William's Artist Idyll

My method of artwork consists of applying various applications (not always just paint, it could be sand, ground charcoal, corroded metals, etc.) to canvases and then allowing that to settle before being manipulated further. My ideal space therefore is one that is attached to the house so I can do my artwork and then go do other tasks around the house and office, and return to check on the progress easily (and before it is too late to intervene in the process!)
I now have my ideal work space! It is attached to the house, but is accessed by a separate stairway, so there is separation from the house. I can go to my studio with a real sense of being in a separate (and much much messier) space, but I can still go into the house easily to do other things. The studio has northern light from the glass doors to a terrace (wonderful!) and skylights as well. I seldom play music or the radio and paint in the quiet which I love. I never take my laptop to the studio so the demands of e-mail or other right brain work are maintained in a separate domain. Our two dogs always accompany me and are the perfect companions.... no sass, no critiques, and protection against the constant threat of squirrels and the neighborhood's wild turkeys!

William Ishmael is a Northern California Artist, civil engineer emeritus, and raconteur
More of his art is available at www.iamishmael.com