Plein air painting tip- protecting your hands.

I'm heading out this morning to do a little plein air painting, so for now I'll post a plein air painting tip. This was a question posed to me by a fellow artist from Texas. My answer follows: Hi Jennifer,

Came upon your site from a demo you have at EmptyEasel.com.  I have a dumb question butcouldn't find an answer on your site. You use a blue glove whilepainting in some ofthe photos. Could you give me the brand name anddo you use them in pleinair? Seems like the ones I am getting do notlast through a paintingsession. -G.K. in Texas

Answer: Hi G.K. -

Your question isn't dumb at all. I still have a box of 200 white latex gloves collecting dust because they broke down so easily with oil paints and solvents. What I'm using now are called nitrile gloves.  They're thin and disposable, but hold up well to solvents.  I find if I'm not too messy I can reuse them for another session.

I get the blue ones you've seen in some of my photos at Lowe's or Home Depot in the painting section. I know for sure that Lowe's has them. You might try them out by getting a small pack locally, and then if you like them, you could probably find a better price online, especially if you buy larger quantities. (I also found a great deal on them at Costco, and they were gray, not blue. At Costco they're called "Nitrile Examination Gloves". I don't have large hands, but to be safe, I bought the medium size and I'm glad I did. They fit perfectly--not too tight, not too loose).

As for plein air painting, I use the gloves when I think to pack them! Sometimes though they can be a little much when it's 85-90+ degrees outside. In that case I just can't bear them, as they do make your hands "sweat" in the heat. But wear them if you can stand it. It's really not a good idea to expose your skin to daily paint and solvents.

Here's another idea I learned from fellow plein air painter Mary Pettis, who in turn learned it from painter Jim Wilcox. Dentist's bibs! If you can find them, that is. They have the paper towel properties on one side, and a plastic lining on the other side, so the solvents don't get through to your hands. I have yet to check out our local medical supply place, but intend to do so soon so I can give it a try. Apparently works great, and no sweaty hands en plein air!

Another plein air visit to Ginter Botanical Gardens

We are having such unbelievably beautiful weather here in Richmond that you'd think it was September instead of mid-August. So yesterday I took a short break fromstudio planning to do a little painting. Only really had time for a very quick little 8x10" study, --and an unfinished one at that. But at least I got "out there" for a bit and took a break from all of this building/moving stuff:

Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens has a wonderful feature called the children's garden. Lots of fun activities for the little tykes, and beautiful summer color for the rest of us. The sunflowers are fading but they were still holding on along this garden path. A few more touches are needed to resolve this piece, and I may yet add a figure or two to the path. So I guess this is yet another "work in progress". One day soon I may surprise everyone and finish something ;-)

More for the "ideal art studio" list

Note: An advance apology goes out those not interested in my posts on designing a home studio. I am itching to get back to painting in a greater capacity, but this studio stuff is a bit all-consuming and it's where I am at the moment, so here goes! There are a few other things that I've not included on my first ideal studio list because they are pertain a little more to personal preference than to "art studio", per se. But they're still pretty important, so I'll throw them in for grins.  I will preface by saying that my best method of decision making comes about by stating what is as close to ideal as I can conjure up, and to then go about slicing and dicing based on budgetary constraints and other issues. 

And to that end, our local zoning office has already been kind enough to get the slice/dice process going for us. We have learned that instead of a larger, squarish format at the back of the lot (which would have happily blocked our view of the alley) we are now dealing with a long/narrow structure on the side of our lot. The issue isn't so much the lot coverage as the setback requirements for our particular lot.

After allowing myself a brief round of ranting and raging, I went back to the drawing board. Right now it looks like a max of 16x24' working space, to serve the previously mentioned office and studio functions.  This is single story, but with cathedral ceiling and 9' walls. We're also looking at a 4' portico off of one end that can accommodate a loft area for additional storage. All subject to change, of course, if zoning comes up with a different answer once we submit our final drawings with the application.

But che sera sera. I'll deal with that ranting, raging, and nail-biting if it happens. For now, here are some additional items for the wish list:

1. Lasting and low maintenance:  If we can build this thing, it's going to have to last me a good, long time. One never knows what the future holds, but I'm pretty tired of moving. This will be my third studio move in 5 years.
2.  Aesthetically appealing: Aside from my "outdoor studio", I've had past studios in leaky office buildings, sheds, and even closets and kitchen tables, so for the record, I'm not THAT prissy. But since this project is, in large part, as a result of my artistic efforts,  I want it to be a nice creative retreat. Since we will do the finishing work, this is something that will have to happen over time; but ultimately I'd like a certain level of finish. I'd also like to find ways to integrate this structure as much as possible with the rest of the property, through landscaping, garden elements, etc. 
3. Less will be more: Whether we build or not, I'll be downsizing. If you've read any of my blog posts about easels and art materials you've probably guessed that this is something I really need to do any way.  While I'll be lightening my load, fitting everything in is still going to be a challenge. So I want the space to have a feeling of airiness and openness.
4.  Energy efficient/ eco-friendly: The big caveat here is that I have to be realistic about price, but I want to do what I can (and what I can afford) toward that end.  I do realize the "green"/energy conservation trade-off-- any upfront pricing often pays for itself over time in energy savings. But while we won't automatically go for the cheapest options, we do have to consider the initial outlay. And unfortunately many of the green building options, as great as they seem to be, may not fit in with my budget. 

