It was the garden studio that tipped the balance when we purchased our tiny Cornish cottage 6 years ago. After moving from another small cottage where my studio workspace for 10 years was a (much loved) shed, the idea of having a decent sized proper studio was fabulous. It’s a wonderful space looking out over the garden and a large pond full of inspiration. A rill runs through the garden and just outside my studio door is a smaller pool where the blackbirds love to bath. The sound of their vigorous bathing antics often forms the soundscape when I’m working.
Over the years of painting and teaching watercolour I have accumulated many references, books and materials. They all live cheek by jowl in a very busy space. Visual references are divided into subject folders and filed (vaguely) alphabetically.
I also work with local community groups where I supply all the materials, so I need to keep stocks of watercolour paper, lining paper, collage paper, brushes and paints. I like to reuse plastics where possible – large yoghurt pots make really good and very light weight water pots, and the white trays my dog’s food comes in are fabulous palettes that get used again and again.
My worktable (an old oak office table – rescued by a friend’s father many moons ago) divides the studio space into two separate areas – the ‘business’ end where I paint, lesson plan or work on my ceramics or computer and the ‘thinking’ end for reflection, watching the wildlife, reading and general ‘mulling’ on the futon. My long and hairy rescue dog – Benji is never far away and often taking up most of the futon.
I like to keep all my art and nature books together in the studio and have two free standing bookshelves both full. I do try not to accumulate more than will fit on the shelves – one in, one out. (It doesn’t always work!)
Alongside my watercolour painting I also work in clay which of course involves a plethora of different tools and glazes which vie for space. Fortunately, the kiln itself is housed in an old shed further down the garden. I enjoy experimenting with different media. I often use a small amount of collage within a watercolour painting and have a wonderful collection of handmade, hand dyed papers of different weights and textures. These are divided into pouches of different colours which are lovely but bulky to store.
I have a couple of old kitchen spice racks – one wooden and one wire, that have been repurposed for paints, pots, pencils etc. A collection of lovely old Lyle’s Golden Syrup and Black Treacle tins host brushes for glazes, soft pencils, pens and mop brushes.
A small painted bureau given to me years ago becomes a little workstation for my laptop when I open the front. Different types of printer papers are stored in it’s drawers. On top sits a very old, but still used daily, music centre with some favourite CDs.
I have a folding table which is useful if I am drying ceramics ready for the kiln. Also, if a friend comes over for a creative studio session – experimenting with gelli plate printing or alcohol inks, another surface is useful. It’s great to make time to play and experiment with different media. Ideas often feed back into my watercolour paintings. Its also a nice way to create handmade greetings cards. I squirrel away my playful experiments and on a rainy day its very satisfying to take them out, crop them or add to them to make cards.
Two sides of the studio are glass and there is a beautiful acer tree right outside, next to the pond. It’s a favourite stop for the birds. In the summer the water lilies bloom and the pond hums with dragonflies and damsel flies and shoals of fish – orange, black and silver.
Both my ceramics and my watercolour paintings are very much nature inspired so to have such wonderful flora and fauna just outside my workspace is a gift. Every day I’m enchanted by the small changes happening in the garden and it fuels my passion for creating and trying new ways of interpreting the magic.
Information and links for my classes and residential painting breaks can be found on my website.
About the Artist:
Website: www.sharihills.co.uk
Instagram: @sharihills5