Working on the Kitchen Table
Many of us can't afford a dedicated studio and have to make do with painting in any convenient room in the house. Here are some ideas to help you (and your family) cope.
Work Small. Almost too obvious this point - but never fall into the "bigger is better" trap. Look at the best works of artists like Constable, Monet, Sisley, Rembrandt and Howard Hodgkin. Their small, intimate, jewel-like canvases are often their greatest strength.
Try Water soluble Oils. The wonders of chemistry have given us a paint that sounds impossible: Oil colours that can be mixed with ordinary tap water but dry at the same rate as ordinary oil colours. For the painter who paints on the best dining room table they're much easier to clean up after use. Accidental splashes come out easily with soap and water, and the splashes don't dry before you notice them (unlike acrylics).
Try Watercolours. Buy a small box of half pan, artists quality watercolours. Shouldn't cost more than £30 and it will fit into your top pocket. A top-quality kolinsky sable watercolour brush (size 8) should cost you no more than £8.
Be Ruthless. What do you really need to paint? Most of us acquire clutter that we never use. Take a long hard look at your equipment. Anything that you've not used over the last six months needs careful consideration. Anything you've not used for the last year can go straight to the charity shop or the tip.
'Edit' Your Portfolio. Don't have bad paintings taking up space in your studio - burn them! Drastic but therapeutic. But if they're good, why not try having an exhibition and selling them?
Use a Table Top Easel. Usually consisting of a storage box to hold your paints and an angled platform to hold your canvas, these easels can provide something to paint on and something to store your paint in later. Some of the smaller ones are also suitable for taking outside - giving two easels for the price of one.
Use a Pochade Box. A pochade box is a small box (about the size of a cigar box) containing space to slot in one or two painting boards in the lid, and a palette in the main body of the box, which also stores tubes of paint, brushes etc. It allows the artists to work entirely from a small, self contained, hand-held 'mini studio'.
Work Outdoors. You don't need a studio if you work entirely outdoors. A small pochade box, rucksack and plenty of thermal vests are all you need.