Uff dah!
Since leaving Pennsylvania for our new home in Tennessee in late May, life has been a blur. We landed at our new home just before Memorial Day. "New home" is a bit of a misnomer, because the house we bought is 91-years old. As with any old home, it has required a fair bit of our attention to resolve some maintenance issues. (We're now on a first name basis with our electrician, roofer, and plumber - egads).
But as we near the end of July, things are rounding into shape and I'm getting back to my easel on a more routine basis. And it's not a moment too soon because I'm looking forward to exhibiting at a couple of shows this fall and I want to share some new subjects inspired by Knoxville, Tennessee.
Click image to enlarge: My studio mascot, Maple, rests on a rug near my painting easel. Part of getting my new space set up involved installing additional track lighting. I also set up a reading nook, toward the right of this image.
On top of moving and settling into a new home that needed some attention, I'm saddened to write that we also lost my father-in-law. There's a generic old saying whenever someone passes away, "He was a good man." But Russell Pollock actually was a good man. On the heels of his loss, we worked hard to get my mother-in-law resettled, too, and it's been a summer of transitions on many levels.
Click image to enlarge: A second display easel, couch,
and work area round out the space.
Nonetheless, I have a couple of pieces in progress now with ambitious goals of many small works in the coming weeks. Until those are ready for public viewing, I'll have to leave you with a couple of peeks into my studio. When we first moved in, my studio space was completely filled with cardboard moving boxes because the floor plan of this house is so different from our old house. With our new location in Tennessee, I've combined what was previously three separate areas (studio, office and picture framing workshop) all into one larger space. It took a while for me to get things sorted out (especially while juggling myriad home repair contractors), but I finally have things organized now. I'm very pleased with the space because I have plenty of room for my art books, a reading area, and lots of great light for my work.
As an added bonus, my studio mascot, Maple, gives the space two paws up.
