Saturday Studio Tour #12 - Visiting artist Julie Brown

Care to join me?

Illusions by Julie Brown

Today I'm off to Ontario to visit with Julie Brown of Wabi Brook Studio. Julie creates in a wide range of mediums and styles. She has kindly offered to show us around her creative space, so come come out & play! By the way, clicking on the pics of Julies art will take you to more info about the item. Now I'm going to get out of the way & let Julie show us around.

Golden Retriever ACEO by Julie Brown

JB: Welcome to my gloriously messy, work-in-progress studio! My studio is in an out-building on our farm. It was formerly a tack shop,but for years was just a place to store stuff. So, a year and a half ago when I was desperate to move my studio out of my tiny attic room, I re-claimed some space in the old tack shop. The building is 24 x 24 feet, and at the moment I use about 15 x 24 feet. My husband and daughter share the rest- for now! (I have a secret plan to take over the whole building.)

JB: Here is my space looking into it from my daughter's corner. I chose to have my space at the back of the building, even though there are no windows, so that it would be more private. I have a lot of shelves for storage (left over from the tack shop) and a wonderful 4 x 8' work table made from part of another tack shop shelving unit. There is a lot of storage space underneath. I mostly keep my art/craft show display stuff here. I love my hammock chair. It's the perfect place for meditating, musing, and a tea and chocolate break!

JB: Even though my work table is 4 x 8' it is always crammed full of various projects. I work in many different media, and always have several things on the go at any given time. I also have an out of sight, out of mind sort of brain, so I need to have everything I might need for a project in sight. Beyond my work table is one of my jewelery stations.

Horse Head Copper Wire Earrings by Julie Brown

JB: It's not working well for me, so I'm in the process of changing it around a bit, but for now it has my wire and sheet metal stash, my vintage anvil (which I kind of ruined trying to re-finish it, but that's a story for another day), and some of my tools. I just noticed that in this photo there is a nearly finished chocolate bar sitting on top of a sketchbook! I must confess it is everywhere in the studio.

JB: This is another tack shop counter unit that I use to keep my space separate from my daughter's horse stuff and my husband's tool and stuff. This is where I have my soldering station set up, and also where I have to put my laptop. It's the only place from where I can sometimes get a signal. Even though my part of the building has no windows, the windows you see here at the front allow a lot of light in. There was a blizzard going on while I was taking these photos, and it is still quite bright.

JB: In the back corner there is a little space that used to be a change room when we had the tack shop. I have plans to convert it into washroom facilities. It is a bit of a hike to the house, which is not fun in winter when the snow can be almost up to my waist! Because there is no running water, and also to keep true to my studio's environmentally friendly philosophy, I am building a composting toilet. For now I carry water from the house or well-house for painting, cleaning and drinking, but that is a problem in winter, so I am looking into other alternatives. I also hope in the future to use solar power as a heat source.

Water Lily by Julie Brown

JB: Also on the far wall is my antique desk that belonged to my grandfather. You can just see it under another mountain of stuff that is waiting for me to find another place in which to put it. I always seem to get to the "really messy" stage of my studio clean-ups, and not progress beyond!

Bramble - Oxidized Fused Silver Ring by Julie Brown

JB: This is my new jewelery station, still being developed (that's why it's so tidy!). I'd really like to get a proper jeweler's bench, but for now I'm making do with what I can find around the farm.


JB: The bulletin board has art work that other artists have given me, and other things that also inspire me. One of these days I'll get around to actually hanging it up!

JB: While I spend a lot of time in my studio, I gain most of my inspiration from the out-of-doors, so I often paint, draw and create jewelery in my "outdoor" studio, my garden, during the warmer months of the year. This view from my garden is one that I will never tire of. I often paint it, and it recently inspired a new series of bracelets called "Flow".

Rustic Copper & Sterling Cuff Bracelet - Flow 2 by Julie Brown

JB: My Studio, like my creative soul, is a work-in-progress, constantly evolving, often untidy, but always interesting!

My Journey Out Of Darkness by Julie Brown

Thank you, Julie, for showing us around your space!

