The Studio on a Budget: Creating Space for Creativity
Blog #2 of the Series on Brien's Journey into the Artistic World
From Dining Table to Dream Space
As I shared in my previous blog, I had found my passion and developed a specific focus on what I wanted to paint. The next step was acquiring supplies that would give me the flexibility to experiment—different acrylics, mediums, brushes, various mark-making tools, and palette knives.
This is where a new phase began. In the beginning, I was painting on the dining room table, which—for obvious reasons—wasn't a long-term solution. So what to do?
An art easel seemed like the answer, so off to Amazon I went. The easel worked out fine, but I actually preferred painting flat, which meant I needed a tabletop or some form of horizontal surface.
Finding My Space
Around this time, we were moving to a two-story townhouse with a basement. You can probably guess where I set up shop—yes, the basement. It turned out to be perfect, with lots of space in the beginning (more on that later).
But there was one major issue: the lighting was terrible. And if you paint, you know this can be a serious problem.
After getting outrageous quotes from a couple of electricians, I set out to find an alternative. What I discovered turned into an interesting solution that I highly recommend for anyone with space but poor lighting.
Let There Be Light
The basement had only limited lighting originally. My solution? I deployed two long plug strips with eight plugs each—capable of handling sixteen lights total. I purchased ten of those silver clip lights you can find at Home Depot, Lowe's, or Amazon (my source). Once these were in place, I added daylight bulbs and a couple of fluorescent lamps (very inexpensive).
The result? That dark space was no longer dark—it lit up beautifully. I believe it's crucial to use daylight bulbs, as they provide the closest thing to natural light.
Building the Work Surface
Next came the work surface. I designed one using 2x4s, particle board, and lots of screws, with two layers of shelving below for accessible storage. Painting surface issue: solved.
I still had the easel, but I also thought about using a wall as an additional option. As you can imagine, developing a wall system can become expensive. My walls were cinderblock, and I wasn't about to reframe the entire basement.
My first step was adding inexpensive sheets of white insulation to the walls. This gave me a flat vertical surface for pinning loose canvas (unstretched). But I still needed something with the flexibility of an easel for different canvas sizes—and I needed to keep costs down.
The 2x4 Solution
The table I made was 40" x 120"—perfect for all my painting options. The wall was good for loose canvas, but I needed something with horizontal adjustability.
This led to what I call my "2x4 solution." You could probably do this with 1x2s, but I wanted it sturdy enough for larger canvases. I headed to Lowe's and purchased six 2x4s, each 8 feet long.
I set them up and inserted screws—one in each 2x4 at the same level—so I could rest the canvas on the screws. I wrapped tape around each screw to prevent damage to the canvas. This first set of screws was positioned for larger canvases: 36x36", 36x60", and so on.
The beauty of this system was its flexibility. I could manipulate the 2x4s—moving them apart or closer together—to accommodate canvases of various lengths and widths. Need to work on a 60" wide piece? Simply spread the 2x4s further apart. Working on something narrower? Bring them closer together. This adjustability meant I wasn't locked into fixed dimensions.
Then I flipped the 2x4s over and repeated the process at a different height to accommodate smaller canvases: 12x12", 16x20", 24x36", etc.
Total cost? Nothing compared to a French cleat system or other more sophisticated setups. Again, I was doing this with as little investment as possible.
Pulling It All Together
So now I had lights, a work surface, and an easel solution. I covered the work surface with thick plastic that could be replaced once the paint buildup became distracting. Sometimes I'm okay with the accumulated paint, but other times I need a clean slate to start over—similar to how, after painting impressionistic landscapes for a while, I need to do a couple of abstract pieces to recenter myself.
It was time to get painting.
The Joy of Reckless Abandonment
I had sketched many ideas since beginning this journey, drawing from memories of my international travels over 30+ years. I had the paint, the supplies, the work surfaces, and great lighting.
Needless to say, I began with reckless abandonment and painted a lot of bad stuff—but occasionally a gem would emerge. Those were exciting moments for me. In the beginning, I had no idea what worked or what didn't from an artistic standpoint.
If I haven't mentioned this before, I will now: when I started painting, I had no idea about the rules, color theory, which colors complemented each other, or the rule of thirds. As they say, "ignorance is bliss"—and that was me.
Over time, some of the rules made sense, but when it comes to color, I still go with what feels right. And apparently, it often works out well. The rule of thirds is a nice guide, but it doesn't always work for me.
A Word About Respect
I need to say this: I have nothing but great respect for artists who have done this their entire lives, for people who teach art, and for those with that inborn talent that simply amazes me. My comments in no way minimize their immense talent.
I'm only saying that for me, with a limited lifespan remaining, I decided to follow my own path—which caused the rules to bend a bit more since I had no formal training.
Okay, with that said, let's move on.
The Storage Challenge
I was painting every day back then, and I still do most days today. The next challenge? What to do with all the paintings—some bad, some good.
Remember when I mentioned "lots of space in the beginning"? Well, that was becoming an issue.
First, let me step back and share that I purchased some dresser-type units from Habitat for Humanity. You know those old motel three-drawer chests with the TV glued to the top? Yup, those. I also purchased three unfinished kitchen cabinets from Home Depot, each with a drawer and two doors for storage.
Creative Canvas Storage
During this time, I painted primarily on 16x20" canvas—it seemed like the right size for learning and working with various styles. My focus was on abstraction and some landscapes. I actually painted some dog portraits that were not good at all, but the owners were friends and were very kind. I'm sure if they still have them, they're residing in a basement somewhere.
I began building a rolling storage shelf unit for larger paintings—two tiers to accommodate 36x36" works and a few even larger (I'll address why I went large later). The smaller 16x20" canvases were stored in a series of hanging shelves I made and attached to the basement rafters. I also created storage under the basement stairs.
Needless to say, today all that storage space is full. More on that later.
Wrapping Up
I'm pausing this blog here because the focus was the studio on a budget. My bit of creativity wasn't all mine—I'd read extensively about the challenges others faced setting up their studios, and I pulled ideas from them, converting them into low-cost solutions for my situation.
Please come back for the next part of the journey, where I'll expand on my painting evolution and transitioning to larger canvases.
What's Next
Future blogs will address:
- Going small to large canvas and the reasons why
- Selling your art from my perspective
- Growing your brand (if you move beyond the hobby)
- The art website development journey
- Art offers many paths, and these blogs will follow many of them
Your friend and fellow Art Traveler,
Brien Berberich
Brien Berberich Art
www.brienberberichart.com