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My studio is a remodeled cottage which was the original dwelling place on our property when we moved down here thirty years ago. (Actually the cottage was preceded by a very old structure which is referenced in local historical maps and deeds. We've found traces of bricks and other signs of previous colonial occupancy just behind where our present home is located, as well as a wide range of native American artifacts dating back to 8000 BC.)
We changed the floor plan of the cottage and bumped up the walls so that there's a partial loft upstairs, and we also added a wall of windows overlooking our small river. We left room for a small refrigerator and relocated the sink, but removed the stove so that no offspring could decide it made a perfect home - although our daughter did live in the loft for awhile while she was going to college.
The wall of windows faces southwest, and on the western wall adjacent to them is a sliding glass door out to a small deck with a metal cafe table and chairs. Over the sliding glass door is track lighting, which I can brighten or dim, and I also have an Ott light attached to my easel. I paint facing the windows, with masonite behind the canvas so that light doesn't come through.
The place is warmed by a vented wall-mounted propane heater; it's not the most attractive solution but it seemed to be the most practical and efficient. I've got a CD player that I turn on when I come in, and a bed by my taboret for our Great Dane. I had a small office area off to the left as you enter, with my old 7500 Mac, but found that I don't like doing left-brained work in my studio, so that's in the loft for my husband and maybe someday it will be set up to work with an archival printer.
The little office has a closet with shelves for supplies, and there's also a closet under the steps that's perfect for storing unused canvas. And the walls of the entryway and wherever possible in the rest of the downstairs are covered with either originals or copies of my commissioned work.
Before we did all this, my studio was my son's old bedroom upstairs in our house. It was as large as I felt I needed and had the added convenience of often drawing me in as I walked past it, and I'd find after several hours had elapsed that I'd spent the evening painting.
As it is now I have to make a conscious decision to go over to the studio, sometimes running in first to heat it up, so it creates a slight barrier, but the space is wonderful and it's also a very impressive place to bring clients.
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