IMPROVE YOUR PAINTING ENVIRONMENT

A couple of weeks ago, I refurbished my studio. The fact was, it had become so untidy and so cramped with stuff not put back in its proper place (mainly because most of said stuff hadn’t got a proper place to be put back in). I couldn’t walk from one end to the other without the possibility of tripping over errant pieces of mounting card or knocking over a precariously placed stack of framed paintings. Finally, it got to me. I flipped. The studio was fast becoming a space which I would be more likely to put off going into than enthusiastically head for. It had become inexcuseably uncomfortable. Sitting at a ricketty easel, hemmed in by boxes, packets of paper, and the assorted paraphenalia of my chosen profession was fast becoming a chore.

So I hit the DIY shop and, armed with a car-full of planed timber and several sheets of MDF, I began the long-overdue task of refitting my workspace.

It’s now well-organised and efficient. Everything has its place, and what amounts to nothing more than a simple piece of reorganisation has made it a pleasure to work in.

I say all this not to brag about my refurbishing skills (although, I must say I did rather surprise myself on that score), but to highlight something I think is both important but easy to underestimate or overlook entirely. If you’re lucky to have a room which you can put aside exclusively for painting in, make sure it is a restful space, where you can concentrate on your art with the minimum of distraction. It should preferably be well lit and have plenty of drawers and cupboards into which you can stash all your gear to reduce visible clutter.

For many people, of course, this is just not possible. Painting sessions often have to fit in with the routine of the household. Painting on the kitchen table is okay until it has to be cleared away to make way for mealtimes. If you cannot devote an entire room to your craft, then at least try, if possible, to make a small space somewhere within the house that you can walk away from and return to, to find your work-in-progress ready and waiting, without having to go through the time-consuming and inspiration-sapping rigmarole of setting-up each and every time.

I’ve seen some very ingenious setups, where people have balanced the needs of the family and the need for a personal workspace in clever ways. Cluttered spaces under the stairs can be cleared away and transformed. Maybe it’s time to open up the loft? The garage; the shed; the conservatory – wherever it happens to be. If you can designate a space that you can call your own, then the painting process itself can become a more pleasurable and satisfying experience.