Peek inside my studio- Day 3: Books

To be able to read, to have books in one's own language, and to have been taught how to follow instructions and learn from written guidelines is indeed one of the greatest privileges of the modern age. Only a few centuries ago the wealth of information I have at my fingertips would have been limited to a few priveledged individuals, most likely either wealthy, influential, or cloistered. A common person would have had a much narrower scope of information available to them. What a treasure to have the experience of so many master painters in my studio. What a resource when working on a project to be able to 'consult' them.

My bookshelves are one of the most important parts of my studio. I often pull out groups of books while planning projects. I sometimes buy books if I am starting a project that isn't represented in my library. My most recent acquisitions are a number of books containing Beatrix Potters work. I have been enjoying absorbing the ambience of her illustrations and discovering anew, as an artist rather than a child, the quality and delicacy of her work.

In the corner of my studio is an armchair that I use multiple times per day. between bouts of painting my chair offers a change of pace. Here I work out problems, gain inspiration, and rest.

As a 'self taught' artist I often build 'continuing education' days into my calendar. These are days where I will take a skillshare video or one of my books and sit down to actually do the projects. Yesterday was such a day. I managed to do about a third of the projects in an aquarelle book by an artist I discovered and follow on instagram. These mini workshops for one, as I think of them, help me to build my skillset and stay up to date with techniques.