STUDIO TIDYING – MIXED MEDIA AREA
Since creating a new “clean area” under the window in my studio, my old “main work area” is now designated as “mixed media area.” This is how it looked a year ago, after I’d done some tidying (you wouldn’t think so!).
This area is now going to be where I do only messy stuff like working with gel media, acrylics, glues and inks. Drawing, watercolour painting and calligraphy will be confined to the clean area.
Here is the new clean area under the window, with the new metal shelving units, showing work in progress and completed.
In the photo at the top of this post, you can see the large revolving ink pad storage tower. When I was using the main work area, its position was fine, and easily accessible. However, with the new storage unit under the window, it was proving rather difficult to get things in and out of the shelves because this tower was really in the way.
Today I finally got around to tidying the main work area/mixed media area. The original photo shows two boxes of stamps above the desk, which got moved into the metal shelf unit in the new clean area, leaving a vacant space. I wasn’t sure what I was going to put there.
The ink tower definitely had to be moved. Putting it to the right of the mixed media area made sense – it was still accessible and it cleared the space in front of the new shelves.
To the right of the mixed media area, it was a total mess. There was a metal rack with various cutting boards and other flat tools stored in it, and under the shelf, a couple of magazine racks crammed with envelopes full of all kinds of things like instruction leaflets, templates, Tyvek… This stuff has now been moved into the office out of the way. I cleared Dad’s old wooden box and tidied up all the various glues. I’ve put the extension lead out in front where it’s accessible and generally tidied the whole area. It was also pretty dirty so it’s had a good clean while I was at it.
This is how the mixed media area looks now, with the ink tower on the right. I moved the rack of tools onto the shelf above the desk, where there was a space.
There is much more space now. The electronic cutting machine on the left is also more accessible now the ink tower has been moved. The ink tower requires a lot of space because it needs to revolve on its base. I still want to clear out the little plastic drawers under the shelf, and may get rid of them altogether.
Here is a general view of both the new clean area and the mixed media area. It all feels a lot more spacious and better organised, and I’m very pleased with the result.
One great advantage of the sweeping curved MDF work surface that extends around three sides of the room, is that I can move easily between the different areas in a fluid way; it helps remove the artificial delineation between different art forms and encourages a greater degree of creativity and freedom. Further around to the right, on the far side of the room, is my sewing area with lots of storage, and the fourth wall is occupied by a cupboard and large deep shelves for bigger storage. I’ll show more photos later.