I love seeing where other artist make their magic. Don't you? If so, pop back next Saturday for a new tour . We'll be visiting a talented Steampunk artist, but I'm not saying who..... You'll have to check back on 11/14 to find out.

Want to find out more about Julie Brown & her vibrant art? CLICK HERE for last Thursday's interview. Julie also generously donated the current Thursday Giveaway prize, the floral print Yellow Coneflowers:

Yellow Coneflowers by Julie Brown

Next Thursday (11/12) one lucky winner will be randomly picked. If you enter, it could be you! It's easy; just leave a comment before 1 a.m. next Thursday. Later that morning I'll announce the winner. However, this week's contest is open to USA/Canada addresses only. Prize ships free.

Julie Brown's art can be found several places online:
Website: http://www.wabibrookstudio.com
ICraft Shop: http://www.Icraft.ca/wabibrookstudio
Etsy Shop: http://www.WabiBrookStudio.etsy.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/wabibrookstudio
Facebook: http://artist.to/wabibrookstudio
Blog: http://www.wabibrookstudio.com/wordpress

You can also find her art at Soul Sister Creations in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. Plus on Nov. 27 & 28 Julie will be selling her art & jewelry at the Temiskaming Farmer's Market Christmas Craft Show at Riverside Place in New Liskeard, Ontario.

Thanks for coming along on this week's tour. Please stop by next Saturday if you're wandering the web.

Saturday Studio Tour #11 - Harry Boardman & friends

1 - Monster Art by Harry

Got Monsters?

Harry Boardman does! 1 year ago Harry started an ambitious project - to create a monster a day "from Halloween to Halloween" and post them on his blog 365monsters.blogspot.com and etsy shop 365monsters.etsy.com. His creatures are created out of a variety of material and have a quite a mix of personalities. Each also has a brief bio in the listings.

128 Original Monster Art by Harry

Lucky for us, Harry has stopped by to share a bit about his creations and to give us a tour of his studio space:

HB: A little more than a year ago I wanted to challenge myself and exercise my creative muscle. The point was to put myself on edge and take on the sort of task that normal sane people wouldn’t attempt. Aside from doing all of that, this project looked simple as a whole but became difficult fast.

75 - Original Monster Art By Harry

HB: The first week was hard. It wasn’t easy to get into a routine, produce consistently good work, and to be creative each and every day. It seems strange now that monster # 25 was a big milestone for me.

25 - Original Monster Art By Harry

HB: This has been an amazing yearlong project. I’ve posted monsters while traveling around the world, produced a large body of work that I’m happy with, included friends & family in my work, and found new avenues of business like custom monster portraits starting at $65.

Custom Monster Project by Harry

Last Friday, Harry had a live-action drawing gig over at Estetiks in Doylestown, PA where he finished off his year of monsters with these critters and the advice to "know your footwear":

365 - Original Monster Art by Harry

Now on with the Studio Tour!

HB: Welcome to the studio of Harry Boardman. Artist, monster fan, and recovering packrat. Although not a frontiersman, I live in the woods with my wonderful wife Heather (a lampwork glass artist and jewelry designer) with our 2 cats and dog-boy Morty. Even though my studio is in a subterranean situation with one small window, it’s really great. The space is large enough to continuously find new equipment to squeeze in and it’s always good to be down here. Besides, when the zombies attack it’ll be safer down here underground.

HB: This is what you see as you come into the door. It’s a lot to take in at once. I feel like this space is jam-packed with organized chaos. Good things are packed in here for inspiration, cool projects, and lots of choices when the right tool or medium calls.

HB: When my wife and I bought this house my current studio was a small woodshop with long wide short cabinets in it. Most of those cabinets were moved to an undisclosed location but one remained as a place to store and mix oil paints. I do most of my painting on this easel and large pieces go on an open wall behind this area

HB: Another piece of heavy duty industrial metal furniture, the drafting table is a super spot to sketch, layout portraits and paintings on boards, all of the monsters are inked on this table. This shot also shows my white board of insanity covered in color-coded thoughts, my wonderful Epson printer for reproducing my artwork, and extra storage that came as a gift from beyond the grave (the story is way too long).

HB: I keep all of my reference pics in the computer and do a ton of research on it. It’s handy for doing research, marketing, making excellent and timely playlists, and managing my etsy stores.

