Monday, December 20, 2010

Early Christmas Present

Again, I've been negligent about keeping up my blog but I've been extremely busy plus, I sometimes wonder if anyone actually reads or cares whether I've posted anything or not!  But, that's beside the point right now.  I wanted to show you all a fabulous Christmas gift I got yesterday from some very dear friends.



Dave, an excellent woodworker as you can see, made this storage unit after Joy, his wife, designed it.  My husband added his input also and everyone kept it secret from me for weeks!

This unit is so perfect for storing my papers although I need to finish the shelves to block any wood acids from affecting my papers (Dave ran out of time plus no one was sure if I would want the unit painted or stained).  The top shelf is plenty big enough for even large sheets of matboard and the shelves on the viewer's right are perfect for large sheets of watercolor paper, PastelMat or other large sheets and the shelves on the viewer's left are perfect for pads and odd sheets that I use.

The drawers are deep enough so that I can store aerosol cans of fixative or other tall items.  I'm even going to try to put up a rack or holder of some sort inside a drawer to be able to store brushes point down away from any dust.  I don't know if it will work but it seems like a good idea anyway!

Anyway, I'm absolutely thrilled with this very generous gift.  It's taken me over three years but I'm finally getting a handle on what I need and want as far as storage and workspace here in the studio goes.  It will take a while longer to get it all done but, if anyone is interested, I'll post the finished result here.

Now, I'm off to figure out what I need to finish the shelves and drawers and to get to work finishing them!

8 comments:

Sue Clinker said...

Hi Jan
Of course you have people reading your blog - its always full of lovely ideas and helpful reviews/hints for different papers/pencils and methods! Don't give up on us pleeeeease!!

and what an absolutely fantastic present! My papers are stored on top of a wardrobe in my artroom but they are piled on top of each other so I have to take every sheet down to hunt for the piece I need. Not ideal!

I don't have any carpenter friends unfortunately :-(

Jan said...

Thanks, Sue! Yes, it's really nice to have talented friends but I was absolutely flabbergasted at this gift!

Unknown said...

I'm with Sue. always find you blog newsy and interesting, full of tips etc.
I am so happy for you..What a wonderful gift. You deserve it too.

Merry Christmas to you and your family Jan.
Best wishes for 2011.

Jan said...

Awww, Dors, that's so sweet of you to say that my blog is worth reading - thank you. And thanks for the wishes for a Merry Christmas.

I wish the same to you and yours and everyone else who happens to stop by!

Beth Macre said...

I check in and read too! I wonder the same about my blog. I've neglected mine lately too. Life just has a way of getting hectic, doesn't it?
Beautiful cabinet! Just perfect for an artist!

Jan said...

Thanks for letting me know you stop by, Bethie. Yes, life gets really hectic sometimes, especially at this time of the year!

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!

Teresa said...

How wonderful! Dave and Joy could probably market these to all of us disorganized artists (well, I'll speak for myself here!)

Jan said...

I'll have to suggest it to him, Teresa. It is really a lifesaver and the proportions are perfect for my uses.