Working Methods 3: Extra Storage

West Leicester, January 2015

At various points over the last year or two, I’ve contemplated the desirability of renting a studio space.  Finding a venue for one’s productive activity is, I suppose one of the biggest practical issues facing any visual artist still committed to the idea of the physical art object, -  and one which can, of course, imply considerable financial outlay.

Since my practice became a constant, rather than a sporadic reality, a few years ago, my expedient solution has been to simply sacrifice the back bedroom of my tatty little terraced house to work space.  The financial benefits are obvious, and, whilst some might consider me unlucky to live alone, there’s no denying the advantage of being able to do as I please with my limited accommodation, and not worry about the impact on interior decor or falling short of anyone else’s standards of hygiene and orderliness.

West Leicester, March 2016

The down side is that it’s only a small room, and is accessed via the traditionally narrow staircase, complete with 90 degree turns, of a standard two-up, two-down.  Working on rigid panels, as I tend to, it’s not really practical to produce anything much larger than 1m square, (or 150 cm X 50 cm), which is a frustration.  Also, whilst I can work in (admittedly untidy) comfort, there’s little room to store completed work or the raw materials for panels in there.  Consequently, the rest of my house has slowly come to resemble a cross between a wood yard and the basement of a small, municipal art gallery.

Anyway, this situation has started to feel a bit untenable of late, not least when, the other day, I needed to put something down and just couldn’t find anywhere - literally.  Effectively, my home had become a giant, squalid version of one of those sliding tile games where you can’t relocate one piece without first moving another.  I thought again about the feasibility of an external studio, but ultimately, couldn’t imagine getting beyond the two biggest drawbacks of that solution.

West Leicester, March 2016

Firstly, as an amateur artist, the cost of renting a space can’t be ignored.  Having bought my house many years ago, and never upsizing, my accommodation costs are much lower than many other folks labour under.  However, the income from my day job income is relatively modest, and the rental of a studio would take a noticeable chunk out of it.  To be honest, it's not even the thought of spending the money, but more a wariness about the constant pressure I might feel to justify it by going in as a 'duty'.  I already have a job, - I'm in no hurry to transform my natural vocation from a pleasure, into something resembling a chore.

This also ties in to the issues of time and convenience.  Finding alternative accommodation would involve making specific journeys, possibly across town, just to do some work.  After a hard day’s labour at school, on a cold, dark evening in January, - just how many excuses not to bother would rear up?  I think I know the answer.  In the context of all this, the expense would become much less justifiable - especially if my work rate was actually diminished.  As it is, I can wander along the landing in my pants and be painting even before the kettle has boiled for my first coffee.  I can be working at midnight or dawn, in short bursts or extended sessions, - and I've even found myself doing a quick fifteen minutes before work on odd occasions.  In a world where most of us are time-poor, it’s hard to discount that kind of convenience. 

West Leicester, March 2016

Some would argue that being an artist is all about commitment and self discipline, and also point to the communality, creative stimulation, and potential networking opportunities of sharing a communal work environment.  Certainly, that can’t be disregarded.  My current answer would be that life is full enough of practical struggles without looking for even more potential hurdles.   The communal, creative cross-currents issue is harder to dismiss [1.],  but, having recently become a paid-up member of Leicester Print Workshop, I’m hoping that won’t be completely lacking in the coming months.  I'm certainly not dismissing the whole studio idea out of hand, but for now, it just doesn't really feel particularly advantageous.

Instead, I’ve opted to raid my savings to pay for a self-storage unit.  It’s still a significant outlay, but at least it’s just straightforwardly what it is, - and will allow me to make some immediate impact on my living conditions.  Even now, having simply lobbed my stack of completed work from recent years in there, I feel like I’ve reclaimed some valuable breathing space.  Somewhat disturbingly, I can now see the filth and structural defects in the house that also need addressing.

I’ll confess, I was kind of intrigued to gain some insight into the world of Self Storage, -  particularly as these large, usually yellow-painted, depots have become such a feature of the modern urban scene.  They seem to speak volumes, (see what I’ve done), about the way we live [2.], - not least the First-World decadence of a situation where many people just have too much stuff.  Self-Store facilities seem to proliferate almost as rapidly as supermarkets, (really? – another Lidl/Aldi?), or chain coffee outlets, and I pass at least two on my short work commutes, each day.

'Map 2', Acrylics & Paper Collage On Panel, 60 cm X 60 cm, 2015

Significantly, it was that last issue which caused one of them to provide the stimulus for one of my ‘Map’ paintings from last year.  ‘Map 2’ not only took it’s colour scheme and found text from the business in question, but also signified how the building forms part of a node in two of the intersecting routes in my mental map of Leicester.  As such, it was a key piece in my ‘Mental Mapping’ work, and by co-opting the legend ‘Space Place’ labels a perennial key concept within my oeuvre generally.

Most pleasingly of all, this is the one where I’ve now chosen to store my stuff.  It wasn’t a fait accompli; like anyone else, I got the quotes and weighed up the options [3.].  Nevertheless, there’s a delightful symmetry about it all.  I spent a few journeys shuttling stuff over there, and enjoying all the cadmium yellow paintwork, clanging industrial shutters, commodious service lifts, etc.  In fact, as I trundled around the maze of pressed-steel shacks, erected inside an echoing, brick manufactory of an earlier age, - I couldn’t help reflecting on just how vividly the place seems to encapsulate, (and again), our post-industrial situation.  I locked the padlock on my own unit, - satisfied that ‘Map 2’ now nestles safely within the very Space Place that inspired it.  Self-reflexivity will eat itself.

Many thanks to my dear friend Lorel, for helping me to get organised - and with all the inevitable physical huffing and puffing on the day.

[1.]:  Sadly, even that doesn’t always pay off.  Many years ago, having recently finished my Degree, I rented a space in a large communal studio space in Bristol.  It should have been ideal, being local, relatively cheap, and situated in a pleasingly dilapidated remnant of Bristol’s dockland heritage - long before it all became absorbed by inevitable gentrification.  I spent a few weeks in there, admittedly somewhat short of inspiration, only to find it was often dispiritingly deserted and that some of the people in evidence were a little less than encouraging.  I painted a few aimless studies but, after my nearest neighbour objected to me listening to Radio 4 (!) for company - because he needed complete silence at all times, I cut my loses and bailed out.

[2.]:  This whole idea of vacant space being a valuable commodity within congested cities is pretty significant, I think.  It also seems to relate to my bizarre parallel fascination with car parking, and with the way that urban territory is divided, allocated and monetised, generally.  In many respects, to live in a city is to find oneself physically and financially constrained at every turn.

[3.]:  This is clearly a very competitive sector.  For some time, after collecting on-line quotes, and making my choice, I was pestered with cold calls, emails, texts, etc. with ‘improved offers’ and ‘special deals’.  I got a discount in the form of a couple of extra months ‘for free’ (yeah, - right!), but my advice for any really keen hagglers in the market would be to play competing companies off against each other.  The storage game is a pretty effective way to print money, I suspect, - and they seem keen to cut each other’s throats.