Saturday, September 29, 2007

Still lots of stuff to do

...and move, but I thought I'd share a few pics of my new studio before I start working in it. Actually, it's additional studio space and where I'll be doing the majority of work. It's a cloudy day here and the pics were taken in late afternoon, so this is what it looks like in low light.




This is where I'll be painting with acrylics. I'll continue to do oils in the old space.







And this is where I'll work on watercolours. I normally work standing.




I only sit on the stool when I'm frustrated.


And this is where I'll be reading, writing and watching hockey.


I'll be in the chair by the window.

UPDATE: Today, as you can see, there are a few clouds, but it's mostly sunny, which is typical here. I thought I'd post a few more pics to give you a better idea of the usual light I enjoy in the space.







And H took this pic this morning. The shaft of light is coming from the sun room.


I imagine that's where the cat plans to sit while I'm working, giving me that stern look. She's my biggest critic.

38 comments:

Rhett Soveran said...

Cactus? :'(

Anonymous said...

Looks good! Any energy left? We have painting, shingling, cleaning....

Brenda Schmidt said...

Ha! I knew you'd ask, Rhett! I'm feeling very badly about the cactus. It survived the snow and looks really healthy still. H has been desperately trying to give the poor thing away on Trader's Post, a popular phone-in buy and sell program on the local radio station. We had a call yesterday, but the couple came over today said it was way too big. But the guy said his parents have lots of room, so he'll see if they want it. The plant people from the provincial building in Flin Flon came to check it out the other day, but the one in charge worried that kids would injure themselves if they touched it. Good point. I've had more than my fair share of nasty pokes. H got poked just yesterday. But we're still trying! Running out of time though.

Thanks, Mom! Ha! I imagine we can muster up some energy if there's a pie in the deal.. I'd work like crazy for a piece of your apple pie...

Anonymous said...

On second thought it looks too clean. I'll send you a few spiders so you have some webs in the corners.

Brenda Schmidt said...

Ha! It will look a lot different once I begin work. It looks pretty bare with most of my supplies still in the other studio. And there are no paintings leaning here and there for me to glare at, but I didn't want to submit you guys to my works in progress. Bad enough I have to look at them. :)

GM said...

Re: post three: "Good point"... hehee.

Can I expect my guest room to be so well appointed? And will there be room service?

Ariel Gordon said...

Oh, I like it!

Thanks for showing us (she says, mindful of the piles of stuff on her office floor, her living rooom floor, her dining room floor...)!

Anita Daher said...

Stunning! I'm with gm re the "good point" punny. Definitely worth a snort.

Brenda Schmidt said...

Ha! Ya, our house is not kid proof in the least. No kids in our circles, so there's never been a need. The monstrous cactus is but one example. But rest assured, G, we kept a nice sized cactus and a number of smaller ones. Your guest room would, indeed, be well appointed.

Thanks Ariel and Anita! The sun is out this morning. This is when I should have taken the pics! But then I would've got carried away with light and composing artful shots rather than showing you the space. Bah. Maybe later on, when I'm moved in and really occupying the space, I'll post the odd pic of work or me at work. A virtual studio visit.

Anonymous said...

It looks great! I love the clean-open feeling.

Don't get paint on the floor!

Brenda Schmidt said...

Thanks Tracy! After all the work we did to unearth that floor, I'll be sure to be careful.

Rhett Soveran said...

I think I see a spot beside the giant Christmas cacuts... maybe they could be friends!

Rhett Soveran said...

Cactus*

Brenda Schmidt said...

That's where it used to be. :(
It's H's amazing green thumb that created the problem in the first place. All his plants turn into thriving giants. If we were rich we could just add another floor to the house to give the cactus headroom. He advertised it again today, but not a call.

GM said...

Think outside the box, B. Like, right outside. Cut a hole in your roof.

If you had an ounce of love in you you'd do it, but you're cold and heartless and known throughout the southwestern US as El Diablo Schmidtador, The Cactus Killer.

You just wait for the day you're crawling along in Death Valley hoping for a lick of water. They'll be laughing. Laughing.

Brenda Schmidt said...

Good grief. That's terrible!

Anonymous said...

If you can bring it with you in a few weeks, I'll take it. Strap it to the roof of the car.

Brenda Schmidt said...

Tracy!!! Shhh!! I hope H doesn't read that. If my trip to Regina turns out to be Chevy Chase-esque, I'll get you!

Mind you, you do have the ceiling for it...

John said...

The sun just suffuses that room. Golden. Thanks for the pics, Brenda.

Brenda Schmidt said...

Thanks, John. I was a bit nervous about posting these pics. A room can be pretty revealing. Even at this stage. I mean, it's pretty obvious I'm not the flowery type. No chinz for me. And no romantic comedies, thank you very much.

