Making the studio a retreat

New fence in front of studio

Today was one of those days where we were able to check off yet one more thing on our perpetual "to do" list!

And what we checked off was the fence in front of the Art studio! As with any big project we've put a lot of time and effort into our art studio. We spend a lot of time in here and we try to make it not just a place to work, but a retreat.  Visitors love the look and feel of our studio.

We built it a little over ten years ago from recycled materials gathered from a 1910 house being demolished, a warehouse of construction leftovers and good old fashioned muscle and help from family members! ...it took us almost two years  because  we paid as we went along. No debt :-).

So today, we were able to step back and admire our new section of fence. It's the same kind of fence we have around our rose and herb garden. Tobacco stick screwed to treated wood...and the sticks, if not touching the ground, last as long as the treated wood!  We had to first tear down the picket fence we installed at the beginning as the invading wisteria (yes we stupidly planted it on purpose!) had started to pull it down. Putting up the fence was the easy part. Attacking the vegetation with chainsaw, clippers and Round Up, was a the hard part :-). Oh well the original concept was good...we just picked the wrong plant for an arbor!

Artists often need beauty and quiet times for inspiration.... it's a perfect place for many of our classes and our art retreats. Sure you can find the beauty elsewhere as an option. But being a part of it, nourishing it and reveling in it...well now, that's the artist's life!

Same type of fence around herb and rose garden