".... My studio is my home and my home is my studio. I would not have it any other way because I
feel in my element here .... I have two areas where I perform most of my work, a primary workspace
for painting and a thinking space which is my personal mini gallery where I hang my in-progress and
completed artworks .... The best thing about my studio is that the commute to and from work is only about 30 feet ...."
- John O'Keefe
WORKING SPACE...
Me busy painting!
My working space is small, but that is just how I like it because I am surrounded by my materials and art supplies.
I like to paint under artificial light because I find it to be a consistent enviornment in which to work, regardless of
the time of day. I have another space where I assemble and package the Giclee reproductions.
The working space is not just for me.
Everyone in my family loves to create art and in this room you will find materials and supplies for just
about every medium.
My wife loves pastel and watercolor. I love oil painting, graphite, and pen & ink.
Our daughter loves colored pencil, marker, oil paint, and mixed media.
And our son loves to create comics.
So... how do I fit everything into this space? The next picture gives you a clue.
Controlled clutter ...PERFECT!
THINKING SPACE...
The thinking space is my favorite part of the studio. I love painting landscapes in the style
of the Hudson River School and Victorian era artists, and this room is authentically decorated
in the style of that time period. My artworks are hanging on just about every available inch of wallspace.
Some are completed, some are in-progress, and some have not yet been started (you can see the white
canvases mounted in frames).
This is also the room where I keep my reference library of books and my laptop. I can sit in this
room for hours, researching through my books or on the Internet. This is a really great room for hanging out
and I often get inspired for new works while I'm sitting here.
My Home Gallery! (Click and Drag image to spin room)
While my thinking room is important, traveling outdoors and viewing various landscape scenes is a
large part of my creative process. I am on a never ending quest to understand nature so that I can better
capture it on canvas. Cloud patterns are another element that I study when outdoors.
The nice thing about photographing clouds is that they come to you.
Much of my cloud reference material was captured from our
front porch, and my wife, Jennifer, is the source for most of my cloud arrangements.
The entire family goes on what we call "business trips" to parks, rivers, lakes, and other
scenic spots around Connecticut to photograph the landscape.
When back in the studio I use computers to digitally edit and archive the photographs that
I think will be useful in future paintings.
Most of my paintings are not truly complete without the critique and input of my wife.
She has a good eye for detail and has sent many of my paintings back to the easel for some touch-up work.
I love getting feedback from others and I attribute a large portion of my personal growth as an artist to the
feedback that I receive.