Portable Art Studio
My portable art studio ready for travel
Some people say you need a lot of space to create in. That’s great if you have that. I have a lovely art studio bench at home, but what I love the best is my portable art studio. It’s my constant travel companion.
It’s a little pouch my daughter made for when we went travelling for 3 months in 2018 with no checked luggage. It had to be small enough to fit into the zippered front pocket of my backpack and have all the tools I needed. In it I carried stamps, a glue stick, paintbrushes, two water soluble pencils and shipping tags. I had enough for #91 days.
I also collaged a postcard everyday that I bought from places along the way. With my portable studio I could create artworks on café tables, airport lounges, hotel rooms and still have my main tools with me when I did an artist residency in France.
Lack of space is one thing people often say to me as the reason why they don’t make art regularly. However I know that you can make art anywhere if you have a daily practice, a small project that keeps you inspired. It’s all about establishing a time habit for creating that fits in with your lifestyle. Early morning, late at night, the quiet times when you’re having a cuppa. These are the windows of small time when you can create.
What I love about this method of creating is you respond immediately to how you are feeling that day. It’s a ritual now that I have ingrained in me. Get out my cut to size paper or postcard or envelope or shipping tag, get out my paper ephemera, open the lid of the glue stick and start tearing papers. Its amazing what emotions and thoughts surge to the the surface when you start creating in the immediacy of the moment.
These small artworks can propel you into thinking differently, into new experimentation, new colour palettes, new ways of working with your favourite tools. Then when you have bigger chunks of time you are ready to create anew, already warmed up by your daily practice.
When I was in Iceland I continued that idea of making small artworks to get me started on a body of work. The result of that was when I returned to Australia I had the basis for new creations that will now be on exhibition at the 1.5 climate exhibition at 45 downstairs gallery. It opens on February 18 so drop in and say hi.
I’ve packed my portable studio now in the car ready to head down to Melbourne - see you there.
Stitched collaged postcard from Iceland on handmade paper. 2019.
