My Studio Spaces
When I am at shows and events with my stand, one of the most common questions I get asked is how and where I create my work. People generally expect me to have a specialist studio space somewhere when actually the truth is far less glamorous! It seems to be incredibly important for people to know the story behind the art and then, by knowing, they almost become a part of the process. So I thought it would be interesting for my website visitors to find out a little more about The Badger Sett Studio and how I make my work.
MY PROCESSES
As an artist who aims to make everything myself, I need to have a space or spaces that enable me to do all the different things that help to complete my process. For those artists who frame their own work, they need a framing space as well as a place to paint or draw. A stained glass maker needs planning space, a kiln space to fire painted glass, storage space for large pieces of glass and a large table with good ventilation to construct their window panels. When starting The Badger Sett Studio, I really wanted to be able to not only produce the artwork, but also make as much of the background ‘stuff’ as possible, such as mounting, framing, stitching etc. rather than buying additional products in, ensuring I can fully describe/present my work as made by me in my studio; ‘Made in Lancashire, UK.’ In order to do this, I needed several spaces to carry out these processes.
THE HOUSE
Just over a year ago my partner and I bought a traditional Lancastrian mid 18th Century house in a small rural village on the North Lancashire/Cumbria border. The previous owner and his family had lived here since the 1980s and not many improvements had been made since then so the time had come for a considerable but sympathetic renovation. As we had a clear idea of what we wanted to do with the house (and as both of us are pretty practical people), we made the decision to take on the renovation work ourselves and so much of our time over this last year has been spent on the house. As a result, for a few months, my art had to take a back seat. We learnt a lot with this process and have now become quite proficient in lime plastering, removing various stubborn wallpapers (and glue!), re-wallpapering very uneven walls, fitting a bathroom, plumbing and lighting amongst many other things.
THE RENOVATION
From the very first visit we made to the house, the ‘room with the sash window’ on the middle floor (the only sash window in the house) with its lovely view of the village green felt just right to be my art room where I could do the majority of my work. Facing South East, it was situated perfectly to receive morning sun. At this point, I hadn’t completely decided exactly what discipline/s I was going to commit to. I knew I might need a space for ceramics or a space for doing art that might make more of a mess like painting or large scale drawing but I did know that I would need somewhere where I could just sit and draw and plan in the warmth of the house rather than being in a shed in the garden during Northern winters!
Before the serious work began in the Red Room...
MY STUDIO AKA THE ROOM WITH THE SASH WINDOW (THE RED ROOM)
We painted the ground floor in muted subtle colours but we decided to decorate the middle floor in various bright colours and statement wallpapers (because why not?!) and so each room is themed in a particular colour with a complimentary wallpaper. For some reason, the sash window room just felt like it should be red, and so it is.
'Delilah' paint from Earthborn Paints
We had quite a few issues when removing the old wallpaper as the different glues that had been used were difficult to completely remove and also the walls are very old and have uneven lime plasterwork. We wanted to leave as much of the house untouched as we could (plaster included), and felt that using modern paint wouldn’t look very good with the paster being so uneven. We were worried that the lack of breathability of modern paint might mean that it could work loose over time if some paste remained or if there happened to be damp in the walls. So we decided to use clay paints from Earthborn which was recommended for trickier walls and was supposed to be more appropriate for the age of the house as it is a traditional paint. It was quite strange to paint with for the first time and it reminded me of the feeling of glazing ceramic pots as it is so thick when applied and the water in the paint soaked into the walls quickly. I have to say it has been a revelation and we have had absolutely no trouble with it since we painted it a year ago - highly recommended! At the time, ‘Delilah’ was the only strong red colour paint made by Earthborn although they make more reds now.
If anyone was wondering whether the red walls turn the room red, it doesn’t at all with only the bottom third of the room being painted in this colour. It’s a really light space and keeps a nice neutral tone which is perfect for drawing and painting!
'Lepidoptera' wallpaper from Woodchip & Magnolia
I chose a butterfly wallpaper called ‘Lepidoptera’ from Woodchip & Magnolia partly because it had that ‘museum collection’ vintage feel about it, but also because I have very happy memories of teaching a very colourful GCSE starter project on insects. It was perfect for introducing the pupils to so many new disciplines and they always came up with completely different exciting outcomes. I felt it would inspire and motivate me!
Herdwick & Swaledale carpet from Wools of Cumbria Carpets
A lovely thick grey Herdwick and Swaledale (sheep breeds local to the area) carpet from Wools of Cumbria Carpets, completes the renovation of this room. The great thing with this carpet is that it reflects the colours around it, making it perfect in any room.
The Badger Sett Studio design room complete
THE DINING TABLE
At the moment, the place closest to a sink is the dining room. This is where I have done all my printing since I started The Badger Sett Studio. I started printing with tablespoons, upgrading to a baren (with lots of ball bearings) once I started to increase my production and to save my elbows.
Only in the last month have I bought a tabletop printing press which already speeds up the general process and then I hand finish with the baren to ensure I get a crisp print. I have a transparent cover for the table to make sure I don’t get ink on the table or scratch it. The other essential part of this room is the drying space on the ceiling - a large beam where I made a homemade hanging space. Unfortunately the ceiling isn’t that high so when we have a week when prints are drying we have to mind our heads! I am hoping to create a space elsewhere for this process eventually as it isn’t ideal (but it looks nice)!
THE STORAGE AREA IN THE LOFT
The storing of art materials and work shouldn’t be underestimated! From inks, paints and paper to mounting and packaging materials and all our show display equipment, quite a lot of space is needed just to store everything. The nature of printing in particular means that you can build quite a stock of prints that need storing carefully. Because quality printing inks can take up to a week to dry, it’s essential to keep a stock of prints ready for sale online or at shows.
I don’t have any photos of this area as it isn’t particularly photogenic (or organised)!
THE WORKBENCH IN THE GARAGE
This is the newest acquisition to The Badger Sett Studio and much needed to enable me to frame my work. The problem with cutting glass is that you need somewhere clean to measure up and cut it (to avoid scratching the glass) but also somewhere where tiny shards (that can break off when handing and cutting) can be easily cleaned up. Neither the kitchen table or my lovely studio upstairs are suitable for this so my wonderful partner knocked this excellent workbench up for me in the garage in an afternoon. It’s at a great height so I don’t even have to bend over for long periods when cutting glass.
I hope you enjoyed reading my blog post and I hope it helps paint a bit of a picture of how I make my work. If you have any questions, do pop them in a comment below!