Moving on!

Last week was all about finishing up "The Move." We rented a truck and moved all the big furniture out of the Jax studio (along with several carloads filled with boxes of art supplies...). It's all in our new place now...not quite organized, but getting there.


It was a big deal saying good-bye to my first studio. The Jax studio has been my home away from home, my haven, my artist retreat for the past four years. (I wrote about my hubby and I moving into the space here.) It was such a huge leap to have that separate space dedicated to working on my art. I became much more serious (and productive) about painting and then sharing my work with the public through open studio events. It helped me think of myself as an artist. It's the place where I started to realize my dreams as an artist...it's the place where I went from keeping those dreams to myself to sharing them with the world. Huge, huge steps!

I'll admit it was a little hard to say good-bye to the space, but I'm feeling good about moving on. My studio practice is now so strong that I know I will be just as productive working in my home studio...maybe even more productive, because who doesn't want to paint in their jammies?!?

I am ready to be done with moving! Moving was frustrating in all sorts of ways--besides being physically demanding (we did most of it ourselves), studio time was very minimal this past month. That part drove me crazy! But it has been a good time to take stock of what I have accomplished in the past few years...and also take a look at many works of progress. Sometimes looking at unfinished pieces with a set of fresh eyes helps you realize what you need to do to finish them (and occasionally there is that "what was I thinking" reaction!)
  
So now the only moving I'm doing is moving forward! I'll be back soon with pics of the new studio space and more BIG news of changes in my life!

Jax Studio

Last Saturday I was busy cleaning my home office/studio. I promised to post pics when I was done. Almost, but not quite...still need to hang some shelves.

But I am a lucky girl and have two studios! My home studio is where I do my paperwork, some collage, and when the urge hits, some beading. 

I do my messy work--painting--over at the Jax, which is located just a few blocks away. My Jax studio was highlighted in the summer edition of CPS' Studios magazine. I wrote about that here. I still get a thrill when I'm in a store and I see the magazine!

 

But here's a few more shots that didn't make it in the magazine--

And a few from my hubby's side--

It's an interesting space! 

Studio slideshow

I won't write much now, but wanted to post this little slideshow I put together on Flickr. Utilizing Flickr to share my work is another item on my "To Do" list, but this little project was a part of something bigger. I'll share more on that later...

(Oh ya, you can find me on Flickr here!)

Today at the Studio

 

Today at the studio I enjoyed my organized chaos...

 

  

one can never have too many canvases...

  

My work table was still set up for the First Friday event...

 

  

but it was time to get back to work!

 

 

Trying to take pics of a finished painting...

  

...detail below.

  

And outside the studio today...light rail construction!

 

 

My Jax studio

 

I first visited the Jax building (where I have my working studio) some four years ago when I was first dating my husband. He took me to my first Art Crawl right in the artist community where he lived. Now I've had a working studio in the Jax for just over three years!

That first Art Crawl was an experience unlike any I had ever had. Visiting the studios of so many working artists was like a dream. Being an introvert (at least in new situations), I initially felt that walking into each artist's studio was a bit intrusive--especially when the studio was also the artist's living space. But my hubby assured me that the artists welcomed visitors during the crawl. I wandered in and out of studios, occasionally telling an artist that I liked their work. By the end of the night, I managed to even talk to a few artists. It was a pretty cool thing.

At that first Crawl, my favorite building was the Jax. I don't know...I think because it reminded me of the art classrooms of my childhood. The building is nothing fancy--just lots of working space for artists (no living space). During that first visit, I was also impressed with the work of many of the artists in the building--many of them painters that are still at the Jax today. 

 

 (a shot of the outside of the Jax--including the mural on the side of the building)

I've been in my Jax studio for over three years. When I was moving in with my hubby (in the Lowertown St. Paul neighborhood), we knew we needed more space. Rather than finding a bigger home, we decided to share a studio that could be a dedicated art space for me and also work space for my hubby. We found a great space in the building that I loved--the Jax. 

When we looked at the studio it was pretty plain, but a good space--lots of storage and walls to eventually show artwork on. And most importantly to me, it had great light (for painting). The owner told us someone else was coming to look at it. Hubby and I looked at each other, gave each other a nod, and said "we'll take it." 

The fun part was that we could paint the studio walls however we wanted. It was pretty grungy when we moved in. At the time, we lived in an apartment down the block with all white walls. Boring! I headed to a discount paint store--picked several different colors that would work together...and we went to work. The colors are warm and feed my creative juices. These pics are from past Crawls when the studio was "cleaned up".

 

  

  

 

 

 (Joel's side of the studio!)

I know I'm a lucky woman to now have two fabulous studio spaces. The Jax remains my primary working space for painting. It's great to have a place to make a mess and not have to clean up (except when I'm opening my studio to the public). It's also a welcome retreat--a place to spend some alone time, crank some music and paint away my troubles (or spill my joy onto the canvas). 

I'll be cleaning up my studio a bit for First Friday this week! Along with some of those other wonderful Jax artists I'll be opening my studio from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, March 5th. Feel free to stop in and take a peek. And don't be bashful...I do like talking with visitors about my work (the other artists feel the same!)