The building
of Studio 17.
It was
nearly ten years ago that I realised my need for a studio but my life at that
period was in a state of flux and some would say it still is. However after
many years of considering that wherever I happened to be was my studio I began
to feel with age that not only merited but required the comfort of a purpose
built space. Since my art work had become very diverse this space would require
four significantly different work areas. The main studio space would still be
my painting and for this I required both height for the easel and room to
manoeuvre large canvases as well as be able to step back a good distance from
them. This had always been the problem with my studio in Brittany in that I had
to physically step out of it and look back in from the adjoining room to obtain
the require separation.
The second
space was for my needlework and although I hadn’t been doing it that long I
recognised that stitching would always be a significant part of my creativity.
For this more sedentary work I would require a heat source as well as good
light. The third section would be more multipurpose but would cover my feather
and shell work as well as storage area, while the fourth and final area would
be a woodworking space where framing, furniture making and upholstery was
possible. This I decided could be housed in the existing barn and would not be
require in the new build.
To simplify
planning as well as construction I decided to go for a separate studio building
which meant that as long as I stayed under four meters in overall height no
planning was needed. Building regulations would still apply but I had no
interest in constructing anything that wouldn’t withstand the harsh Hebridean
winters. The project would not have taken place without the dedication from
conception to completion of Steve Adams a friend and local builder living in
the village. We worked well together but beyond this I recognised Steve was
someone I could have completed confidence in.
In the
autumn of 2015 I had Alex Mackay in to dig out and prepare the site at the back
of the old barn. My one fear was that we would hit rock but luck was on our
side and the bulk of what we had to remove turned out to be rich black soil.
The flattened area would now have a good nine months to settle before
foundations were dug. In July 2016 with the insulated and reinforced concrete
pad poured we were ready to come out of the ground with the timber
construction. All the wall panels, roof trusses and A frames we made and
assembled in the nearby large tin crofters shed which was a great help in
speeding the process up as well as staying out of the weather. Each section was
mounted on two small axels and wheeled around the back of the house and into
place and my long awaited studio suddenly took shape. There always seemed to be
extra pair of helping hands when we needed them and what often seemed daunting
to me turned out to be remarkably simple in Steve’s capable hands. As the roof
took shape my ability to clamber around in awkward spaced saw me doing all the
plating of the roof truss joints with nearly 25kl of nails. The timber cladding
firmed everything up and was quickly followed by the waterproof breathable
membrane, battening and corrugated tin. By mid-October we were water proof with
just one section of ridge left to seal everything off. During the long winter
months while stitched away for my stump work exhibition in Bath, Steve carried
on with the interior and by the time I returned in late May the studio was
insulated, electrified, plaster boarded, plumbed and painted. All that remained
for me to do was move in.
I had
arrived at the end of May with my van packed exceedingly tight with a good
quantity of my creativity kit plus extra house furnishings. Believe it or not
I’m in a process of scaling down but thinning or throwing out has never been
one of my strong points so perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I’m
spreading things about in the hopes that thirty years of accumulation doesn’t
look quite so daunting. When a George III red walnut circular pad foot drop
leaf table turned up in a local down-cycling shop for £90 I couldn’t resist it
reasoning that it would be ideal for display as well as working on.
Today Steve
was back to put in the wood (or in my case peat) burning stove and it turned
out to be one of the worst midge day this year with light rain and no breeze.
Keep calm and carry on seems to be Steve’s way of dealing with them while I
burka up, pulling down my woolly hat and zipping my top up to nose leaving only
eyes exposed to the midge savagery. Completed by late afternoon I light the
first fire and now as the sun dips over the ridge I sit, T-shirt toasty warm in
my studio while outside the window two goldfinches forage in the swaying seed
heads of sorrel and bumble bees still busy attending the foxgloves. It looks
like the heating will be very economical with three small peats enough to heat
the entire studio. I have exactly the same stove to install in the parlour
which will mean comfortable winter evenings with a whiskey and a good read. I
noticed in the mirror another facial wrinkle today running out and down from
the corner of my eyes, smile lines of contentment.
So with the
naive notion that, if you build it they will come I set the official opening day
for last Saturday; in hindsight possibly the worst day of the week to open
being change-over day for tourists while shopping, sheep shearing and TV sport
takes precedence for most locals. Let’s face it, there are very few people make
it up this far and even fewer who have any interest in purchasing art. Several
people have suggested I should be serving teas, coffee and cakes to which I
reply “you know where the kettle is and the cake tin, I take it black no
sugar”. Studio 17 is a dream of a place
for me to paint and create in but it is yet to be seen if it will also work as
a place to display and sell free from gallery commission.
