Photo: contemplating a day of quiet gratitude
This year I have been totally consumed with building my new painting studio from scratch.
When the studio passed its final county inspection just over a week ago,
after a year of record-winter weather delays, local county inspection delays,
delivery delays, and general custom construction hiccups,
I was deliriously happy, or maybe just plain delirious ...
and more than a little exhausted.
But also so grateful to have a space all my own.
Photo: early morning after hanging the chandelier crystals
Although there are still things on order, like track lighting and the remaining window screens,
I am so happy to share with you a few photos of the blissfully quiet and empty
mostly-finished studio -- before the storm of moving in my supplies.
Photo: back wall of windows facing the forest
Yes, there are a lot of windows in this painting studio!
After raising 4 children during 27+ household moves within and out of the US,
and living in all kinds of houses and climates on several continents,
I knew I needed elegant simplicity, lots of light, and serene green views.
Photo: studio powder room
The bead board walls in the small bathroom are made from the same wood planks
as the raised wood ceiling in the studio. Before the ceiling was whitewashed and the
bathroom painted white, the wood planks looked very much like a Finnish church and sauna.
Over the small back balcony that allows me to step out among the old trees
hangs a huge old brass lantern, now rewired, found in Phoenix.
Old theatre lights from Ohio were rewired to light up the entry landing.
The side entry stairs look like a runway with the county-mandated lighting on each step.
The 1920's Deco farmhouse sink sat in its shipping crate in the middle
of the floor while it waited installation as my work sink.
To match the wide-plank white oak floor and keep the look from being too heavy,
the library nook has sturdy white oak shelving.
Finally the protective film and shipping labels were removed from the windows,
allowing the sunlight to shine through.
After months of delays, it was an all-out push to finish the studio by the end of July.
We didn't quite make the deadline, but here we were late one night,
hanging crystals on the chandeliers that drift down the middle of the raised ceiling peak.
We figured out the formula, in case you want to try:
One studio chandelier, two hundred+ crystals, two people, two hours. :)
As my friends tell me, it will take its own good time to feel moved in.
The contractor will be back a few more times with back-ordered items.
I've been pushing and shoving my old green drawers and the drafting table
and cupboards here and there to test what works.
Meanwhile, my middle son and his young family have been living with us
while he finishes his hospital rotations.
And my youngest son is getting married at the end of August,
holding the ceremony at my oldest son's jazz bistro, The Beehive, in Boston.
Maybe I should have had the "studio opening" while it was still
completely empty, because I love it so much that way. :)
However, the "studio opening" as such is not yet ready to be announced.
Plus, stay tuned for local classes and guest artists teaching in the studio soon.
And may you all have the blessing of a dream coming true!
