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This month's post was inspired by a question about the reflective horizontal surface where I set up my still lifes. Rather than being a mirror, that's actually a piece of 1/4th inch thick glass sitting on the wooden tabletop of my study stand. The reason for having it there is that I often like to use reflections in the foreground of the composition —echoing the colors and shapes of the objects that are in the arrangement. Rarely do the reflections end up being really obvious in the finished painting however. Notice that compared to the actual objects those shapes and colors in the reflections are more subdued and depending on what the painting needs I might play them down. even more. Other times I will cover the glass with fabric or whatever if I'm wanting a different type of foreground.

Any glass shop can cut 1/4" glass to your specifications but it's also a good idea to have them bevel the edges so they aren't so sharp. Sitting to the back and right side of the glass tabletop I have a shadow box that is made from two pieces of wood paneling put together with hinges in the corner. I have a small rug hanging up as a backdrop but that is frequently covered by one of the various pieces of fabric around the studio which are changed as needed to serve as backgrounds. The shorter leg of the shadow box (to the right in this photo) is usually covered with a dark cloth to cut down on any reflected light bouncing back onto the shadow side of the objects.

The modifications listed above started with a wooden china cabinet I purchased from one of the local furniture dealers. The back side is facing me as I'm working --- painted black with a few screws added to hang canvases on when I'm taking photos of my finished paintings. Going around to the opposite side with the glass doors (photo at top) you can see what would normally be the front of the cabinet, which is where I store a lot of my teapots and other paintable objects. As with most of the other furniture in my studio, I've attached 3" casters to the bottom so it can be rolled around in order to take advantage of different directions or angles of light coming in from the north windows. Another feature I hadn't anticipated is that the cabinet doubles as what is apparently an excellent cat scratching post. While I do have several other spaces for setting up arrangements, this multi-purpose study stand, while not particularly beautiful, has turned out to be one of the most practical and well-used pieces of furniture in my studio.

"Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it once it is found." -- James Russell Lowell

The easel I've worked on for many years is a Best brand oak easel even though the label for it is long gone. I looked on a few websites and found several similar ones but they aren't exactly the same, so I'm not certain they still make this model. At any rate, I took photos of it that will show you the construction, give you an idea of the modifications I've made, and also I fear, some insights into my quirky habits. It lacks aesthetics but does the job! 

The modifications--

1) bungie cords to make sure the canvases are held securely.

2) I turned the bottom canvas holder upside down and it looks like I sawed a piece off of the top bar. Also added some rubber bumpers to the edges where they come up next to the canvas. All of that was done so that I would have unrestricted access to the top and bottom areas of my painting and nothing sticking out in my way.

3) some weights taped to the back at the bottom because one of my cats knocked the whole thing over once--painting and all. 

For larger canvases I either stretch them using a cross brace or nail another stretcher bar horizontally midway across the back of the canvas and then the top clamp sits on the crossbar. I do favor the smaller easels without wide upright bars on each side that often get in the way of viewing my still life arrangement. Also, a compact easel like this is very portable. That helps because I'm constantly moving things around in order to view and paint the natural light from different angles and directions.

     Thinking back on my various travels throughout Europe and the United States, some of my most treasured memories are of the artist's studios I've visited. It was a dream come true when I was able tour Monet's gardens in Giverny. In 1991, an award from the John F and Anna Lee Stacey Scholarship helped fund my trip to Sorolla's home in Madrid. Here in Taos,  every time I visit Nicolai Fechin's home and studio, with it's beautiful hand carved woodwork and furnishings, I'm in awe all over again. There's such a special feeling, such a privilege, to get a feel for the space where an artist did their work and to gain some insight into what inspired their creativity. I expected to be bowled over visiting these places and indeed I was.

     Oddly enough, perhaps my favorite studio visit came about as a complete surprise. I ended up at Atelier de Cezanne more as happenstance, since my aunt and uncle who I was traveling with were insistent on going. Although I've always enjoyed Cezanne's paintings, it's fair to say his work hasn't been one of my primary influences so maybe because of that I didn't have a lot of expectations. The setting for the home in Aix-en-Provence is lovely, unpretentious and quiet. As I recall (this was several decades ago) there were a few people around but not the crowds and lines to get in like one encounters in or near the big cities. Yet, this relatively modest studio made such an indelible impression on me! In retrospect it could have been the authentic messiness of it --- paintings (which were reproductions) leaning against the wall or easel, a shelf of beloved objects that had found their way into his compositions. Even the decaying fruit and vegetables around added to the charm. The apples drying out and shriveling and onions with tall green sprouts and were certainly authentic from my point of view. It very much felt as though Cezanne himself had just stepped out for lunch and would return momentarily. Highly recommended as a memorable place to spend some time if you are ever in the south of France. Or.... thanks to the miracle of the internet, you can take a virtual tour right now! There's plenty more to see of Cezanne's atelier at Youtube, various websites and Google images.