Category: In My Life

In My Life

Art Supply Organization – Paint

by Katrina Hendrix1 Comment on Art Supply Organization – Paint
Art Supply Organization – Paint

Addressing the challenge of having lots and lots and lots of paint tubes

How many times did I try to figure out how to store my paint? How many pinterest pins and google searches did I explore trying to solve my problems? SO MANY! No doubt you have been in the same position. Art supply organization is hard. Really hard! Everything I found either involves buying racks, using pegboard that takes up a ton of space, or having filing drawers with custom inserts… I’ve seen it all.

For years I used a toolbox. It was portable, but nothing was easy to find. Everything was on top of everything else, and there was no way to sort by color or soft/heavy/etc.

I don’t believe you should have to spend a lot of money to solve this problem. I am firm in my believe that the solution should be elegant. Let me introduce to you my ultra minimalist art supply organization storage system for my paint.

paint organization for wall
How I store my acrylic paint in my studio

Neat, right? It’s up on the wall, visible, I can sort by color (If I wanted to) and I never have to dig through a bin or drawer to find what color I need. It’s ultra low cost, as I had this wood hanging around in my garage as scrap. I believe this should probably cost no more than $5 in materials, especially if you already have a drill, nails, screws, and wood.

Here’s how to make your own

What you need

  • 1″ Nails
  • Screws (for attaching to wall)
  • Wood – I used 1×3″ boards
  • Paint (optional)

Instructions

So, I measured the space I had – there were already two posters on the wall and I wanted to use the space below. That came out to approximately 26″ wide. I cut two pieces of wood to this length and then measured for the paint tubes. Placing them side by side and approximating really helped, especially if you are using a different brand or have different sizes of tubes. My nails are spaced approximately 2″ apart. Your results may vary, but I wouldn’t go any closer than that. Besides, measuring every 2″ is *very* easy.

paint organization
Here’s what the board looks like without any paint hanging on it

Because I want the paint to hang nicely and place the boards closer together on the wall I decided to put the nails in 1/4 of the width down from the top of the board. You can see from the pictures that they aren’t nailed in along the center line. After this I drilled a screw on each end of the board so that I could fasten it directly to the wall. Your paint tubes will likely cover the screw. I drilled a countersink so the screw would be flush with the wood, but that was an aesthetic choice. It’s completely up to you!

Finally, every painter’s favorite part, color! You could leave the boards au natural, stain, or paint them. I chose to paint them. I watered down some acrylic paint and applied it directly to the wood without priming it. It gave the wood a lot of character while still showing off the grain.

There it is! If you have any other interest in DIY painting related projects please check out my other post on making a Still Life Shadow Box.

I hope you’ve found this helpful – if you do please let me know in the comments and show me your version! How have you solved organizing your art supplies?

In My Life

End of Summer

by Katrina HendrixLeave a Comment on End of Summer
End of Summer

I haven’t written a blog post in a while. Shame!

This weekend is Treasure Fest! I’ll be there selling original pieces as well as prints. Come stop by and say hi! Get your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shop-toberfest-at-treasurefest-tickets-42365055020?aff=site

The last time I wrote I had just been accepted in to the Sanchez Art Center 50|50 show. 50 paintings in 50 days. I crushed it! I was really proud to finish all 50 in a timely manner. When I started I painted daily but that only lasted a week or so. Life gets in the way, and I found myself taking much needed time for myself and then making up for it on the weekends, sometimes 4 in a day. The show went really well, too. I met a ton of local artists and made some friends along the way. I’m also pumped to be able to bring some of the works to upcoming shows too.

My day job has been busy, which tires me out. I am currently not doing the best when it comes to making time for art, but I have excuses. My stomach has been hurting and I am tired. My doctors have diagnosed me as iron deficient anemic and they believe that I have celiac disease – the results showed up in a blood marker and I get to experience my first endoscopy. Although, if I’m not awake/aware for the procedure I’m not sure how much of an experience it will be.

For now I am trying to enjoying my last few days of enjoying gluten, even though it bothers my stomach. Mac and Cheese and Pierogis, oh my! I imagine when I get the official diagnosis and I stop gluten I’ll be amazed at how much better I will feel.

In My Life

Fast Forward!

by Katrina HendrixLeave a Comment on Fast Forward!

Holy cow. It’s been a while – AGAIN!

I have been accepted to a few Art and Wine festivals in the bay area- notably, Menlo Summerfest and Los Altos Art & Wine. I believe that these venues will provide better connections with patrons. I’m excited to meet so many new people and see familiar faces.

I’ve ordered a new set of prints of avocados, cats, lights, landscapes, and hand mixers.

My husband and I have bought a house in Pacifica, CA. We’re homeowners! Such a huge year for us – we are both turning 30. Our careers are blossoming, and we’ve adopted a second cat. It turns out when we decide to do things we go hard.

