The Mancave

Now, of course we want, and need, a place to paint. It should be a dedicated area where we can set up all our art supplies, lay out our brushes and paint tubes, and do some real work. (My original garage studio was shown in the last post.) Every now and then however, the serious artist needs to relax and spend some time not painting. Remember, everything in moderation, including moderation. That's where the Mancave comes in.

Here is mine. It is still my garage, and still my studio, but now it is better organized and is dedicated to an additional purpose: savoring life, taking it easy and spending time with my boys and my friends (and my girlfriend). A bunch of us can gather in the center area and in the off chance that we might want to smoke a cigar or two, the garage doors open wide to allow for maximum ventilation. It looks crowded but it easily seats five on director's chairs.

To the left you can see my primary work area consisting of an Ikea work table with a small hand made shelf on the end to house my collection of watercolor boxes. I built the large workbench at the far left. It was originally for wood working but it got readapted for art. Peg board panels line the walls and are used to display sketches and paintings.

My dad gave me the green steamer trunk that I mounted to a wooden wheeled cradle. Industrial shelving holds my art books, notebooks, records, micro sound system and cabin models. My friend Dennis gave me the saw horse table along the far wall which I use for framing and other tasks.