Studio 319 was my first dedicated art studio space in a small town in upstate New York. On the third floor of an old  brick factory building, it stood a block away from the railway .  The factory floors were compartmentalized into quarters for living and for working.  The entire exterior wall  of my corner rental was windows and I had amazing natural light simply because the factory was built before electricity was commonplace.  My black lab, Jezebel, and I would forsake the ancient elevator and trek up the stairs to our sanctuary. She would relax and I would paint in oils on the largest canvases I could find or make.

     Though I no longer live in that town and I no longer live in that state, in my mind I still enter Studio 319 when I settle into my present workspace and paint.  For me, it is a place of creativity,  freedom, and sometimes escape.  I once described to a friend the way it felt entering Studio 319 was like an idea from a novel I had read by +Marion Zimmer Bradley, titled "Mists of Avalon" (a rendition of the King Arthur legend through all of the female characters ~it's a brilliant read!)  Avalon was a sacred place surrounded by fog and could only be reached by boat by those few who knew the way.  Allegorically, it was a spiritual place that could only be found through contemplation and honest self reflection.  Painting for me is a necessity. It is a vehicle for expression and healing.  To do it well takes a lot of searching.  Jezebel snoozes through most of it.

   

  This blog welcomes you to Studio 319.  Come in and relax. Come in and share your creative adventures, dreams, thoughts, fears, and hopes.