The good news is it's been hard to budge myself from my chair by the window. At this rate I'll need to buy more books!

Anonymous said...

Ok, seriously, if you can bring it with you, I'll take it. I'm not sure exactly how big it is, and I know your car isn't the largest, but if you can, I will.

How many people can be said to save the life of a cactus?

Brenda Schmidt said...

Well, the cactus is about 9 feet tall, so we'd have to buy a ski rack or something. And then build a crate. And then get the crate on the roof. And the crate would look too much like a rough box coffin, so the RCMP would no doubt pull us over, so we'd have to make sure the lid is on hinges so they don't wreck the box getting inside. And hinges cost more than nails, not to mention the cost of the wood. Then when the officers actually see the cactus they'd look at us funny and then search the car for whatever possessed us to put a 9 foot cactus on the roof of our car in the first place. And then a camera crew would pull up and we'd end up on the news. All this would add extra time to our trip. Meanwhile you'd be sitting in La Bodega waiting for us, wondering why the heck we're late. And as the server is setting the table, the clink of the fork against a knife makes you think handcuffs. And in the spoon you see a reflection that looks like my face against the hood of a car. You give the spoon to the server, ask for a clean one...

I wonder how much it would cost to ship it?

Anonymous said...

Actually, I've been thinking the same thing. Could it be put on the bus? I know this is sometimes an economical way of shipping things?

I will phone the transit system tomorrow and inquire about a cactus-- I hope they take me seriously.

Brenda Schmidt said...

I found the bus parcel rates, but the cactus is more than 84 inches long, so that's out. There are transport companies as well, but they're not cheap. Of course crating the cactus would be the biggest challenge.

Anonymous said...

Well. What does one do. (That's a contemplative statement).

Brenda Schmidt said...

Sigh. (That's a sigh.)

Anonymous said...

9 feet long seems to exceed all shipping measurements, such as fed ex, and canada post. Who would've thought size mattered?

Rhett Soveran said...

*Penis joke*

Brenda Schmidt said...

Thanks a lot, Rhett, for pointing it out. I might not have noticed. Good grief.

GM said...

The solution is simple, B. Paint a mouth on with lipstick and put a hat and dress on it and pay one of the local miner types to accompany it to Regina on the Greyhound as his "catatonic, side-show freak mother" who he's "putting in a home".

I'm surprised at you guys. Your harebrained scheme quotient is dangerously low. Do I have to solve everything for you?

Brenda Schmidt said...

Eek! That's seriously awful.

Really, G, get out of that cafe now and haul yourself over to The Gates of Paradise. I expect a related poem in my inbox by Monday.

Anonymous said...

Oh my, oh my, what a place to work! Congrats, Brenda. Congrats also on th chintz index of -10.

Anonymous said...

...that's the chintz index of minus ten.

Brenda Schmidt said...

Thanks Leona!

I trust you're enjoying Eastend. Believe it or not, I haven't been there yet. Inexcusable really, since some of the most unique bird sightings in the province come from there.

Anonymous said...

Eastend...what can I say? My new favourite place to work, in Wally's old room under the west gable, from which right now I'm watching the sky turn colour above the sharp line of the hills.

Taped to the office door are a few paragraphs from Trevor Herriot's stay here, wherein he describes where and how to sight several types of swallow. Every species of swallow in Sask. can be seen in these parts.

And that's only one of the reasons you'd love it here.

Brenda Schmidt said...

Thanks Leona. Now I'm twice as jealous!

Anonymous said...

I thought I posted a comment the other day but I can't see it, so if I'm repeating myself, press delete...

your work place is gorgeous and fills me with envy as I look around my drey scattered with books, papers, photos, a hatbox with my manuscript stewing inside it, little mounds of material which I think might be last winter's clothes... oh yes, and electrical/electronic cords...

how do you do it? work that is?

I love to see people's work spaces and the way they organize their thoughts. At Banff, I organized an "open house" day in our last week, where anyone who wanted, let the other writers in to look at the rooms they had been sleeping, eating, writing in etc. for 5 weeks. Fascinating.

I don't know if this holds true or not, but the writers who were super organized, had charts, files etc. etc. and tidy rooms, were the most PUBLISHED!!!! Hmmmm. Sets the mind to wondering.

I'll post a pic of my office on my blog.

sigh...

Brenda Schmidt said...

Thanks Sms! Since the space is new, it lacks the worked-in look. I imagine that will change quickly. Mind you, my other studio space has always been quite orderly. Too much chaos agitates me when I'm painting. And when I'm reading. That's never good. Writing is different. I'll post a few pics of my office as it looks today, so you can see what it looks like when I'm in the middle of way too many things.