it's a little like setting up a house

Yesterday we went shopping to look for dishes and cups and towels and some cooking utensils to make the new studio/gallery space live-in-able. I found dishes in mossy green

and robin's egg blue

that will be mixed and matched and put them all in the dishwasher to wash.

New towels for the bathroom in

bright spring green

all went through the washer and dryer to freshen them up as I worked on more unpacking. I am about nine boxes away from being unpacked and then all my art will be hung on the walls..... and then I can get back to painting!!!

first views of the studio/work space

Yesterday was a rainy day in metro DC, perfect for settling in at the new space to unpack more boxes. I am now down to unpacking and placing my supplies, and felt very good about the dwindling number of boxes left in the gallery space. There are now groceries in the fridge and pantry although I still need to outfit the kitchen and bathroom and get some furniture together.... but it is coming!

I have a commission to start as soon as the space is complete and cannot wait to get back to work!

To view more new pictures, click here.

the first pics of the new building

I am STILL unpacking............. but here are the first good pictures of the three story building my studio and gallery are located in. I have the basement flat with the french doors. I am finding a place for everything and putting everything in its place..... more pictures soon.

where's my broom?????

On Wednesday as I was unpacking at the new studio I looked everywhere for my broom. I walked around all the stacks of boxes, looked in closets and nooks and crannies.... and came up empty. I mentioned it that evening to Virginia and she said I could just get another one, and I said that this one was special, purchased from a special needs workshop that raises funds by making these sorts of items.

Finally we decided that it must have never made it on the truck, and I was sad to think that it was gone. She dropped by the loading dock at the art center yesterday morning before work, and there it sat, safely waiting to be returned to me. On to the new studio it goes!

how did I fit so much into that old studio?????

I am in the midst of unpacking now and spent the day yesterday bringing in cleaning supplies and beginning to open all the boxes/cartons/bins that my family and friends helped me move. The gallery space is pretty well filled with containers and it makes me wonder how I ever fit all of this into that small studio I just moved out of.

I started the day by finding all the book boxes and one by one I began to empty them while figuring out where they all will go. I have several closets in this flat with built-in shelving and the quirkiness of the layout really appeals to me.

I will unpack supplies last, once everything else has found its home, and at that time I will figure out what will be out and "seen" and what will be hidden away. I want to get some bins to store things in and will have to go shopping for a set of dishes/silver/cookware for this new space.... that will be fun!

I bought brass polish for the fox door knocker, but I won't get to polishing until I have made sense of the space. Some of the walls are brick painted white and it really is just the perfect space for an artist's studio. Friends are calling and emailing and I cannot wait to show everybody the new space once it is organized.... and then I will get back to WORK!

the "bedroom" will be my studio space with french doors leading onto the flagstone patio - and two steps up, the "living area" will serve as gallery space and a spot for discussions and workshops

unpacking

As opposed to packing, I LOVE unpacking and placing and situating and making things beautiful. There is so much to do! My monthly constant contact newsletter is out today.... are you signed up? Check out the sidebar of this blog to add your email address, and come be a part of the art!