It’s finally happening: after years of dreaming and talking about it, the garage is on its way to becoming a studio. Once we replaced our old solid garage door with a beautiful, satin-etched glass and aluminum version, the space was flooded with natural light.
Next step: clearing out all the “stuff” that gets stored in a two-car garage that we never park in. This led to a domino-effect of household “stuff-shuffling” and a hoot of a garage sale (time to let go of the now college-age daughter’s childhood bedroom set!).
The studs are up, and soon they will be filled with insulation. Before the weekend there will be a 72” x 16” hole in the concrete wall were the north-facing clerestory window will go. The walls will be sheathed in a ¾” birch ply that I can drill into to my heart’s content (the walls will be my easel). Rigid insulation will go between the ceiling joists, and the whole “box,” floor to ceiling, will be spray painted white. (Benjamin Moore’s OC38—thank you, Jordan Parietti, for that tip!)
When the electrician is finished, we will have a new sub-panel, and four of my favorite fluorescent “cloud” lights (in the stacked boxes, by Maxim). I have been tweaking the lighting plan for weeks, and we are installing extra receptacles in case I decide I want to add track lighting later. I’m hoping I can find low-glare, balanced-color LED bulbs that I can use in my track fixtures. Input welcome!
And boring but important: the air-exchange ventilator that will keep me breathing fresh air year-round. Still TBD: I will need heat in the winter, but will I need air conditioning in the summer? The garage door is insulated, but it IS south facing. I may end up with a ductless mini-split air con/heater, but fortunately, this can go in after I have a chance to experience the insulated space. Please share any input if you have installed these or other single-room heating/cooling units.
Sognefjord, Norway--or is it the San Juans?
Earlier in the spring we had a long trip to Europe, and I gathered hundreds (okay, thousands) of inspiring images from England’s Cotswolds, Sweden’s forests, and Norway’s Fjords. Who knows if one or two will lurk amongst my favorite Northwest landscapes in my next big show (March of 2018).
I’ve done a few private commissions since my show last fall, and I always appreciate how much I learn from my clients in these rewarding endeavors. I will be free to take on more commissions starting the summer of 2018.
Meanwhile, I will have a handful of paintings in two juried shows this summer:
“Resonance"
The Arts at the Port Juried Exhibition at the Anacortes Arts Festival
Anacortes Port Transit Shed
July 29th through August 6th
Opening reception: on July 29th from 6:00 to 9:00 (always a great event—come if you can!)
Juror: Pablo Schugurensky
“Seasons”
The Women Painters of Washington Summer Juried Show
Childhood’s End Gallery, 222 4th Ave. W., Olympia, WA
August 4 through September 16, 2017
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 5th 1:00 to 3:00 pm
Juor: Melissa Weinman
I hope I see you at one of these summer shows, and I look forward to sharing photos of the finished studio in another update this fall, as well as on my Christine Olson Gedye, Fine Art facebook page .
I plan on hosting an open studio sometime in October, so stay tuned, as it may include my first-ever studio sale… (Gotta’ pay for the new digs!)