HB: The cutting/matting/assembly/layout desk is the most recent work space addition to the studio. I’m glad I have it every time I use it.

Be sure to stop by Harry's blog where he celebrated finishing the monster project by creating .... another monster!

Hooray for 365 Monsters! by Harry

He also talks about his next big project 52 Farms. Here's a sneak peek of Harry's artistic plans for the coming year

HB: My next blog project called 52 Farms will start in Spring or Summer of 2010. This one will feature weekly pieces that are larger and more ambitious than the monster pieces. I’ll be creating artwork based on 52 different working farms within an hour or so drive time from my studio in Montgomery county, PA.

HB: When not involved in a blog project, I take commissions for portraits of people, pets, and houses. Oil paintings and mixed media pieces of local landscapes, nature scenes, wildlife, plants, and animals are the majority of my other work.

Want to see some of Harry's non- monster art? Check out his 2nd etsy shop HarryBoardman.etsy.com as well as these other online locations:
http://www.portraitsbyharry.com/
http://www.harryboardman.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harry-Boardman/9012343994

Want to win a piece of Harry's art? Simply leave a comment on this blog before noon (EST) on Nov. 5 to enter the random drawing for the 8 x 10 matted print Sunset Parking Lot

Sunset Parking Lot by Harry Boardman

To read about the creation of this piece & visit a few more monsters, CLICK HERE for last Thursday Giveaway/ Artist Feature. Thanks for your patience with this belated post. And for stopping by today. And Extra Special Thanks to Harry for sharing his menagerie & creative space with us today!

Saturday Delay

Harry Boardman's Studio Tour will be up this weekend

It will be posted either Tonight or Sunday.

Sorry for the delay & thanks for your patience.

Studio Tour Saturday #10 - Ronald Ceuppens

Got your passport?

Today we're off to Belgium to visit the artist Ronald Ceuppens in his studio.

Actually, this is a tale of 2 studios. Ronald moved earlier this year so we have pictures of both the old an the new.

When first encountered his wonderful online shop Fleurographie on etsy, I was completely blown away.

It is full of fantastic etching which are both delicate & powerful.

Herteman, original etching by Ronald Ceuppens

There is an ethereal quality to many of them. Some invoke a kind of organic silence. Others have a playfulness about them.

2 headed bird, original etching by Ronald Ceuppens

Click on any of the art to find out more about Ronald's creations. I also strongly recommend you visit his website www.ronaldceuppens.be to fully enjoy the amazing variety of his artwork.

Vlindermeisje II (Butterflygirl II) by Ronald Ceuppens

Let's start with Ronald's old studio. What an inspiring ambiance!

RC: My old studio has a lot of nostalgia. It was the cottage where my grandmother used to stay during summer, so there are a lot of memories for me there which you can find in my work.

RC: I feel it has been this space that gave me the opportunity to start making my work and the direction I've followed the rest of my life.

RC: I am a graphic artist who enjoys nature. I like taking long walks and the itineraries of these walks are found in my work, reduced to their abstract form.

Flowerbird, Original etchng with 2 plates by Ronald Ceuppens

RC: Using sketches & objects collected during these walks, I make the designs for my prints.

RC: Reproduced in a repetitive manner they give rise to serial work in which each work speaks individually.

Ronald at work.
(This photo is from a Sept. 09 article in Ariandre at Home)

RC: View from my old studio, how I miss that place.

What's Ronald up to lately? Visit him at fleurografie.blogspot.com find out. Now, here are some shot of the new space.

RC: The reconstruction of images made up of such fragments is a way of preserving the memory of a place.

RC: In my work, I try to translate nostalgia for the past into a search for future pleasure.

Thank you, Ronald for sharing your studios with us. I just love the light in both of these spaces! It is a real pleasure to see "where the magic happens" and hear some of your thoughts that go into creating such enchanting art.

Wingboy by Ronald Ceuppens

Please be sure to stop by and see some of the wonders & reflections of Ronald's world:

http://fleurografie.etsy.com/
http://www.ronaldceuppens.be/
http://fleurografie.blogspot.com/

And pop back here next Saturday for a special Halloween guest. Thanks for stopping by.

