Riley Layout & Corner

Well, I had planned to do some Father's Day art today, but ended up doing Mother's Day art instead! I got the urge to do a spread in Riley's book, and since a couple weeks have already passed, I figured I'd better commemorate Mother's Day. Now that I've done it, I'm actually starting to wonder whether it should have gone into his "baby" book, since it really is more about me than about him, but oh well- he figures into the equation somehow!

I really like the way the pages came out. And they were fast, too! It worries me sometimes when I'm able to do art more quickly than normal-like maybe I'm not challenging myself enough- but I really should just take advantage of the flow, since someday when I'm stuck, I'll be wishing it was coming easily! Once again though, I wasn't able to use my new scanner. The elements that are coming off the page just wouldn't scan well- argh! That's what I get for not being able to stay within the boundaries of the page!

And then, here is this week's corner of my home. This is a corner in my spare bedroom, where I keep my primary art supply cabinet. This is where most of my collage supplies are stored. I have supplies for assemblage and other artforms in my studio closet, but 90% of my art comes from this little cabinet. I'm always incredibly interested in how other artists organize their supplies, so I thought maybe others might be interested to see how mine are organized.

Being an anal-retentive organizational freak, since the time I started working with collage, I have been obsessed with finding the PERFECT way to organize my supplies. If you don't believe me, ask my friend, Tara, who had become the recipient of many of my discarded totes/bins/bags.

But I now have come as close to perfection as possible (of course until I find the next perfect organizational device!). I purchased this cabinet from Ballard Designs, and it has just about everything I need. On the top are several compartments where I store miscellaneous items- paints, books, paper towels. Then there is a shelf, where I store my paint pallette and sometimes other items. Then there are two drawers, where I store ribbons and the like. And on the bottom is a filing cabinet, the most necessary part of the piece for me. I know that collage artists store their images in lots of different ways, but files are the way to go for me. This is one reason I can never find an art tote that works- none of them have files. So when I saw this in the catalog, I knew it was perfect! Most of my tools, like pencils, pens, scissors, etc. I keep on my work table, but they'd easily fit on this cabinet if I needed. Then, to top it all off, it rolls, so I just roll it over to my work table when I'm ready to work.

So, hope you liked this quick little tour into the way I store my supplies! Maybe it provided some ideas for those of you who are looking for something similar!