Most of my art supplies are either in storage or hidden away so that the house would look perfect and clean while prospective buyers tromped through. This isn't my home any longer. It's my house, but not my home and not really my studio. It's a room with a desk, a partially filled bookshelf and a cabinet with my art supplies hidden behind polka-dotted wrapping paper in the glass windows.
It was hard to have to remove all signs of art with a single exception (a painting too large and delicate to move or store). Frustrated by the realtor's and stager's suggestion to "put a mirror or a simple print" over the fireplace and find nothing but junk or items too heavy to hang, I decided to make something. It was pretty funny, actually, as I flipped through the pages of a book about encaustic work that I acquired with the intention of learning how to do it. There was a simple piece that inspired me, so I raced off to Michael's and bought a canvas. Working on the outdoor table, I quickly painted the surface, let it dry, then mixed more acrylic with a heavier body medium for texture and scraped it over the first layer. Fine line details were added with a paint pen, and remnants of handmade paper proved perfect to whack up and apply with a matte medium. I think I spent a total of fifteen minutes on this cheesy quick piece to fill a space on the wall. The best part is that my funny husband wants to frame and keep it.How fun to make something like a kid, not worrying about what anyone would think and just getting messy for a while! I am inspired.
So the house hunting begins. It will take 30 days from today for the house to transfer title to the new owners and we hand over the keys. I love that fact that every house we look at to consider buying, the first thing my husband asks is which room would be best for a studio.
This is going to be a wild month.
