With my favorite time of year also comes the problem of the lack of light in my studio—the front porch. During the summer, I can work until 8 or 8:30. Now, I’m limited to 6 or 6:30. This makes it rather difficult for a 5 to 9er.
I decided to try working in my kitchen instead. I hauled a small table in the middle of the room to place my stretcher on. I would have preferred a portable card table as it would be much larger for better support. However, you work with what’s available. My ramshackle production ended up looking like a slightly twisted stick of gum or a silk and plastic teeter totter. Fortunately, my kitchen is a large square instead of a narrow oblong giving me just enough room to maneuver around the stretcher and thus avoiding the sink, counter, refrigerator, and computer station. The act of painting became something of a Mr. Bean type dance. I have to admit it was handy having the sink right there so I could refill my inks or wash out my brush instead of plodding back and forth through the dining room each time to do so. In fact, it was rather handy. I could listen to the radio shows on the computer, monitor dinner more easily, and actually finish my scarf faster. I know that in 6 months I’ll be back to working on the porch again, but I’m looking at this as less as an inconvenience, and more as another characteristic of having a nomadic studio.