Stephanie Corfee

vibrant, bohemian, and intricate art

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Catching up again

February 5, 2015 by StephanieCorfee

i think it’s just my MO. Blog regularly, settle into it. Find a rhythm. Then….get bogged down with a big project or deadline, and ignore it for a couple months. ugh. Maybe there is no use fighting it. i’m sporadic!

But, a lot has happened.  i’ve had a lovely holiday with my family, finished my new book, and survived 4 days of solo travel to a trade show in Atlanta to promote my upcoming gift line. Came home from said trip and fell ill for a solid 10 days with the worst combo of yuckiness i have ever experience. My hair hurt! : )

Recovered.

And now i’ve caught up on all the loose ends that followed that little whirlwind and i’m resetting my clock and  beginning to sketch daily and really create again. It’s an ebb and flow sorta thing.

So here’s a little smattering of images from the past couple months for a little catch up.

MillerGirlsChristmas2014

Christmas Eve with my sisters. Laura, Jodi, Lissa and me…. 

Read More »

Filed Under: commissions, Completed Works, etsy finds, New ARtwork, new studio, sketchbook, sneak peeks, Uncategorized Tagged With: America's Mart, art studio, baby art, christmas, DIY, gift line, greeting cards, home improvement, name art, name blanket, new art, nursery art, paintings, recap, sketchbook

ARt Studio Inspiration

January 10, 2014 by StephanieCorfee

This is my year to start “living the dream” of being a full-time artist. hmmm….i imagine a lot of long days are in store! But happy days.

Our biggest project is going to be the building of a new art studio onto our home. It is both a dreamy-dream and a practical decision since i currently occupy the house’s master bedroom for my easel and computer and all manner of arsty supplies. And ever since we added our 3rd bouncing baby boy to the family in april 2013, we are popping this quaint little house at the seams. We knew it was coming, so we’ve been diligently planning and saving. i even successfully navigated the holiday season without dipping into said diligence! : ) Can yo believe it!?

Here is the architect’s quick sketch of the add-on (yellow highlighted area) – with my little space planning doodles thrown on there so i could visually determine if i could fit everything in.

When the new studio is built on, i’ll have a place to work with lots of windows, backyard access and views so i can supervise the kiddos playing outside while i work. Right now, the only way to see outside while i work is to go around my desk, lean over my printer counter and turn my head far left. Just the fact that the kids won’t be hostage in the house anytime i have to work feels like it makes this project worthwhile. It’s my favorite part.

The space will be modest in size, but a vaulted ceiling will help it feel airy and make photographing my paintings much less of a lighting challenge. There will be a nice, sturdy, washable, indestructible tile floor too, so i can let loose a bit while painting like a crazy lady. Rugs underfoot are no good for that!

AND, for the super-practical part; we will be back to having 3 bedrooms up in this joint again! YAY! We grow ’em tall in my family and i’m fully expecting to have a hubs and 3, 6-foot boys under this roof in coming years. Being able to spread out a little will likely save my sanity.

We will be using a contractor to do the heavy lifting and structural work, but all the rest is a big ol’ DIY project to keep costs down. It is going to take awhile, people : ) Thank the lord my husband is an electrician, and that i am pretty handy with tools and paint, myself.

i will be posting progress along the way, and also…….INSPIRATION pics!! Yes, beautiful images to fuel my fire through what is sure to be a very long labor of love. Here is the first dreamy image, courtesy of Anthropologie and Flickr user valeriekathryn who styled it up so fly. Yes, i had to use the word “fly.” LOOK at it! : )

This is the quintessential artsy mood i hope to achieve. Not sure i’ll have room for the actual chair as the space is going to be utilized to the MAX for computers, printing, sewing, shipping station, photography, painting, and drawing ……but hopefully i can infuse some of this kind of eclectic swagger. Not sure i can pull off swagger……but i’m gonna try! : )

So, happy friday. And look for more of this yummy eye candy at the end of each week.

 

Filed Under: new studio Tagged With: art studio, new construction, painting studio, workspace

My Workspace

January 7, 2013 by StephanieCorfee

New Year. Newly Organized Workspace.

i posted about moving my workspace a few months back. But this weekend i finalized a lot more of the organization in here to make it so much more efficient. i like lovely furniture, but honestly, this office is all IKEA, HomeGoods, Pier 1, or homemade. i beat it up. i spill paint on it. In here, i just try to get the most storage for the least cash.

