At Work With Katie Stratton

You might remember Katie Stratton from her gorgeous home tour with us a couple of months back. Katie is here to share her equally amazing work space with us today!"I'm a freelance artist and painter—working on custom pieces and commissions for private clients and also for Kinfolk magazine. My work is pretty heavily influenced by the seasons and colors here in Ohio. I just started working in this new studio space, which has been so much fun after working from home for years. My goal this year is to make my work more accessible and start selling prints and originals online (sometime this fall, fingers crossed)!"

"On a normal studio day, I take my son to school at 8:30a, and baby Phoebe and I head downtown. I'll load up supplies and the car seat on a dolly and take the freight elevator up to the 3rd floor. Once we're in the loft, Phoebe will play in her playpen or crawl around on a blanket and chase the building cat, while I touch brushes and sit with my tubes of paint. I like to take a minute with all of my things to find my bearings. If I'm working on something for Kinfolk or a commissioned piece, I have a specific direction in mind. Otherwise the painting process is pretty organic, depending on my mood or what music is playing! The next couple of hours are spent throwing paint, kissing baby cheeks, sitting and thinking, and painting some more. Working with a little one around is tough. And some days it just doesn't work. I try and get some alone time in the studio at least once a week!"

"I share my space with another artist, Brooke Medlin.  It's amazing having another person's creative energy to bounce off of, and it's something I was certainly missing working by myself from home. The entire building is filled with makers and creative types: photographers and artists. It's a little village that inspires me to no end! Plus there is a building cat named spooky that roams around and sweetens the deal!"

"The floors in the studio are so old and filthy and beautiful. To help protect them from my mess, I made a faux cowhide rug out of a drop cloth. To make your own, go to a specialty paint store (sherwin williams, etc) and find a nice size rubber-backed drop cloth (I used a 9'x11'). Spread it out and trace a hide shape and cut it out with scissors! The rubber backing will keep the canvas from fraying and help grip it to a bare floor!"

Thank you so much for sharing your inspiring work space with us, Katie! You can find Katie over at her blog Katie's Pencil Box or see her work in issues 2-8 of Kinfolk Magazine here. xo.