As of right now I am putting myself on paint probation. Yep. It's serious.
For thirty days in January I painted in my studio. Unfortunately that led to very little time to put things away (like paint), a few trips to the art store (to buy paint) and pretty much total chaos (of paint) in my studio. This morning I decided it might make sense to organize my studio. First I organized my paintings and canvases. (You might remember my previous post about being a canvas hoarder.) Then I tackled the many tubes and jars of acrylic paint. I organized them by color (for about the 10th time) in my favorite aqua colored rolling metal trays from ikea. As you can see, the result is completely ridiculous. I have way too many tubes and jars of paint. I have no idea why I have so many tubes of yellow paint (like 20ish) and aqua paint (like 20ish). I honestly had no idea I had this much acrylic paint. Especially in the two colors previously mentioned. The end result? I am on paint probation. I cannot and will not buy any more paint. (At least until I have less than five containers of blue, aqua, green, yellow and red paint.) Maybe it's easier if I paint all of my February abstracts in the color palette of aqua and yellow. That might work. So I am curious. Do you have an organized studio? Or a paint problem?
17 Comments
2/2/2016 08:20:34 am
I have to get this place back into some kind of shape after the 30 -30. it seems a great number of us let things got to rack and ruin. Now I'm cracking the whip, gotta do the the basics etc
Reply
Leslie Saeta
2/2/2016 10:45:50 pm
I promise you will not see me at the Art store!
Reply
Karin
2/2/2016 09:00:02 am
I too have a lot of paint. And a lot of white and yellow for some reason. And also nearly every shade of red--cool and warm.
Reply
Leslie Saeta
2/2/2016 10:46:39 pm
You are very organized Karin! Very impressive.
Reply
2/3/2016 09:23:41 am
I cleaned my desk off after the challenge ended. Like taking a deep breath to start something new. I had paint and paper everywhere. (Didn't do any canvases this time, but I have a small stack of them ready to go.)
Reply
Leslie Saeta
2/3/2016 09:27:39 am
Ahhh ... a painting challenge where you try to use up all of your old paint! Great idea. Haha.
Reply
2/3/2016 09:33:54 am
I so understand this. I have two studios which is one problem. But no matter the lists I can't remember most colors that I own.
Reply
2/3/2016 10:17:40 am
This is too funny. I'm the same way. I like your trays. Happy Painting. Hugs. Sally
Reply
2/3/2016 10:29:26 am
I have a great storage solution - an old steelcase cabinet/toolbox, 33 drawers, on casters. Perfect height for my palette to rest on, perfect storage for all my paints and brushes, sorted by color and size. But I so covet those IKEA carts (I have 2 vintage enameled tea carts that I store paper and flat panels on, and I'm sadly out of room or else I'd have those too!)
Reply
2/3/2016 10:43:03 am
The only difference for us watercolor painters is that our tubes are MUCH smaller. I store my colors in different baggies and I have a separate baggie with just the current colors on my palette for easy refills. But I'd sure like to have some aqua carts...now WHAT could I put in THOSE!?
Reply
2/3/2016 01:15:36 pm
After reading the comments I begin to wonder if I am an artist at all - lol. My studio space is pretty neat, my paints are organized, my canvases are organized and so are my brushes. I just had my husband put up a new shelf in my studio and it is still empty. Guess I could go to the art supply store - if we had one!
Reply
Sally in the 818
2/3/2016 01:24:47 pm
Wow that's pretty good! At least it's organized.
Reply
2/3/2016 01:33:16 pm
Not as much paint as you Leslie, but I have acrylics, oils, and pastels. I also do sculpture in clay and stone, so there is that! I put my oils in tool boxes with little drawers...it works perfectly and my acrylics in a rolling cart with lots of drawers. The pastels are in boxes in another unit. I also cleaned and reorganized after 30 in 30. I actually am a bit stingy about paint so I need to get more!
Reply
2/3/2016 04:17:46 pm
Holy Moly Leslie! I guess you do have some paint! Makes my neat, color coordinated containers look timid by comparison.😜
Reply
This sort of thing happens to a lot! For some reason I think I need a lot of a particular paint color and as soon as I get about 10 tubes of it (cuz I'm SURE I'm going to need that much), I forget about that plan and move on to something else. I have drawers full of pint tubes I may never use! I know other artist who do the same. I think I will organize an artist's materials swap-like a ski swap!
Reply
oh do I ever have a paint problem! From September of last year through the end of December, it's been a whirl wind of activity- a wedding, lots of travel, a flurry of sale BIG and small, which all dissolved into one mess of a studio. And after reading Marie Kondo's book about the 'tidying' process and what 'sparks joy' ....well holy cow- I'm way overdue for a studio cleanout! Right, I'm hoping to make that happen after I finish this current commission I'm working on! ;-)
Reply
I'm "new" at the having a studio totally dedicated to my art. I paint on concrete, bookmarks, gift tags, smooth rocks, ceramic tiles, glasses, ornaments, note cards, greeting cards, and yes a few canvases. Each time I have a commission or a show, it's utter chaos until after the show, then it takes me a few days to put it all away only to pull everything out and rearrange yet again. It works great b/c I find items I'd forgotten and stashed away for "future projects". My paints are acrylic, a wonderful set of Prisma colored pencils, sharpies, pencils, my trusty eraser and pencil sharpener and sketch books. Paints are organized by color and yes I have bought duplicates, especially the cheepie 2 oz bottles that seem to breed. Painting on concrete destroys brushes - separate container makes a difference, especially when painting a pet's eye and needing that fine brush. Bottom line is rearranging, reorganizing, and taking a fresh approach to my studio has worked for me. Found entire set of colored pencils I knew I had bought and "lost". Love your blog!
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Leslie
Mom. Wife. Artist. Marketer. Teacher. Radio Show Host. Archives
July 2017
Categories
All
My Favorite ThingsSome of my posts contain affiliate links for your convenience. Click here for full disclosure.
|