5/01/2008

Slob Studio Shots / A Reality Check

Today we wander into the pig-sty that is my studio. I thought it would be a learning experience to show you just how archaic things get for this wacked out collage artist.
My studio was particularly messy last week and when I took a break and came back to work, I had a good laugh. I wanted to share this with clearinghouse readers...Sometimes you see these really excellent photos of peoples' workspaces, and they are all organized and anal neat, and kinda pretty, with antique boxes, and vintage trunks and nice stacks of paper all arranged in neat bookshelves.
That's not the way it works for me. And I suspect others may fall into this category right along with me!



THE table where the magic happens.

I work primarily on this old oak desk. It has limited top space, but I insist upon piling strange objects in funny scenes on it ad infinitum. This ends up taking up about 1/3 of the possible room, but when I am daydreaming when working, it's fun to talk to the doll that is laying inside the cricket cage that is hanging inside the birdcage that has keys hanging on the outside.

One side of the desk. Strange styro head inside cage. That represents the other half of me, the half that is living in the world normally. She sits and watches while that second half of me gets crazy. Now and then we try a conversation. She doesn't say much.

On the other end of the desk is the group of mugs and tins filled with pens pencils and scissors. There's always bottles o' ink, Golden acrylics, and random glue sticks floating around underneath and on top of everything. Every now and then, when I start a new group of pieces, this mess gets cleaned up and everything is put into the drawers and wooden boxes they belong in, but they don't stay there long. Almost immediately upon cleaning off this surface, it gets trashed with the next wave of work. In fact, I think cleaning it encourages me to get messy> he he he.


The floor. It takes a serious beating. I didn't notice that my mouse was hanging off the edge of the other desk till I took the pictures!! Poor abused thing.

The most taken for granted place is the floor. I don't even attempt to try to be neat when I am at work, (can you tell?) The little kritzly pieces that I trim end up on the floor, along with good stuff too. When I clean up, I actually sit there on the floor and examine the waste paper before trashing it. Sometimes good little pieces that I cut get stuck on my shirt or whatever and end up on the floor. I hate to lose a good head by just scooping up the mess and tossing it!! I have boxes of pieces that were cut and ended up not being used. BOXES and boxes ....it's really crazy.


These white metal shelves hold some of the many boxes of stuff I daily use. I currently have 3 full boxes of food labels. There's at least 4 boxes of loose ephemera and random pages from magazines. Theres' 2 full boxes of large nice ephemera pieces, the nicer treasured stuff. There's envelopes full of sheet music, and other envelopes packed full of laser prints from my photos. The list goes on and on. It morphs and changes daily. If I find something I intend to use, I better grab it along the way, because things get buried for years in these boxes. I once created a small little mini book, scanned it and left it on the desk. I haven't seen it in 3 years.


The other side of the room, opposite the main desk. This is a drafting table...with the second bird cage. Usually it's so cluttered I can't work on it.

It's somehow comforting to be surrounded by all these things. I like to be able to see everything. I know, it would drive a clean freak crazy, but it's the way I do it. Thank God the studio is upstairs and no one sees it but me and now YOU!

7 comments:

Mick said...

My work table looks a LOT like yours except that 2/3 of the area is taken up with the dreamers ephemera. I like what you said about that in particular: "daydreaming when working". That's correct!

Melissa said...

That looks like my studio too, except that I have much less stuff due to several cross country moves. A messy studio is a productive studio for me.

Laura said...

Hey there girl friend, wouldn't be interested in selling the bird cage or the old book on the desk there would you now? hehehe just joking, I know they are special things. I just receive a old phone with a dail front, desk version you know. Love the picture and only a collage buddy could love.
~v~Laura

Julie Takacs said...

hi laura,
you need a birdcage?
seriously?
i have access to another. email me privately!

Joy Logan said...

Whew mine is equally as bad a space. Maybe it's a collage persons thing? I keep hoping I will have one more spot to place the very next thing on to dry flat,lol,doubt it.

Joy Logan said...

Hey I've got the bird if you have the cage...just had 3 more baby lovebirds. They are too young right now and all pink.

Anne said...

Hello Julie,

I enjoy your blog. I am preparing art for my final assessement of a fine art degree and I am a collage artist. I feel that I am sometimes dismissed because it is 'just collage' and there appears to be an underestimation of the work involved in making this type of art. What do you think? Also I am interested in the fact that you put your work on display - are you at all concerned it will be used by someone?


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