January seeds:
I work self-employed/part-time in the early mornings designing buildings, or parts of buildings. Most of the work is not public-facing and I have it partitioned off in my mind from my artwork, but once in a while there’s a fun cross-over: like right now, my partner and I are building a tiny studio beside our driveway on our days off. We worked on the foundation until the weather got too cold for cement to cure, learning how to build with concrete block as we went along. Now I need to firm up the main floor design so that we can mill lumber from a salvaged fir log. I’ll be doing a little deep-dive on studio design in the upcoming Art Space letter, with accompanying illustrations.
Here are a few small buildings that I think about when I think about a studio:
I’ve been trying out Winsor & Newton Promarkers (alcohol markers). Alcohol markers make pleasingly streak-free patches of colour, and the bleeding and blending of alcohol ink is fun if you’re used to working with water media. I’m also marvelling at the range of subtle tones available. I think it would very fun to work on large sheets of paper with these markers — reminds me of those elaborate poster colouring kits that come in a long plastic tube with their own set of felt pens. Also: see Camille Gobourg’s work for some inspiring Promarker pieces.
At the library earlier this week, I picked up Italo Calvino’s Cosmicomics (I was drawn to the plain white cover with the moon) and discovered someone’s pressed flowers in a few spots throughout the book. Did they intend for another reader to find the flowers? Or were they pressing the flowers for later use? I love that this kind of thing can happen at the library, with its real paper books. That I might find Cosmicomics by scanning the bookshelves for interesting spines, and that it’s full of dried daisies. I’m loving the short stories about the planets and stars.
this lovely post about artist publishing
I’m still trying cold water swimming, and finding that it’s helping my winter eczema. It’s a little easier to get in after a few weeks of plunges, and bundling up in warm dry clothes afterward makes a person feel cozy for hours.
My daughter and I found a special kind of bird print in the snow — just the fanned-out wings and tail where the bird touched down for a few seconds. I’m guessing it was a flicker bird? Or a small hawk?
In celebration of printed, real paper things, I’m adding a monthly snail mail postcard component to the Studio Notebook paid subscription (no price increase). For now I’d like to make postcards of my sketches, and down the road there may be a tiny zine. Paid subscribers, I will be sending you an email with more info!
In August I’ll be exhibiting some drawings at our local community-run gallery Art House — which means I have to make the drawings in the meanwhile…
See you at the end of the month for Art Space, and thank you so much for reading Studio Notebook <3 <3