studio tour: materials

hello, it is week 19 of 52 weeks. this week we are supposed to share more about how we organize and use our materials, kind of give you an inside look at our studio. well, it just so happens that this weekend i packed up all of my supplies and headed to my mom’s art studio for a huge art project. and i just happened to take a few pictures of my materials while i was in the midst of painting, so i thought it would be perfect to share for this post.

my mom has an amazing studio for painting. when my parents were finishing their basement, my mom designed her very own art studio and it is glorious. i often just like to go over there to paint. there is plenty of room to spread out all of my supplies and make a complete mess. she has tons of counter space for matting her own prints, a sink for cleaning up, great lighting… everything you need to create.

my materials are organized simply. i have a few buckets full of my paint tubes and a huge basket full of all my papers and fabric. here you can see them in action while i was painting at my mom’s house this weekend. oh and the applesauce jar is full of my matte medium. and you can see a few more of my tools, the big bubble wrap and my rubber brayer, just a few things i love to use in my paintings.

and here i am mixing my paint with matte medium. i buy the heavy acrylics from golden. then i mix the acrylics with my matte medium to stretch them out a little bit more.

and here is some very exciting treasure found by my mother. ok, this is like quite possibly a mixed media artist’s dream. it is an old chest filled with handwritten letters my grandfather wrote to my grandmother. my grandfather was a pilot in world war two and he wrote home to my grandmother often. i have read a few and they are so lovely!!! and any mixed media artist would love to get their hands on these letters that are oh so beautiful. because the letters are so meaningful, i just could not imagine using the actual letters in my collages. so my mom and i scanned a few and printed them out. they look just as beautiful as the originals. i love that my grandfather’s words are going into my art.

i love layering letters like these ones with patterned papers and fabrics. and this weekend i created quite possibly my favorite piece ever. it is definitely the biggest. here is a sneak peek of the door i collaged and painted. you can see how i used my grandfather’s letters. i can’t wait to show you more of my door!!!

so there you go, an insider’s look into my materials and how i use them, and my lack of orgainzation.