Recently I was looking through some old pictures. I came across these couple of images from Tacoma, WA. They sent me back in time, made me think about this space again... It was in fact my first real studio. It was in an old apartment building in the Stadium district, we lived there for two years and loved it. We had talked to the manager when we moved in, asking if it was possible to pay a little extra for this room, on top of the rent. It wasn’t really a room, rather a small naked space in between two apartments, but it was perfect as a place to paint. It was full of old appliances and various old junk, collected for (probably) centuries. Kevin and I emptied the space ourselves, it took a long weekend and some sore backs and muscles.(Turned out) the room had a small window, looking over the bay (Pudget Sound) as well as the Stadium High School which look a bit like a german castle. Not bad for a view! It had a high ceiling and an improvised wood floor; I could be as messy as I wanted to, it was made for this purpose. We put up some boards on the walls for both pictures and insulation.
Looking at these photos, I know exactly which paintings I did in this room, which shows I had in mind and was preparing for. I remember the pictures I hung on the wall for inspiration, how cold the winters were in there, and the little broken glass in one of the small window panes...
This studio was its’ own chapter, and it holds a lot of nostalgia. While still living in Tacoma we moved to a house in the north end, and I got my own little room there too. A very different place; a small cozy “log cabin” of a room with a window overlooking our cute flower garden. A different place, and some different work. At this moment I have a tiny room with french doors, green walls and bamboo flooring. Looking over a parking lot. I have loved all my studios - not sure you can work in them if you don’t?
To me whey become separate chapters, and I am excited having to move once in a while and change space. Good for moving and changing the direction of the mind!
