The view from my chair

I am lucky enough to have two spaces to work in – my office inside the house where I do my ‘real’ work (i.e. work I get paid for!), with computer, scanner and all the other related paraphernalia – and a shed in the garden. The shed is shared, so I only have half. In the other half there are bicycles, weights, some tools and tables where the other occupant does mysterious things with cables and soldering irons, and other unidentifiable bits of hardware. It is a blissful place to work, no distractions of emails,  but with radio or music or talking books in the background.

The table is actually a sewing table with fold down sides, so it can be folded up and pushed back against the wall when I need more space, but opened up fully I can really spread out. There is a floor-standing light with magnifier, handy for miniatures or fine detail, and a hard floor to cope with spills or paint splatters. The magnifier is covered with a bag as I discovered to my cost that sunlight going through it at the right angle can start a fire …

On the drawing table is a work in progress, a series of studies of broken shells in pencil, but there is another drawing under way which uses the coloured pencils set out. On the back of the table are some recently completed works in oil on board and on the wall are some of the small oil paintings on canvas, which have been a continuing series over the last four years or so.

Light pours in from the folding doors that open to the garden, letting sunshine and fresh air in. So what am I doing sitting at my computer writing this? Time to go!