In other fantastic news, I’ve been accepted to the Sanchez Art Center annual 50/50 show. I will be crafting 50 paintings in 50 days. It seems daunting, but I think it is very possible.Ā  More information to come! I start June 1.

This weekend I will be at Treasure Fest near the 3rd street entrance. Please pop in and say hi. šŸ™‚

In My Life

A Wild Month

by Katrina HendrixLeave a Comment on A Wild Month

It’s been a crazy month – I’ve put together everything I need to start out and I have been accepted to Art on the Square in Redwood City!

  • ART on the Square with blues artist, Lara PriceĀ at Music on the Square: Fri July 21, 5:00-8:30pm
  • ART on the Square with the PAL Blues & ART Festival: Sat July 22, Noon-8:00pm
  • ART on the Square with Michael Jackson tribute band, ForeverlandĀ at Music on the Square: Ā Fri August 25, 5:00-8:30pm

I’ve been working with a fantastic photographer and printer and I now have a good supply of prints. I’ll be rebooting my Etsy in the next few days for prints only.

I’ve also started playing with oil paints again. I think I’m starting to get the hang of them.

In My Life

Diving into the deep end

by Katrina Hendrix1 Comment on Diving into the deep end

I’ve decided to make a huge leap in to the craft business. I am currently setting up for selling at art shows and online. I’ve purchased a Showoff Canopy, print rack, and table for outdoor festivals and I am currently working on my own “show box” of holding. d I have a few more things to figure out before my first show, which will hopefully be in July or August.

Prints will be coming to my Etsy soon, as soon as I figure out a few more things. For now the Etsy page is down. I’ve had 20 of my works professionally photographed and I am working with a fantastic printer who can drop-ship to your location.

Meanwhile, if there’s anything you’re interested in on my website or Instagram email me at kathendrixart@gmail.com.

In My Life, Travel

Vacation – Zion National Park

by Katrina HendrixLeave a Comment on Vacation – Zion National Park
Vacation – Zion National Park

 

Just got back from vacation – Austin and I drove out to the Grand Canyon and stayed there a few days, followed by a few days in Zion National Park. Amazing, truly amazing. Zion was my favorite out of the two – truly stunning views. Something about the glow from the red rocks makes my brain feel like it’s fizzling and sparking. Have you been? If not, you should definitely plan for a trip.

In My Life

Last painting of 2016

by Katrina HendrixLeave a Comment on Last painting of 2016
Last painting of 2016

My last painting of 2016 was completed on December 31.

What do I circle back to? A blender, of course. Acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord- one of the most responsive materials that I have ever used. Rosemary Brushes and Gessobord are a match made in heaven!

This year I’m going to try to sell more art. Last year I sold three pieces without putting too much effort in, so this year I’m going to hustle.

I’ve reopened my Etsy, just waiting on a name change to finalize.

In my personal life I’ve got a few updates – my husband and I just moved from San Jose to Redwood City to shorten our commutes by 45 minutes each way. I can bike to work, and we just built a portfolio carrier for my bicycle based on this InstructableĀ which should work really well! I’ll be taking a figure drawing class through Stanford Continuing Studies this next quarter.

When we moved we ditched the TV and it’s been a month. I haven’t missed it yet.

 

In My Life

Portraiture in Charcoal

by Katrina Hendrix3 Comments on Portraiture in Charcoal
Portraiture in Charcoal

I’ve been silent for a month, forgive me. I’m not sure if I’m asking for forgiveness from you or from myself for neglecting to update.

I’ve been taking a class at Stanford on portrait drawing with John PeckĀ and I have come to enjoy it more than I thought I would. Before I had never invested any time in portraits out of fear. I took this class because of that fear, and while there is still much to improve on I have pleasantly surprised myself.

I’m using Canson Mi-Tientes toned paper and Nitram charcoal.

First session:

Second session:

 

Third session:

 

…and the most recent session. I neglected to take a picture of the 4th, so here is the 5th:

 

However, I have been putting minimal effort towards my homework, either out of travel out of town, laziness, or exhaustion. My teacher appropriately called me out on it and I will work harder.

 

It is fun to see the progression from the first class onward. Looking forward to a new model this week.

In My Life, Travel

Working hard, Hardly working

by Katrina HendrixLeave a Comment on Working hard, Hardly working

 

Two weekends ago I celebrated my one year wedding anniversary with my husband in Tahoe. Of course, I bought my easel and spent an hour painting. Here’s what came of that.

 

 

It’s difficult to work a full time job, paint, have side gigs, and work out. I want to blog more, but it’s easier to post to Instagram.

 

I was promoted at work, so if you’re looking at my blog because you’re interested in admissions for Stanford Civil & Environmental Engineering I am no longer in that role. However, please stay and enjoy the paintings! With the new role my responsibilities have greatly increased, and in transitioning to my new role I have been extra busy wrapping up old projects.