Art Space Showcase‘ is where I love to share fellow artists and their work spaces.

Meet 52-week Illustration Challenge member Joanne Stead and her ‘art space’……

1. Describe your art space…

I work wherever I can find the space in my house – no flat surface is safe!! I have taken over the dining room table for design work, drawing, charcoal and scraper-board, and the ping pong table out the back is my printing space for lino-cut, as well as my storage for tiles, grout, resin and finished mosaics.  I also have the wooden outdoor setting for a current mosaic in progress. Finished paintings, scraper-boards and a mosaic coffee table are spread across the spare room, two corners of my bedroom, my wardrobe shelving and the top of the piano!  It is half order and half chaotic, because after all, I know where everything is!

2. When do you like to create? Do you have a favourite day of week or time of day?

Whenever I can find three spare minutes, I am creating.  I tell my kids I’ll be finished in a minute but their groans let me know that they don’t believe me.  If I have some down time and I don’t work on something arty, I feel like I have wasted my time.  Needless to say the housework comes off second best.

3. Describe your art work. What are you working on at the moment?

I work as part of the Tamworth Regional Art Collective on public art projects and we have just finished a massive mosaic installation.  That means my carport is full of tiles (oh did I forget to mention that earlier?), and I am using some of them in the coffee tables I am currently working on.  I have been buying second hand coffee tables and “upcycling” them.   I have one just waiting for resin that is taking up space in the spare room at the moment, and I need to finish because the kids have started storing their treasures in it, much to my dismay.  I am hoping to get an abstract mosaic table top finished for an art show later this month.  And I have just started on a mission to improve my skills in charcoal, which I love as a medium.  It is so easy to manipulate and get beautiful contrast.

As well as working on my art, I have just signed up with a creative business coach to try and get me on track, making more income from art, so my laptop is another essential tool – more dining table space!

4. What mediums do you like to use?

I spent a lot of time focusing on scraper-board last year, but this year I have devoted to exploring all sorts of mediums.  At the moment I am working in charcoal, clay and mosaic tiles but I would also dearly love to improve my skills in acrylics.  I am particularly drawn to beautiful layered works on canvas that have so much depth and story to them.  As part of the Tamworth Regional Art Collective I am blessed to be surrounded by many artists, each with unique talents and areas of expertise.  An endless source of inspiration!

5. List five favourite art tools that you couldn’t live without…

At the moment it is my tungsten-carbide tipped nippers for mosaics, and my charcoal sticks and kneadable eraser.  A set of good paintbrushes never go astray – for a cheap, wide brush my favourites are the test pot brushes from Bunnings which I buy by the dozen.  And I am always dipping into the kids’ school supplies – rulers, erasers, pencils, sharpies, fineliners – they are all good basics.

Joanne, it is always such a joy to take a sneak peek into where creativity is mastered, and your ‘space’ is fabulous and clearly perfect for you to be able to create your masterpieces. Thank you for sharing!

Staying creative,
Nicky x

PS. If you are interested in sharing your art space…..please contact me nicky(at)nickyjohnston(dot)com(dot)au