Three different basement spaces— shrinking creative square footage has been accelerating over the years.

Since relocating and downsizing several times my creative space has diminished greatly over the years. 21 years ago it started in a dedicated space a fifth bedroom in a three level home with purchasing a secondhand Italian drafting table in downtown Richmond near of one of the nations best fine art schools.

Our most recent downsizing was combining two homes into one.

Currently the drafting table shares space with our gym in our fully finished basement. To the left of my drafting table there is a folding sewing table. A custom commissioned wooden pantry once used in our kitchen before remodeling is now a cupboard for storage for some of my art supplies.

More recently I’ve been creating in another adjacent room -in front of a basement TV watching creative YouTube’s since getting a Roku.

That’s where my last two paintings now at the gallery were created in the comfy secondhand Craigslist Ethan Allen leather chair/ottoman.

If something needs time to dry or I wish to silk screen- I will go into the adjacent laundry room and use the countertop in there to allow for drying rather than using a carpeted space. I often photograph projects for studio posts on the laundry room countertop. This room likely has the best and brightest basement lighting.

Our basement is only partially submerged -we have windows in all the major rooms with exception of the full bathroom..

Shared space— the basement