My big news this week: I have a new studio. It's about a 650 square-ft studio in the Riverside Business Park, which is about 3 miles NW of UNC Asheville, right on the French Broad River. I'll have one large room for painting, drawing, stretching canvas, and life drawing sessions, and one small room that I'll use for storage. To say I'm excited is an understatement!
The Business Park is an interesting place. It was built as a textile mill, but closed down around 1990. In 1995, new owners began converting it into a bunch of small offices, warehouses, industrial spaces, and artist studios. There are a few of my artist friends out here, including Brian Mashburn and Julyan Davis. The studio next door is used by the NC Stage Company for rehearsals. There's a green-earth company around the corner, a kayak company downstairs, larger firms like Mountain Mobility and the Metropolitan Sewerage District, and a whole host of others. I like the vibe of the place: it feels purposeful and friendly. It's a place where people come to get work done.
Here are a couple of "before" pictures of my new studio space. The previous tenant (a telemarketer) painted it a hideous yellow and ran phone and computer lines throughout. There were ten cubicles stuffed in here. Ack! I can't imagine having to sit jammed in a tiny cubicle for eight hours a day, calling people who don't want to be called, having to meet a quota specified by some goon at the end of the room. Talk about a sweatshop! I'd rather go work in a war zone. Oh, wait, I already did that ...
The Business Park is an interesting place. It was built as a textile mill, but closed down around 1990. In 1995, new owners began converting it into a bunch of small offices, warehouses, industrial spaces, and artist studios. There are a few of my artist friends out here, including Brian Mashburn and Julyan Davis. The studio next door is used by the NC Stage Company for rehearsals. There's a green-earth company around the corner, a kayak company downstairs, larger firms like Mountain Mobility and the Metropolitan Sewerage District, and a whole host of others. I like the vibe of the place: it feels purposeful and friendly. It's a place where people come to get work done.
Here are a couple of "before" pictures of my new studio space. The previous tenant (a telemarketer) painted it a hideous yellow and ran phone and computer lines throughout. There were ten cubicles stuffed in here. Ack! I can't imagine having to sit jammed in a tiny cubicle for eight hours a day, calling people who don't want to be called, having to meet a quota specified by some goon at the end of the room. Talk about a sweatshop! I'd rather go work in a war zone. Oh, wait, I already did that ...
So the telemarketer environment has to go. Janis and I are repainting the walls to a light neutral gray with white trim. We even have to repaint the ceiling tiles, for chrissakes! I'm yanking the phone and computer lines. This afternoon, I hooked up my stereo system so we'll have some tunes to keep us entertained. It'll probably take a week to get all that done, and then I can move everything over from the storage unit. I'm thinking of having a grand opening sometime in April.
Not much longer, and I'll be able to say that I'm a working artist again. Damn, that feels good!
Bless you for repainting that space! Can't wait for your opening - and congrats!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are getting back to real work, Skip! :-)
ReplyDeleteI need to do some of that myself if I can manage. Oh well, off to earn a few bucks. This day job business is eating all my time.