Note 2011: Cottage photos have been recently removed at artist's request

Studio Tour Saturday #9 - DJ's Art

Mystic Cat ACEO by DJ

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust

Welcome back to another Saturday Studio Tour. This week we're off to Virginia to visit artist Dolores Jablonski. DJs paintings & drawings often feature nature and animals. There is a wonderful touch of whimsy in her work which brings to mind the magic of childhood. I was window shopping in her online store, DJArts.esty.com, when I spotted the charming ACEO Mystic Cat which has the Proust quotation on the backside. This phrase seemed to perfecty sum up her enchanting artwork.

Today's tour is part 2 of an interview with DJ. To read part 1 and view more of her art, CLICK HERE. DJ is also the sponsor of the current Thursday Giveaway. Next Thursday (10/22) 1 lucky winner will be randomly selected to win her original mixed media painting Inspiration. You can read more about this piece in Thursday's feature. To enter the random drawing simply leave a comment before noon (EST) on 10/22. Contest is open worldwide.


Now back to the tour! I really enjoyed looking through DJ's studio. It is so full of sunlight & nature with bright colors, organic elements & inspiring vignettes throughout this cozy space. So I'm going to step aside and let DJ lead the way.


DJ: Hi, welcome to my studio. Autumn is my favorite season. I chose colors that remind me of fall, painting fall leaves on the floor. Right now I have fall garland in my studio, but that will change with the up coming holidays.

DJ: My studio has lots of color and lots of treasures as I like to call it.

DJ: I have never been in a studio class room that didn’t have lots of items to draw from, branches, shells, glass, the cow skull (which by the way I am looking for one.) I remember being in those classrooms, ready to put just about any type of still life together. When I took a break, there was always something to look at.

DJ: Here I am with my dogs Holly (the yellow lab) & Abby (the black lab). They are my models for my lab paintings. In the painting Incubation, that was Holly when she was a baby. I've used both dogs for Christmas cards.

Incubation by DJ

DJ: Oh almost forgot, the floor.... The floor was primed and then painted in red floor paint. After that I waited for actual autumn and went on a leaf hunt of fallen leaves and took pictures of them on the floor and I used a book of trees to help with the more unusual ones. I printed the photos (on plain paper) to use as reference. After I swept and mopped the floor, I free handed the leaves in gesso , I painted the gesso leaves with strokes that looked like the veins in the leaf.


DJ: Since it's my fantasy, I painted them large as well as small. I used acrylics, to paint the leaves, following the gesso strokes. When it was finished, I sprayed the whole floor with a polymer, with a mat finish, so when I mop the floor the paint won't come off.


DJ: It took me about a year to complete. I wasn't in a rush and there are a few more leaves that need to be done on the opposite side of the studio.

DJ: My studio is my comfort zone, it’s the place where I can totally be myself and inspires me.

Wow! Thanks for the wonderful tour, DJ. Your room has the feel of a perfect autumn day.

If you'd like to find out more about DJ & her art, check out Thursday's feature. You can also visit her at these online locations:

www.doloresjablonski.com
www.DJsArt.etsy.com
www.DJsArt.blogspot.com

After you've left a comment here to enter the random drawing for DJ's delightful painting Inspiration, pop on over to her blog were she is hosting a giveaway of my art. CLICK HERE to find out how you could win my mixed media piece Trevi Letters.

Thanks, everyone, for stopping by today. I get so much pleasure visiting other artists creative spaces & I know from your comments that some of you do to. Saturday Studio Tours is off to Europe next weekend, so be sure to come back on 10/24 !

If you would like to share your workspace with others, just drop me an email (address is in my profile). The calendar is filled until January but I'd love to feature your space in 2010!

Saturday Studio Tour #8 - Artist Teresa Chipperfield

Welcome back to another Studio Tour Saturday!

Today we're off to Oregon to visit Teresa Chipperfield's creative spaces. Teresa, an artist & seamstress, will be walking us through her 2 separate work areas. Teresa is into so many different things; she also has multiple shops & blogs online. CLICK HERE for list of her online locations, as well as a feature about her art and creative thoughts.

