I decided to turn my former dining room into the art studio so I can keep my reading room intact.   Yesterday I collected all my art supplies and put them in the center of the living room to see exactly what I had.  There were drafting tables, oil paints, acrylics, brushes, palettes, knives, watercolors, watercolor paper, sketchbooks, canvas and stretcher sticks, desk easels, standing easels, pochade boxes, pencils, erasers, pastels soft, hard and oil, solvents.  I thought if I had enough to take over a room, it made sense to have a dedicated paint studio. If I leave up paintings in progress, I’m more likely to take a few moments and work on them. Otherwise years can go by with them untouched because they’re packed neatly away in the closet.  As I meditated on the idea of room placement, I reasoned that the dining area is the best place in the house to be.  It’s near the sink and water, it’s got the best indoor and outdoor lighting, it’s in the middle of the action, so the chi is constantly flowing.

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