The Blackbird Sings

Studio Tour

The Blackbird Sings Studio /// Photographs © Natasha Newton 2013

 Over the weekend I decided that the time had come to have a bit of a change-around in the studio. Frankly, it was a mess. It needed to be thoroughly cleaned, stuff needed to be thrown away, everything needed to be tidied, and I was longing to rearrange the furniture.

I moved into my freshly-redecorated-and-furnished studio back in late Spring 2012, but didn't add the finishing touches to the space until the Summer. You may have seen it in this blog post here. Anyway, having worked in the room for several months, I decided that - as pretty as it looked - I could make better use of the space. I've also been having a lot of migraines and migraine related problems over the past few weeks and I know a lot of it stems from tension in my shoulders and neck. When I'm working at the table on flat watercolour paintings, I tend to hunch over and hold myself in a certain position for hours. If you're an artist or illustrator, you may have experienced this problem.

I bought a great tilted drawing board a couple of years ago (this one) but, in its previous location, my studio table was never fully extended (I bought this Ikea Bjursta table in white) and therefore was always too cluttered to make room for the drawing board. After months of suffering, I'd finally had enough. It became clear that I needed to find a new place for the table so that I could fully extend it; to make room for the drawing board and also make use of the great natural light coming in through the window.

So I moved the table into the nook between the wardrobe/storage cupboard and window, and the easel (for larger canvas paintings) and office chair moved to the other end of the room. The long metal cabinet was relocated to where the table used to be. It took the best part of a day to totally clean and rearrange the room, but it was so worth it! It's much more practical, and the space feels larger, which is an unexpected bonus.

In other news, I'm off to Aldeburgh with Leon for a week-long holiday (we'll be working as well as relaxing) on Wednesday. The cottage we're staying in should have an internet connection, so I'm hoping to be able to blog from there! I can't wait...

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I've been kind of busy over on the other blog recently, and I certainly don't want to neglect this one, so I thought I'd share some images from the studio today until I find the time to write a longer post. I've had several topics floating around in my mind recently that I'd like to write about; my feelings about art, running a business, and creativity in general. Once these vague thoughts turn into something more concrete, I'll make the time to share them properly.

To be totally honest, I'm feeling a bit frustrated at the moment because there are so many things I want (and need) to do, yet life keeps throwing distractions and complications my way, and at the end of each evening I think, "Where did the day go?". The time flies by, and no matter how organised I've been during the day, each day ends with the feeling that I didn't achieve as much as I wanted to. I know life is like that - it's always going to be full of interruptions and distractions - but I've really had my fair share over the past month or so, as you'll know about in more detail if you've been reading the blogs or following on twitter.

I gave up Instagram and my personal Facebook page (I still have an art page, and it's here if you'd like to see it), partly because I wanted to concentrate more on my blog(s) and I knew I didn't have time to do everything, so I had to choose. I want to write more posts, not just featuring my art but also talking a little more about the 'behind the scenes' type of stuff, and I want to podcast too - I bought a great sound recorder last year and haven't even really used it yet! I want to be able to offer more advice to other artists and people running their own creative business, and I'd also like to do some 'work in progress / progression' blogs. I'm hoping that once things have settled down here, I'll be able to do that.

Anyway, it was a bright afternoon in the studio (so nice to have some sunshine in the midst of this long winter), so I took a few photographs to capture the moment, and the little painted stone I was working on earlier today...

© Natasha Newton 2013

{ By the way, the owl cross-stitch is by Kimberly Scola. }

The New Blackbird Sings Studio (Photos - at last!)

This week I finally finished my new studio space! As I mentioned in the previous blog post, I'd had to put it on hold for a little while so that I could concentrate on meeting my art deadlines by the end of July, but I was keen to complete the studio this week because I'm now making a start on the work for my upcoming solo show this Autumn. I wanted everything to be organised and tidy before I start working like an absolute maniac over the next couple of months or so - I've discovered from experience that if my workspace is tidy I can actually work more efficiently and not feel quite so overwhelmed. That's the general idea anyway. ;)

I also recently found the final piece of furniture I was looking for - a metal cabinet / sideboard, which is now providing much needed storage and display space. So without further ado, let's get on to the photos - I've added little notes to a few of them in case you're interested in knowing where you can get something similar. If you'd like to ask me any questions about the organsation of the space / what I find works for me / or if I've missed anything out, just ask in the comments section below. I will say just one thing though: IKEA is the most fantastic place for kitting-out a studio. Many of their everyday pieces of furniture are perfect for studio use and storage - I don't know what I would have done without them!

Photographs of The Blackbird Sings Studio © Natasha Newton 2012

More interiors porn...

So.....it's my last day in Paris today. Where did those two weeks GO?! I haven't managed to do half the stuff I wanted to do while I was here (frustrating) and now I have to pack everything up again and head back to Suffolk tomorrow.

Oh well.

You know what's awaiting my return though, don't you? Two rooms in need of redecoration! (See the last blog post for more detail about this). With this in mind, I can't stop reading design blogs or ogling various pieces of furniture and homewares in an overly lascivious fashion. Today I ordered this little storage box, designed and made by bookhou in Canada. I first discovered them on Etsy and then realised they offer even more gorgeous bags, accessories and homewares in their other shop.