Spring Blossoms by Teresa Chipperfield

By the way, Teresa has generously donated a print of her colorful painting Spring Blossom for next Thursday's random drawing. To enter this contest simply leave a comment before noon on Oct. 15th. 1 winner will receive the 8"x 10" print with free shipping. This drawing is open worldwide.

Now it is time for me to get out of the way so that Teresa can show us where she makes her magic. These first photos are of her sunny studio where she creates the paintings and sculpture found at PoppyPlace.etsy.com.

Teresa: Here are the photos of my art studio area which is technically the dining area off the kitchen. I turned it into my art studio area 10 years ago and it has stayed that way ever since. I keep saying one day I will get a bigger studio away from the house, but while the kids were young it was convenient to put down a layer of paints in between boiling potatoes and draining vegetables. It all worked very well and if I want to paint in my dressing gown and slippers nobody is going to say anything.


Teresa: You can see at present my art area is very messy; truly it isn’t usually this messy (well close). I am a very organized person in most aspects of my life but for some reason I can’t keep my art area tidy. I usually have several pieces on the go at any given time, one on the table, one on the easel and several on the floor, hence the very paint splattered floor. Do I win the award for messiest art studio?!?!


Teresa: I have a wonderful antique set of drafting drawers which I bought from a local department store when they went out of business; I can store larger pieces of art work in there lying down, which is great, but I also have to store some on the floor under the table. I have a lot of photos of my nearest and dearest on the walls, quite a few motivational sayings scattered around and of course the “Pink Monkey” is my Muse. Ok, because I spend so much time by myself creating I don’t want to look like a complete idiot talking to myself so I have the “Pink Monkey” to talk to. My sons won it for me on a trip.


Teresa: Before anyone asks, no I didn’t paint the Poppies. I wish it was one of mine, but I love to work mainly in the abstract. I love Poppies and when I saw this piece I just had to buy it - indulgent but an inspiration everyday.

Next up is Teresa's sewing space. Here she makes colorful clothing, like this Red Satin Waistcoat.

Red Satin Waistcoat by Teresa Chipperfield

Teresa: My sewing room/office is a very cheery room off the master bedroom upstairs and all mine.

Teresa: The first photo is of my sewing table and the corner where I stash my (as yet) unorganized pile of fabrics. This is stacked on top of bins full of organized fabrics. Next to this is my cutting out table, which is a dining table that has been in our family for 3 generations. On my sewing table is a sports T- shirt patchwork quilt I am making for my son who is a freshman at college. It is some of the T’s he wore in the numerous sports he has played in over the years. A fun reminder of games played and friends made. You can also see one of the waistcoats I make. These I sell at my other etsy shop www.DesignT.etsy.com

Teresa: Next is my computer area. I love the antique desk it is on. I am an avid collector of hand held fans and books, so above the computer you can see a sample of both. The drawers on the left are full of knitting supplies, lacemaking supplies (yes, I make bobbin lace too but not as much or as often as I used to) also organized fabric and in the corner is my wrapping paper department .

Teresa: The last photo is where I store some of my artwork, in the hallway downstairs.

Pretty In Pink by Teresa Chipperfield

Teresa: I love being an Artist and a seamstress and now my kids are all off to college this year, I am going to create ‘til my heart’s content. (well ‘til Xmas anyway) Thanks for letting me show you my spaces.

Thank You, Teresa, for taking the time to show us around! Want to see more of Teresa's creations? Stop by her Etsy shops and other online locations:

Poppy Place for art
T-Artspace.com for more art
Design by T for other handmade items
Vintage T for vintage finds
Poppy Place PDX blog 1
From My Female Perspective blog 2

You can also read Thursday's interview with Teresa where she talks more about her creative processes by clicking HERE. And remember to leave a comment before noon on 10/15 to enter the random drawing for a chance to win the Spring Blossoms print.

Thanks for stopping by today & come back next week for a new featured artist and studio tour. By the way if you'd like to show off your artistic space, just contact me at the email address in my profile. The next 3 months are filled, but I am booking January onward.

--------
Final note: I am still accepting entries for the Uprinting.com custom printed vinyl banner giveaway on 10/22 Click here for details, including how to enter