Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Housework Hell: "The Reveal!"


Every now and then ya gotta reel it in. Stagg's studio was taking up more and more space on the floor and he would have to take an hour just to set up and get space to work. I've been wanting to get shelves for him for quite a while, and on the weekned Sara gave us a ride to pick up supplies. The above photo is Stagg's studio space on Friday night. Can you see his his black drawing board/desk? It's buried behind canvases and god knows what else.

We share the living room as a work space and this is "my half". Lately...I knew we were in trouble...entering an event horizon when Stagg starting working on my side of the room. Ahem. We both use this "paint caddy"...it's a kitchen butcher block, on wheels, that we found in the garbage a couple of years ago and hauled it inside. We can move our paints and a little work area near our paintings and it's great. Lately it's been bending under the weight of paint and tools. Stagg and I have very different styles of working...so I had to come up with something that would work for him.

Some tools of the trade.

"The Reveal!" Well, this is after. You can see where I've made a protective flooring with the first layer plastic, then cardboard duct taped all to protect the original floor. We sorted out all of his boxes with and separated materials. We went through all his variety of collage materials and are putting them on the shelves. Usually he has boxes filled with things he finds on the street, or papers, any kind of empherma...and then he loses them quite often in a box somewhere. We found all kinds of treasures. Tonight he is putting together a bunch of things for Mail Art. I am going to film him putting a couple of Mail Art pieces together and going to the post office to send them on the weekend. And Look! You can see his drawing board/desk! He can actually sit on a chair and use it now. I am hanging plastic on the clear wall next to it, to protect the wall, so he can do larger paintings and drip or spill with no worries.


Here is a definition of Mail Art
Mail Art blog

6 comments:

Unknown said...

wow! what a lot of work! huge reward tho, great job to you both!

Candy Minx said...

Thanks, it feels really good! I still have a couple days of other things because this affects the whole place. We are putting shelves in a closet to hold books and cds. A few stackable containers in hall closet for winter hats and gloves.

Did you see Oprah today...ha! It was about cleaning your messy house. I was laughing so hard. I wish Peter Walsh would knock on my door!

Gardenia said...

Oh - uh, still thinking of a "vacation" on the beach? How much do you charge for clutter consulting? Seriously, I am seriously impressed!!!! Convenient work space where one can find their supplies and work without worrying about floor, walls, and finding things is my idea of heaven.

brassawe said...

Yes, I can! I can see Stagg's drawing board/desk now!

Candy Minx said...

Gardenia, I have done a number of contracts helping people sort out their clutter. It's a strange job because quite often...people really believe their odds and ends are important...or valuable on intangible levels. A lot of the time when I begin such a contract I spend an afternoon or morning talking about their situation...and all through the work. I used to love the tv show "clean sweep"...and he was on Oprah today. I have have had some moments where I felt like I was going crazy though...but is it ever feel uplifting around here right now!

Steve, yea! Then most of my work is done! Oprah offered a coupon on her show and web site today for "the container store" I'm going to look for clear glass or plastic bins for some of Stagg's collage materials. Yippee!

Anonymous said...

Hi, Candy,
This is giving me inspiration. So cathartic, isn't it, when things are cleared out and tidied. Your house seems to have wonderful natural light,btw. Guess what, my 12yo daughter wants to be an artist/teacher, and I showed her your blog, was pleased to give her some good role models!
Margaret/Penelope

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