Settling Into My New Hometown and Studio
Settling into the new space for my first open studio. I’m looking forward to welcoming more visitors to my new space and hometown in the North Coast town of Astoria, Oregon.
The herculean Winter marathon of settling into my new studio has ended just in time for Summer. In the infancy of creating in a new space, it feels good. My groove and rituals are all falling into place. Not counting the many breakfast nooks of Northwest Portland apartments in my formative years and the significant creative development that took place in Studio 211 where Mark Rothko attended elementary school, this is technically my fourth working studio. My first, 1993-1996 was in a storefront where I also lived and had the talented and amazing glass artist Linda Ethier, as both a mentor and my landlord! Linda taught me how to be self-sufficient and that all you need is the right tool for the job. There I learned how to sheetrock and taught myself how to do encaustic painting while making books, giving plasma to buy art supplies, going to Elliott Smith shows along with dumpster diving for studio furnishings and scrap plywood and lath to make panels and frames with. Yes, those were certainly the bohemian days but, I digress…The second studio was from 1996-2002 and was in big beautiful 1920’s warehouse at 333 NE Hancock in Portland with 9 other artists where I further applied my sheetrocking skills, the third studio at my house from 2002-2022 and now Astoria, Oregon. It is humbling to reflect back on all the various eras of my art life with its many great memories, shows, trials, travels and accomplishments.
Having a little timeline of the upcoming Astoria Open Studios Tour was just the motivation I needed. I switched my attention from some larger works in progress for two groups of smaller works in progress. Twenty one that are 4.5” x 2.75” and 8 that are 6” x 6”. The twenty-one smallworks are beginning to form into 7 horizontal/verticle tryptyches I am not sure they will stay that way but it’s fun! The number 21 is taking on a numeric significance to me since I was in my last home and studio for 21 years. Working on several pieces at once for each of the two series’, words like “vestiges”, “reinvention”, “twenty one degrees” are emerging.
This body of small works are physical memories or vestiges begun in the past now transforming into what will be my first body of small works in the new studio. Reinvention comes to mind in terms of what I’m yet to create, how my visual field has shifted with the addition of a radically different landscape. Finally the number 21 and happening to have twenty-one pieces in this series which is the number of years in the previous volume of my creative life. When the writing and the forming of words enters the picture of my process, this is when I know that the creative process has begun. The devleopment of these two new series’ are poised to debut at the Astoria Open Studio Tour. Working in a smaller studio in a smaller city, I decided to adapt to my new space initially by working smaller. This helps to work out ideas for the larger pieces that beckon from my fresh new wall and is very much how I work anyway, so, game on!
The low ceilings required signage, especially after the track lighting went in! The thing I love about the low ceiling is that I am short and I love the advantage of just reaching up to change the direction of my lights instead of shlepping out the ladder every time. The etching press was recalibrated with a captains wheel to save space and moved in by four able bodied members of this fine community with 1/16” to spare for the press table in the doorway! Ventillation was followed by adding a working wall, track lighting and necessary electrical upgrades for the use of encaustic. It is a 550 square foot basement so, I determined that I could work on one side of the studio and leave an open room for gallery, photography, shipping, art storage and display space for events in the studio. Remember the “Xemplar Gallery” Ren and I created during COVID in my back hallway in Portland? That idea but way better, we even have a lobby now!
The plan is to build a two story painting studio over the next year where the garage currently stands. I am waiting to hear back after sending the plans to the city, North Coast Oregon Architect referrals welcome! I moved forward with the basement space for the time being to have some place to work and teach small semi-private workshops. I created this space to eventually be the print studio. I am now in the sweet moments of creation in the new space. The days are beginning to have structure and my routine is coming back. The space is very organized and inviting to me as a work space and things are set up to move around in there comfortably. The ephemera box came out and the mementoes of my life history are finding places to be.
The vision I had for the studio transformed into a truly welcoming and creative space for anyone to visit and I can’t wait until you do! Put the Astoria Open Studios Tour on your calendar! Feel free to drop me a line for lodging suggestions. A long time friend of mine has two super cool Airbnbs in the center of town, Astoria Loft & Carruthers Loft.
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Astoria Open Studios Tour
〰️ Astoria Open Studios Tour
My first open studio in 2023 was so fun, I’m excited to participate again for this year’s Astoria Open Studios Tour! July 27-28, 2024 during the hours of 11am-5pm each day. 50+ Iocal artists! I hope to see you this Summer! I will be giving demos, have small works for sale, and some summer Sangria for the Summer sipping!
