The back of the tidy studio, no coffee cups or towels in sight Glass off cuts on window sill
I've spent a lot of time recently tidying up my studio. One of my aims was to make the space into a setting for photographs of work in progress with nothing awful - like plastic bags on the lawn or towels on the kiln - in the background. Instead of untidy piles, my things are sorted into neat rows under the tables and on my shelves and window sills.
Above: The front of the studio with evidence of some work going on.
Below: Window sill with useful things and window sill with arrangement of beautiful things.
Above: "Moon" by Rebecca Crompton 2011
I thought I should draw my beautiful window sill arrangement, but really couldn't be bothered to spend the time on it. One, because I've done enough of that type of drawing in my life and two, because some excellent examples of the genre have recently caught my eye. I love Rebecca Crompton's mainly useful things (above) laid out so carefully in the moonlight.
When I found my 1983 sketchbooks that contain the drawings that the row of plants in my tidy studio reminded me of, I realised that some of the plants and indeed the pots are probably the same ones, inherited from my mother. I know I'm resistant to change, but this is getting ridiculous. And no need for me to draw them again.
Top: Two pages of pot plants from my 1983 sketchbook
Bottom: "Bathroom Window" watercolour by Augusta Ward, 2015
In a series of rich observational drawings, Augusta Ward records the window sills and corners of a room lovingly filled with possessions. The plants and things (above and below), displayed in a similar fashion to mine, are drawn in a fresh and breezy style.
Window sill by Augusta Ward 2015