I'm moving my studio back home over the next few months. THE most important thing for me to set up in the space is lighting.
For just about 20 years, I worked in this space before I moved into a small studio in Natick Center. Even though I knew from the beginning that it was too small even as I moved in, what I LOVED about the space was the light.
While I feel really good about working at home again, even if it's also a space that's too small, I know I have to do something so I can see. The last time I worked at home, if I wanted to paint at night or on cloudy days, I had to go into my bathroom, where the light is better, to choose my colors. That was pretty pathetic.
Fast forward to now. I decided that since I've recently sold a large amount of work, that I would use some of the money to pay for buying and installing lights, which includes fixtures and bulbs as well as the electrician.
I’ve met with a lighting designer and we discussed my space and my needs. I was hoping to use LED lights but quickly found out that not only do they run hot, but they would also cause a lot of shadows, and they’re really expensive. After much discussion, I've chosen florescent lighting. As horrible as it sounds, it's really what's going to work best.
I know that I can get cheap (not so nice looking) fixtures, but this space is in the middle of my house on the second floor. We walk through it to get to our bedroom, and friends and family walk past it to get to our guest room. Because of that, I've decided to splurge on the fixtures. They're simple and a little expensive, but not outrageous.
So, two 50" fixtures that hold two bulbs each have been ordered and will hopefully arrive in a few weeks. After everything arrives, my electrician will come and install them.
