Hello my friends. Life knocked me down for a little while, but I'm standing back up, and I have a new little art studio to show you!

Standing Back Up

Do you ever get the sense that when you are moving in the truest, best direction for yourself, everything in the world breaks down around you to try to get you to stop? Or maybe that's just me? That's how it's felt recently. I've continued to reminded myself that it's not over yet and that we can change things towards the good. And if we don't quit, we can stand back up. So here's to standing back up and moving forward in good directions!

New Art Studio

One thing I'm celebrating right now is that my new little art studio is finished. I thought it would be fun to share some photos with you. It's a work in progress (aren't most things?), and I'm enjoying the process. It's long and narrow as you can see from the photo - it's 15 feet long by 6 feet wide - enough space for a large work table, an open area for all my brushes and palettes, art supply storage, and room for both my small and large canvases - exactly what I need at the moment!

Feminine Details

I've never been much of a "girly" kind of girl (especially as the sister to three brothers and now the mom to three boys!) But I'm having a lot of fun embracing my "feminine" side and letting myself have pretty things around me. So one of the things I've always wanted was a chandelier. And since this studio is just for me, I got to put some pretty things in that wouldn't go over as well with all the boys in the house! So here it is; it wasn't really more expensive than a lot of the other lights, and it makes me happy every time I see it. Both good things in my book!

Rustic Details

I left the floor the plain concrete (as you can see in the first photo) because I kind of like all the aging and texture it shows. And there was this old wood beam across the top that I left exposed when they did the drywall - I really like the aged, dark color and the contrast of that against the chandelier (this photo shows it before the chandelier went in). I'm having fun with this!

Next Steps

My next step is to paint the other back cabinet so it will just blend in with the studio wall (It makes it feel bigger in there when I do that!). The photo below shows the process of painting some of the wood cabinets / storage pieces. The one in front is where I keep my medium size canvases, and I use the top for my paint brushes. I'm also trying to decide if I want to hang up a bunch of my art pieces on the walls or just leave the walls really simple. I guess I'll have to continue thinking about that one.

Most Importantly

And the Most Important next step? - GET PAINTING! So that's next!

Wish me luck and encouragement and motivation (I think I need all three!)
With love -
Kara Elizabeth