In the photo above, the work surface is IKEA countertop. The drawers are all from the ALEX series. My printers and scanner are Epson. The computer is a MAC, of course : ) My graphics tablet is a Wacom Intuos 4 XL. The chest of drawers behind my chair is from Pier 1 a million years ago. The desk chair/ottoman and wire bins are from Home Goods. Can you tell i like a bargain? My husband built the lightbox table and attached it to the wall. He also put in all the overhead can light and task lights. (He’s an electrician. i know, i’m lucky.) He also wired my wall mounted tv all sneaky-like so i don’t have wires all trailing everywhere. My OCD wouldn’t be able to handle it. He also changed out the standard door on the room for the pocket french door shown. This gave me use of the wall space which used to be behind the door so i could house my monster easel.

Let’s see, in this view you can see the side of the monster easel and my drafting table which were both scored on Craigslist. That easel is the Cadillac of easels, man. Would have been way more than i needed, but i couldn’t resist the Craigslist deal. it has a ratcheted crank and pulley system to raise and lower my huge canvases. It totally rocks. The drafting table is pretty basic but it tilts and goes flat for watercolors and serves it purpose. My tripod was a Christmas gift this year from my parents and i LOVE it. Not sure how i lived so long without it. The octopus light is totally cheesy and i’ve had it since college i think? But it is just so darn useful, i never seem to get rid of it? The upholstered chair is about the only “fancy” thing in the room. Its pure wool and from some schmancy store back in the day when i was single and decided to splurge on a “cool” chair. i still like it ok, but i think a slipcover is in its near future. : ) OH!! and see my leather ottoman under the desk? best thing ever. Nothing as nice as propping your feet while you recline a touch, watch tv and sketch on the graphics tablet. That’s often how i spend my evenings. During the day, i tend to be doing more graphic design and keyboard work, so i sit up straight. Honest.

Here’s a better view of the easel area. The IKEA chest of drawers was a new addition this weekend. i needed it. My younger son, who is almost 2, would not keep his hands off the paints! Now they are all neatly stashed away. Phew! When i paint, i put one of my paper palettes and that tray of most used acrylics on the rolling cart and pull it beside me. My easel and my chair both adjust up and down, so i never have to hunch or stretch at the canvas. Occasionally, i’ll stand to lay down the base layer of the painting, but generally, i like to sit. it makes me feel more relaxed. Oh! And i always watch/listen to tv when i paint. i like the company. Radio makes me feel lonely when i’m painting. The only exception is if somebody sits and chats with me while i work. Then Pandora works out just fine : )

This part of the room is where i also spend a lot of my time. i stand here and trim, pack & ship all my orders. The lightbox has a glass top so you can cut right on it. i have all my tape, stamps, return address labels, gold paperclips (my favorite!) and business cards right in reach. i just pop into that white door to the left and access my storage closet for the shipping envelopes and art packaging. Here’s what that closet looks like……its not nearly as “pretty” in its organization…….what can i say?

That white door also opens up to the SINK!!! i get easily excited. The best part of taking this room in our house as my studio space is that its actually the master bedroom. It’s on the first floor, sort of the left “wing” of our house, if our house was big enough to actually call it a wing! So this room has a master closet (the storage closet) and a sink behind that first white door…..then a toilet and shower behind a second door. Its very self-contained and i could hole up back here for quite some time if i keep bottled water and the candy drawer stocked! Having the sink so handy for craft cleanup and brush rinsing has made me so cheerful about creating. Its the little things.

Here’s the SINK part of the room.

So that’s it! If you have specific questions about any parts i missed, shoot me a comment. i’ll do my best to answer!

-xo,s

Filed Under: new studio, sneak peeks, that's SO me! Tagged With: art studio, artist studio, creative space, office space, workspace

settling in

July 1, 2012 by StephanieCorfee

After a few weeks of living in limbo between 2 workspaces here in our house, i am finally all in one room. Studio and office spaces melded into one, with attached bathroom (read: brush-cleaning sink!). i hope this will make me so much more productive with everything i need organized in one spot.

