Two Studios

I have two studios.  The one below is at home--certainly convenient but so small I can almost touch all four walls standing in the middle of the room.  No room for an easel or any large work and almost no natural light.  And after many years of having a home studio I realize it's way too easy for me to get distracted by household chores, gardening, email, etc. and set aside the painting.

The other studio, below, is at Tip Top in White River Junction, VT.  It is a shared space which I enjoy, has great light and is quite roomy.  There is nothing to do there BUT paint!  So I get a lot of work done when I go there. But it's thirty five minutes away.  

I  think complaining about the studio is a favorite thing for artists to do, because no studio situation is perfect.  The roof leaks, it's too small, too expensive, too remote, too noisy, too quiet!

But, in my case, despite the down side--mostly necessary materials in the other studio--I think I have an embarrassment of riches.  I know I am blessed to have even ONE place to work, no matter its size or convenience.   I remember reading awhile back about a very accomplished watercolor artist who had to give up his studio and was working with his paintings on a large piece of cardboard in his lap.  This enabled him to move the work in all directions and get a good flow of paint going when he wanted to work loosely.  Talk about making lemonade out of lemons!  So, I'm not going to complain.  Today, I am going to my home studio to finish two paintings and I am going to be grateful.