Thinking Out Loud

• August 25th, 2005 • • meandering, supplies, texas •

It’s too hot out! The temperatures the last few weeks have been unbearable in the studio. Last week was so humid, I could turn on the faucet and water would just hang there in the saturated air. This week there have been triple digits all week long. Sadly this means no working in the studio. I’ve brought items to work on up in my apartment but there are too many distractions; television and my computer being the main culprits. In addition, my computer desk is no place to do art! I am one of those people that needs for all items I am using to be spread out so I can see them; there is absolutely no room for this kind of nonsense in our office. The evening brings no relief from the heat or the humidity for that matter.

Lousy heat, why can’t you be cooler? The poor studio is such a mess. My parents recently moved and I acquired several new items, including a table saw and an air compressor. But with this heat I cannot re-arrange the studio to accommodate, or use for that matter, my new toys. How frustrating!

It always seems that the “To-Do” list piles up when one is unable to “Do.” Thus far the agenda includes:

1. organizing sketches from 2004 into some sort of cohesive notebook.
2. case several naked book blocks!
3. paint large painting on new canvas, er, first build frame
4. build structure to house: paper, boards, completed artwork, prints
5. re-arrange studio for actual use

I’d like to spend some time on item #4. Storage is fast becoming a big problem. It’s probably one of the bigger ones I’m facing. What is the best way for me to store accumulated paper, mat boards, illustration boards, finished prints, et cetera? My best plan so far involves constructing a 4′x4′x4′ rolling cube with shelves. If I built it to my ideal specifications, it has the potential to skyrocket to roughly $200. Outch. That’s similar to the price that keeps me from buying pre-made shelves. After some more calculatin’, I discovered that I could shave it down to $130 if I didn’t put my box on wheels. My father suggested creating a sort of “skeleton” of the box, using 1″x2″ boards. This bodes well for the money, but I fear it’s impractical for actual storage. (There’s no protection from flying paint or dust.)

This opens the option for vertical storage, which I loathe: it leaves my boards all bent and warped. I want the cube, as it not only will provide nice flat storage, but also a super-duper-rolling work surface. The only major disadvantage to the cube is it’s weight. I don’t plan on being in the apartment garage forever; lifting that mother into a U-Haul would probably kill me. The cube’s weight quickly increases with the thickness of the board I want to use, another drawback. What’s a girl to do? I have NO idea.

2 Responses to ' Thinking Out Loud '

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1. thejessicat said,
   
   

   on August 25th, 2005 at 2:30 pm

   I’m not entirely sure what your needs/goals are here, but have you thought about using sheet metal? Depending on what kind of wood you’re talking about here, a metal structure might actually weigh less. I’d definately leave the wheels on, so you could potentially move the thing without having to hire a whole TEAM of midgets. Those guys don’t work for cheap!

2. Olivia said,
   
   

   on August 27th, 2005 at 9:22 pm

   Sheet metal WOULD lighten up the cube a bit, but I’m afraid my costs would go through the roof. Wood’s just the cheapest/easiest to use/most readily available resource.

   However, it’s a good suggestion because any excuse to give an untrained person such as myself a welding torch is always a great idea.

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