Studio Snapshot - Barbara McKie

Artist name: Barbara Barrick McKie

Location:  Connecticut

Website: McKie Art

Do you have a dedicated studio/artistic space? Yes

Where is it located? It’s a separate building that we converted from a carpenter’s garage on our property

Is it a large or small space? It’s 20′ x 20′ for me, plus part of my husband’s sculpture studio is used when I do surface design and dyeing of my fabrics. Plus a storage “garage” space. Total size is about 1100 square feet.

What medium(s) do you work in? Art Quilting, surface design and dyeing (separate space), polymer clay occasionally, the heating is done in the “garage” space, the crafting in the quilting space. Beadwork for jewelry is usually done in my house.

What one word would you use to describe your studio? Efficient

What do you think is the best feature of your studio? The design wall that is also a photography wall. There is a daylight balanced fluorescent light in front of the beam near the wall that floods the wall with light. Second is the table I made from stock wall cabinets and the top made from an 8′ x 4′ melamine board from Home Depot. The top was cut so that part of it forms a center support divider. I then put drawers in the center for storage and there is space to put rolls of white fabric as well. The top is padded with carpet padding, then vinyl and then fabric that I can remove and wash. I use that table to do dyeing as well as lay out my work and press fabric, etc.

What would you change if you could? I’d make it a bit bigger to make it easier to get on the back side of my design tables that are near the cabinets.

Can you share an organizational tip? I have lots of drawers that are dedicated to a particular type of item. My threads are in several drawers near my sewing machine.

Describe the usual state of your work table? Partly cleaned up, partly piled with fabric or batting, scissors, cutting blades, etc.

Does your work table face out into the room or toward the wall? It’s is in the center but closer to the storage wall.

What’s one drawback of your studio/artistic space? It needs to be a bit wider.

Do you have any studio mascots? I have a great Koala sewing table and also a Koala cutting table, and a large Koala came with it along with 3 small koalas, and they are in the studio.

Do you have an idea wall or inspiration board? Part of my design/photo wall has some ideas on it, but mostly my ideas come from my computer photo files.

Do you listen to music in your studio? What kind? Sometimes…I generally listen to ethnic music…Irish, South American, etc. However, mostly I “watch/listen mostly” to the TV.

Do you display your own work in your studio? Yes. Other artists’ work? No

What’s one quirk or unusual feature of your studio? I enter it through the bathroom most of the time.