In the beginning I checked into a ton of pre-fab/ready-made/kits/plans considered to be eco-friendly options, but all of the ones I found were either the wrong size/shape for our lot, or out of our price range (or both) and we're still talking about just products that were just the "bones" or "shell". So, we finally decided that for my needs we'd best see if we could build a semi-customized garage.

But what  I CAN do is pick the best materials that I can afford that have proven to conserve energy costs and production, and also hopefully to minimize the environmental impact as much as possible. So for a while I'll probably be reading more building material catalogs than art supply catalogs! I'm looking at roofing and siding options that will somehow meet at least a cross-section of the above requirements, plus other building materials (insulation options, windows with low-e glass, the solar tubes, etc.) It is a lot to cover and a lot to learn! And of course I might be jumping ahead just a wee bit. Here I am designing flower beds, and we haven't yet gotten the building permit ;-)

Lot Valley, France painting (WIP)

Lest you think all I'm doing is sitting around daydreaming about a new art studio, I thought I'd share a snapshot of a painting I'm working on from my last trip to the French countryside:

After working so often on small pieces lately, it feels good to be getting into something larger. This one's24x36".

An ideal art studio?

So all of this moving stuff has gotten me working on new studio plans, and I have certain things that I know I want for my next space. Namely these are: lots of storage, lots of light, good ventilation, and enough room to step back and forth while I'm painting. In the book Organizing From The Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern, the author suggests setting up whatever area you're organizing in "stations" by the kinds of activities you do. The Setup

• A painting station, comprised of:
  • Easel, palette, monitor, large mirror (set up across from the easel to check my work).
  • Additional items: Optional secondary easel for a larger wet painting or WIP, bins or shelves for my paints and supplies, a drying station - preferably a "drying wall" for larger works in progress, and/or some shelving to prop up wet panels after plein air painting.
  • A flat work, framing & shipping station (There are several different activities here, but for all of them I use a table with lots of drawersfrom IKEA and shelving to store supplies, organized by activity.)
    • Picture framing, matting, and mounting artwork
    • Surface, panel and canvas preparations
    • Packaging/shipping
    • Work surface for watercolors, sketching, printmaking, etc.
    • Cleanup- Utility sink, shelves, paper towels, etc.
    • Office (computer stuff, desk, files)
    • Previously mentioned in the above notations, but bears empahsizing: Storage (of all kinds- shelves & bins for canvases, frames, books, etc.) and as much wall space as possible.

Optional but desired:

• A sitting/viewing area- for reading and assessing my work
• High ceilings (in a smaller space it can provide a more "open" feeling")

I don't ask for much, do I? ;-)

Into the light

Of all of the concerns, good natural lighting is among the biggest wants for me, because for one, working with inadequate light is hard on the eyes, and in my current work space it has been less than adequate. But you have to be careful because if there's too much of it shining directly on your canvas;  it causes glare problems with oils.

Artists always talk about north light as being the best for the most consistent, even and balanced natural light in the studio.  But a north-facing studio isn't always possible (my northern light is indirect at best because it's blocked by the building across the alley from us.) And any natural lighting will still need to be supplemented by artificial light, for overcast days and evenings when I may need to work, and for this I've found a few options.

Full spectrum lighting mimicks daylight, and it's what I currently use in my studio work area. I have this long flourescent bulb by Ott-Lite installed in a regular shop light that hangs just above and slightly behind me in my painting area. It does a pretty good job on my work space, but I still feel the need to supplement with additional lamps.

The reason full-spectrum is recommended is that it is more "neutral" than the yellow cast that is often put off by incandescent bulbs. Artist Nita Leland has a good article explaining this further, so if you're an artist you may wish to check it out.

In addition to the above-mentioned option, we're looking into some kind of solar tube lighting. Friends of ours have these installed in their home, and it's amazing how much light it can put out. I light this option better than a skylight for my painting area, as a skylight can cause a more spotlight effect and the solar tube is less directional and more all-over and diffused.

One other option I hope to incorporate is clerestory windows. If I can get ones that open, they can serve number of purposes;  indirect natural light, additional ventilation, and the preservation of precious wall space in the painting area.

What's your ideal studio?

If you're still awake and reading all of this, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Anything I've missed? What's your ideal studio? And while you're mulling that over, check out talented artist Casey Child's blog - in particular his chronicles of the fabulous new (huge) garage/studio in progress- northern lit and all. His early posts on the topic have some great inspiration pictures too. I bookmarked his site some time ago, and in fact, his research is so exhaustive that I might not have bothered with a post of my own. But I'm nearly finished, so I might as well hit the publish button now!