This is a pic of the studio in its current state, with a roof added to the front and french doors replacing the wood ones. The roof allows me to have the doors open when it rains, adds indirect light, and keeps some of the direct sun from heating the building too much in summer. Oh yeah--and it's a really nice place to sit for cocktail time in the evenings.
I just have to add a few thoughts about the goodness of folk. Our neighbors, Ken and Nan Yard, and their two sons, Forrest and Clinton, have been friends from the beginning. We've been here 16 years, and were greeted on moving day by 2 little boys bearing a bag of veggies from their garden. (I know now their mother sent them to "check out the new neighbors.") Well, the two little boys have now completed college and grad school and have become wonderful young men.
Ken, a class A carpenter and cabinetmaker builds my painting panels. He also did the finish work in the studio. One day, he surprised me by offering to build the roof onto the studio and install the french doors. All I had to do was supply some additional labor (Rocky, my husband) and cover the materials. Quite an offer!!! A couple of months later, and I have my completed studio, and Ken and Nan have some very happy neighbors and friends, and a large, colorful, encaustic waterscape hanging near their spa room.
All that's left is to finish the landscaping in the front, which will be tended to in the spring. Thanks, guys!
8 comments:
I enjoyed both posts. Good folks make a good neighborhood...We have the occasional cocktail hour in my studio as well...a nice way to end a day of working.
Hi Pam,
We are lucky to be able to visit and watch each piece of art in progress. I look forward to seeing lots of cardinal flower and milkweed in front of your studio come spring.
Nan
I have lucked out and have an artist as a neighbor--- something in common is extra nice. Also, my studio is a mess as we removed a wall to enlarge it and it is getting back to being step by step. I am still thinking about your Dark paintings post.
Wow, quite a nice change. I remember when you said you were about to get a porch roof; I didn't know about the french doors. Beautiful!
One of the interesting things about going into different studios is that I get to see something of the work styles of the inhabitants as well as work in progess. Unlike Open Studios when everybody cleans up, studio visits are more informal--still spiffed up a bit, usually, but retaining the workstyle that makes them unique.
I loved seeing your total immersion in image and medium. It's obviously working for you.
Nice! I can see the current state is a big improvement and makes the deck become a porch - always a good touch that makes a building seem more welcoming both from outside and in. The French doors are also good for light and for breaking the barrier of walls. I had them in my last studio and they were a great addition. Congratulations on such good neighbors. We should all be so lucky.
Thanks, all for your comments. I grew up in a house with 2 porches--open in the front of the house, and screened in at the back. When I was a teenager, and up to no good, I practically lived on those front steps. Sometimes with friends, sometimes not.
And just for the record, I will say that my studio was not spiffed up one bit for Joanne's visit, which was a spur of the moment thing. As I said in an earlier post, I felt like she was seeing the inside of my head! (Not a bad thing, in this case.)
I enjoyed visiting your studio on Joanne Mattera's Blog, in her fourth installment of "What I Saw This Summer". Your rich jewel palette is beautiful.
Hi Pam - I'm a bit late in catching up, but I love seeing your studio - from the outside here on your post, to the inside at Joanne's blog. Wonderful space, and nice to see things in progress. Hope to visit in person next time I'm in Jersey!
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