Finding the space to paint

And of course, it’s never really physical space- at least with me. I am so fortunate to have an attic studio with skylights, enough room to paint 60x72 or a triptych of any size. I don’t even mean time- true, teaching at Cornell was brutal the first half of this semester, but the extra load has ended and I’m back to a manageable schedule, with weekends and afternoons off.

It’s more…psychic space. If I could do math I’d be able to come up with an equation: physical space+time x no appointments or meetings=psychic space.

I don’t know why, but in the “Before Times” I had at least two lunches a day scheduled with friends, or a morning coffee, normal social interaction fit in between work or other obligations. Just knowing that there was somewhere to go at a particular time would keep me from even starting a new painting; and the idea of running up to the attic to dab for a few minutes was never an option.

Since things have opened up a bit more I’ve been trying to free whole days with the goal of painting for at least half, or spending time at the computer sharing what I’ve done I’ve been motivated by working with my new art allies, Lori Mirabelli and Susan Washington, and to be part of a new online gallery, Nitro.

We all have different ways of working- I guess what’s important is finding what works for you!