From laundry room to gallery!

The first paintings I’ve painted were directly on a computer desk, where I was able to see the image and painted it onto the canvas.

I would also paint on the floor, but that got really annoying and it was so hard to get to the right places. I was dabbling, taking it seriously, but not thinking much about it.
My husband said it was time for a “real” easel. A professional artist easel. I poo pooed him. Where would I even put the thing? We lived in a small three bedroom house. Yes, there was a basement – which had toys in every crevice considering the little humans around me at the time – (2 & 3 and baby. on the way)

He didn’t listen to me – clearly believed in me from day ONE! And my husband and brother got together and chipped in to get me my first easel and put it together!
We placed it in a corner, by one of the toy shelves, and it became a piece of furniture there. The kids got so used to it, they hardly noticed it. They may have climbed on it once or twice. I don’t remember so it must not have been too bad! I would place my palette and paints on the top of the shelf and would even leave it there over night.

I wanted a more enclosed space and began outgrowing the toy shelf. (Laugh emoji insert )
We had a laundry room that was raw with tools and storage and well, laundry!

I didn’t care at all. I cleared up some space, organized the room and moved my easel into it. I had space to think and BE and I was thrilled!

Music blasted, dance moves happened and paint splashed onto canvases – it was goooood times!
For those of you who’ve had the honor to come into that corner of the world, you know.

Then it was time to move from that cozy nest, and into a larger home to fit our growing family and artwork – it began taking over. . We found a place with a garage – specifically looking for one – to use as a studio and house the paintings.

We fixed it up – popped the beams to create a higher ceiling, put up dry wall and a nice light fixture. It was a cool place. But it had some major setbacks. We didn’t place ac or heat in the beginning (and it’s good we didn’t. -read on) and so it was freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer. Not ideal.
The plan was to put that in asap. But then, the garage would get flooded! Our backyard is low and water fills up quickly after a rain or snow storm. (Everyone in my area has this problem. We live on swamp land.) and so we quickly removed the paintings from the floors and put them onto tables.

It didn’t look all that great after, and the look we created got completely destroyed. I was bummed.
Then we did the basement. I quickly reserved one room for myself just to paint in. It felt amazing being warm, cozy and in my own space again. #thelittlethings

Whenever collectors would come, they couldn’t see all the work at once, since it was all on tables and in piles. Again – NOT ideal. But it was what it was. I had to paint and sell where I was, to save up money to move onward.

One day I was talking to my kids dentist and he popped the idea of looking for a space. Any industrial space. I called my realtor right when we walked out. And the rest is history!