A Room with a View

“I have inherited 10,000 empty wine bottles, one grape, every issue of La Nazione printed in 1958, and assorted previous tenants. The trick to overcoming buyer's remorse is to have a plan. Pick one room and make it yours. Go slowly through the house. Be polite, introduce yourself so it can introduce itself to you.” From the movie/book, Under The Tuscan Sun, 2004

As you know from my last post, I moved from Studio 217 upstairs at Artspace to Studio 109A, downstairs at Artspace. Much like Frances in Under the Tuscan Sun, I did experience buyer's remorse. Look at the before picture. Wouldn't you? In my case, I inherited a bolted down safe (which now belongs to Raleigh Ensemble Players, the previous tenant), two phone books (not sure what year), a damaged concrete floor, and a seventeen foot shelf. But the key to overcoming buyer's remorse is to "make it yours". So, for the last month, I have been painting the space, slowly introducing myself to it, and transforming it from office to studio.

The downstairs artists have welcomed me with open arms. I am surrounded by Marriott Little (painter), Susan Soper (printmaker), Susan Parrish (clay), Ann Harwell (fiber), Casey Porn (painting/drawing), Catherine Thornton (clay), Pat Scull (clay), Paris Alexander (sculpture), and the new Artspace Regional Emerging Artist in Residence David Eichenberger (painting/drawing).

So, last night was my first First Friday in my new space. Although my studio has been open for a couple of weeks now, last night was the first chance most people had to take a peek at Studio 109A. I had the chance to see some old friends and the opportunity to make some new ones. No more buyer's remorse. Like Frances found at the end of Under the Tuscan Sun, I have everything I hoped for in my new space. I am surrounded by the creative energy of the artists around me. I have space to design, create, and work more efficiently. A friend of mine said it best -- "it's part studio, part gallery, but most of all it's all you."