New Swarez paint and sculpture studio added

Adding a third art studio to the network

In my need for ever increasing amounts of space to work in I have today added the third Swarez studio to the portfolio.

Having three studios may sound very grand but the reality of working with the materials and sizes I do means I need a lot of open, empty space to work in and preferably isolated from other units so that the paint vapours do not cause harm to other people. Getting rid of these hazards is a constant issue so being able to lock a door and walk out is critical. I can’t do that at the Gallery on Bath Road as this is my base from day to day. So having a separate space to paint in is critical.

I am always looking for a more suitable place to create in as I don’t have the resources to build anything or rent somewhere huge. So inevitably my studio spaces are always a compromise. And because commercial property is expensive to rent I have to plough significant portions of revenue into renting additional spaces to work in.

Keeping warm and dry

The current space at Bath Road studio is only big enough to stretch canvases in and can’t be used to paint in because of vapour extraction issues. The Temple of Doom is horrific (as the name would suggest) and floods as soon as it rains, it has no lighting and no power so painting during the winter and autumn is particularly stressful.

So after having been searching for months and months to find a space that is is dry and has power sockets (luxuries as far as I’m concerned) I have finally found a space that should do just fine for me. That doesn’t mean I won’t keep looking though – there are always better solutions out there (and cheaper) so the search is always ongoing. But for the immediate future I can at least keep reasonably warm and dry and I will, at last, be able to see what I’m doing! Roll on October 1st.

Small but on two floors

The individual floor areas are really only big enough for a couple of medium sized canvases to be worked on at any given time but the fact I have two floors is the clincher. I can have four artworks on the go at any point or two very big ones. I also have some waist level shelving which is of enormous benefit for storing paints and chemicals.

Externally I have two secure metal doors that will allow same level access to loading and unloading (another plus as I’m on the first floor at Bath Road HQ so everything has to come down a flight of stairs).

One of the reasons why this will also prove to be a better solution is the ambitious garden sculpture project I intend to begin in October. The aim is to begin constructing some tall aluminium sculptures that will form the basis of my new outdoor sculpture range. All handmade and all original. This will hopefully be my main focus over the winter months along with the paintings. This new studio will make an ideal metal fabrication centre.