Images © bookhou 2012

It will look great on my desk, and it's perfect for storing all the bits and pieces that normally clutter up the space around my iMac. They make them in several different designs, you should have a look! It was hard to choose but I couldn't resist the geometric loveliness of this one.

And while I was out shopping in Paris the other day, I saw this drool-worthy Philippe Starck 'Super Impossible' chair, and it's been pretty much stuck in my head ever since (which I'm taking as a sign that I should have it...)

Philippe, you do know how to tempt a girl, don't you?

I love the black version with the creamy-white seat. I can just see it in one of my new rooms, either at the desk or perhaps the dressing table (although I'm swaying towards desk). Only thing is, it costs around 240 smackeroonies (that's British Pounds, fyi).

240 of anyone's smackeroonies is a lot for a chair.

But it's a classic. I'll love it forever.

Can I justify it? We'll see... 

Ideas for the new rooms: In love with grey walls.

I'm in Paris again at the moment, but when I return to the UK in mid-March there are some exciting changes taking place.

As some of you may know, since splitting with my long-term boyfriend in early 2009, I left the home we bought together - and lived in for eight years - and moved back to my mum's house. At the time, my brother was also living there too, so space was limited. I had to take the smallest bedroom, which is a decent size, but when you consider I've been using it to sleep and work in...well, you can imagine the problems this causes. Since July 2010, I've been dividing my time between the house in Suffolk and my (new) boyfriend's apartment in Paris.

I would love love LOVE a home of my own again, but that's not happening in the near future. I could probably afford a small place of my own in Suffolk - but do you know what? I don't really want to live on my own (especially as I already spend the majority of my time working on my own), and I also don't feel like using my 'nest egg' savings to help pay for it. It's expensive to live alone, even in a small place, and I'm only going to be there some of the time (but I'd have to pay the rent all of the time, obviously). It's also pretty costly travelling back and forth to Paris every few weeks, and at the moment I can't imagine paying for both things.

(The images below are interiors I've found via the internet over the past few days - I'll be using these as inspiration for my rooms.)

Image via www.furnnish.wordpress.com

Anyway, long story short - my brother has now moved out and into an apartment of his own - so his large room is now available again. It's a beautiful room with wooden floorboards, two windows, and sloping ceilings, and PLENTY OF SPACE! So mum and I have hatched a plan: I will now rent two rooms from her - Cris's large room, and the smaller room I'm currently occupying. The large room will become my bedroom and living space and the smaller will be my studio and workspace. You have no idea how much this will change my life at the moment. I can work on really large canvases again! I can have all of my possessions around me for the first time in three years! I can organise my life so that I'll be able to work more efficiently! I will finally have a place that I can truly call 'my studio'. There will be space for my easel, my art supplies, my packaging materials - heck, I'm even going to have a designated work table in there too! (This is particularly exciting because it means I will no longer have to work on the stones or smaller paintings on the kitchen table, fending off cats who like paintbrushes and jars of water every few minutes...)

The artist Cathy McMurray's home via the Etsy Blog.

Before you ask, "What's going on here - don't you and Leon want to live together?!" Let me tell you: Yes, we do. We are in a situation at the moment that doesn' t allow for that for several reasons, and it's part of our long-term plan of course, but not right now. So renting two rooms to live and work in whenever I'm in England - and keeping my costs as low as possible - is the ideal interim solution.

Image via Apartment Therapy.

Sooooo...you know what I'm loving about this scenario? THE CHANCE TO DECORATE! I haven't been able to get my hands on a paint roller for several years (I used to be a prolific decorator when I had a house) and I can't wait to get started again.

Image via www.homeklondike.com

Both rooms are going to be massively freshened-up and given a totally new look. Over the past week or so I've been thinking about what I want to do with them, and at the moment I'm in love with grey walls for both rooms. A lighter grey for the studio space and a darker, dramatic grey for the large room. There's plenty of white (both rooms have white ceilings and sloping walls), which will look great with the grey, and in the case of the larger room, it should mean that the dark grey I want to use won't be too overpowering.

Image via www.indecorat.com

I have most of the furniture I need (but I do have to buy a new mattress for my iron (double) bed - could be expensive) so I'm hoping I can renovate the two rooms without it becoming too spendy-spendy. I know how quickly things like lampshades, bed linen, throws, cushion covers etc. etc. can add up though, so I'm aware that this is likely to take a fair chunk of my hard-earned dough. I'm not going to stress about the cost too much - if I feel like splurging on a couple of items I will. After all, it's been a long time since I've had the opportunity to have a space that totally reflects my tastes and who I am. That kind of thing is important to me.

Image via www.ollieroseblog.com.au

I'm going to document the redecoration of the two rooms here on the blog, with 'before', 'during', and 'after' photos, because I know how people love that stuff. Ok, I know how I love that stuff, and judging by the amount of interior design blogs out there, I'm guessing I'm not alone. ;)

Image via www.forme-foryou.com

After finding so many inspiring images of grey walls (just Google 'grey walls' and you'll see what I mean) on the internet, I'm now ready to go! Now I just have to find the perfect shades for my rooms...