Tag: Art Studio (Page 1 of 2)

Artist Spotlight: M.A. Tateishi

August 2, 2022 / Conal

M.A. Tateishi is a Vancouver-based artist who was a pleasure to chat with recently.

For me, it was her passion for her process that stood out during our chat. I’m certain if I wanted to dive deeper — and had the time — she could have provided me with enough to write a university dissertation on the topic of layering in paintings.

She has her own studio in East Vancouver, but give her a heads up if you plan to drop by. You’ll understand after you read our chat, especially Question 11. ?

[Featured Artwork: “Malmö“ by M.A. Tateishi.]

The Art Studio Extension

May 14, 2022 / Conal

It never stood a chance.

We recently renovated our kitchen and the last piece was the kitchen table.

The old kitchen table was a giant, dark brown behemoth that served us well.

Many family meals were enjoyed there. Christmas breakfasts, Easter dinners, and birthday cakes came and went.

The Studio Light

April 16, 2022 / Conal

Growing up, my parents were really good at sharing tips and advice.

One memorable piece of advice was: “Get that spaghetti out from between your toes.”

But, by far, the most common was: “Turn off the lights!”

The Tile Infestation

March 26, 2022 / Conal

Like ants swarming a cake at a picnic, the tiles were everywhere.

These 4-inch by 4-inch tiles covered our kitchen. Normally, the prospect of renovating our kitchen would excite me, but these tiles showed up years before our current kitchen renovation was even a twinkle in my eye.

No, these tiles were very much a thorn. They were for a large project my artist wife was fortunate to be working on with dozens of other artists alongside residents of communities across Canada.

The Clean Studio

February 26, 2022 / Conal

That didn’t take long.

My artist wife spent 10 years without cleaning her art studio in our suburban, prairie bungalow. Her studio, the size of a living room, fills a quarter of our basement.

Paint-covered floors, canvasses stacked everywhere, and piles of paint supplies in the middle of the room were common behind the perpetually closed door. As sure as the sun rises, that studio would be a mess.

Yet, it took her the time of one my strength-training workouts to clean the place.

Seriously. One hour.

The Overwhelming Stench

February 5, 2022 / Conal

It hit me like a fly hits the windshield of a speeding bus.

With the kids at school, my artist working in her studio, and me on a day off, I had stepped out of the house for a couple of hours to put up some of our Christmas light display on our western Canadian, suburban home. With 8,000 bulbs in our display, it takes a lot of time and even more thought to set it up.

By the time I had another 2,000 bulbs on the house, I was mentally drained.

I needed to shut my brain off. I needed to feel my cold-numbed fingers and toes. I needed to go inside.

So, I did.