But i might be even happier that my family now has my old office space to use as a den/computer room/reading room, and the boys have my old basement painting space to use for all kinds of messy crafts! Now THAT makes me smile ear to ear. Being spread out was starting to make me feel like i was taking up the whole house!

The above painting is the first one i’ve started since we got everything in place back here.

Here are some progress shots of the space if you like that sort of thing : ) i will repost purdier photos once curtains and pictures are hung and all the finishing and wire-hiding is complete.

-xo!

Filed Under: new studio, sneak peeks, works in progress Tagged With: abstract painting, art studio, home office, new office, studio space

Room to Grow

March 28, 2012 by StephanieCorfee

Imagine what you could create in a dedicated studio like this! Well, its NOT mine….but it sure is part of my inspiration for a new creative space we are working on for me here in our home : )

admittedly, i am one of those people who needs to walk the walk, fake it til i make it, dress for the job/life i WANT. soooooo, having a workspace that makes me feel inspired and in the zone is high on my wish list. that said, my husband and i have been having many conversations about how to reconfigure my workspaces in our home since i am busting at the seams lately and finding it harder with the kiddos to get enough time in my current painting studio.

the decision is made. i’ll be taking over the master bedroom!! ha!

now before you start thinking i’m kicking out the king size and making my poor, sweet husband sleep on the couch in the name of art, let me explain. our house is an old cape cod with a first floor master that we’ve never used as such. its on the far left of the house, has access to a sink (you know, for rinsing brushes!) and also a great view of the backyard. this will be useful in these warmer months when my 6 year old wants to play out back instead of twiddle his thumbs in a corner while i paint for 6 or 7 hours. the space also has the potential for us to blow out the ceiling to the roofline, leave some exposed beams, and give me some skylights and other such dreaminess. (and it will have to be dreaminess for now as the changes we have in mind will come s.l.o.w.l.y. as our budget will allow. : )) OH! and did i also mention that the walk-in closet that is a nice big square room will be a delightful place for canvas storage and packing supplies?! that is right up there with my favorite features since right now i feel like i am constantly tripping over cardboard and bubble wrap and boxes.

when we’re done, i will have more natural light and more of a feeling of being a part of the family’s comings and goings as i work. BONUS? my basement studio space will become the new playroom and my former office will become a den/homework room for the boys. seriously, its almost silly how excited i am at the plans we are making and the way it will change my daily routine.

SO now i am shopping for deals online and tearing inspiration from many decorating magazines. i’m kind of addicted to decorating magazines. i will try to be UNlike my typical self and post photos as we transform the space.

how bout all of you guys? have you found a great way to make your creative space at home work perfectly for your family?

nighty night!

______________________________

photo via willowfrank.com ~ found on cloth and patina on facebook

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: art studio, home decorating, home office, office, studio space

a place to paint and sew

January 5, 2011 by StephanieCorfee

Hi all. Now that i’ve gotten a few more steps further toward organzing my paintin’ and sewin’ space (thank you IKEA!) i thought i’d post some pics to share.

When we bought our house 3 years ago, our basement was a musty, cement-floored space with cobwebs in the rafters. Even though its an older house and doesn’t have a super high ceiling down there, we knew we still wanted to make the space usable. My husband and  i did all the work ourselves and we still have more to go….but here is how we laid it out and our progress so far!

We’ve got a family room area right adjacent to my studio space so i can watch tv or a movie with my boys as they lounge and i paint or sew;

…then on the other side of the pony wall is my work space with a nice wipe-able, sweepable floor perfect for an area where paint spills and lots of thread and fabric scraps accumulate

coop has his own area and has commandeered my old rolling cart (which was once a laundry gear organizer)

and i’ve got my expandable cutting table and ironing board

from a slightly different angle you can see my easel/ledge that my husband built right on the wall. i love it

and lastly, my machines…..ah…so nice to have a place where i can keep them set up at all times.

Oh, and you may have caught a glimpse of the workout room just beyond my easel…..yeah…..i almost always prefer the easel but i get in there as often as i can. : )

So that’s it…..Nick’s office (the door by the drum set) is not yet finished and the walls could all use a bit of art, but we’ve only got 4 hands!! Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: art studio, basement remodel, DIY, renovation, sewing space

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