planter awaits its inhabitants...
Here we see the new curtains, being tested after installation, and behaving exactly as imagined, on the first try!
They go up and down properly with the door, and stay tight up against the ceiling when the door is open.
Success!
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Through the clever use of magnets, curtain rods and various hardware, the curtains perform flawlessly on their first test. They stay with the door when opened, and do not entangle themselves in any garage door opening mechanisms.
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Curtains are now installed!!! The lace curtains allow some shade and significantly more privacy, The orange curtains will allow for additional light blocking during the hottest months.
The bottom row of windows have been purposely left uncovered to prevent darkness when the curtains are closed
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Here we have one of our artists, Shelley, working with one of her many power tools and sawing reclaimed fence boards to size for repurposing into construction projects for the outdoor space. The boards first had to be pulled apart with a pry bar and all staples and nails removed or cut off with bolt cutters.
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The front wall of the outdoor studio space enclosure is coming together.
You can also see the garage door in the background, that, when opened, allows free movement between the outdoor and indoor studio spaces. At the bottom of the picture, you can see some of the broken fence that is being used to build a number of the wall components.
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Working ON a space while working IN the space definitely presents its own set of challenges, but its coming together.