I finally have a properly lit print viewing area in my studio. It’s big enough to post the prints that my Epson 4800 can make, or to pin a big collection of work prints as I figure out which images deserve the effort. Here’s what it took.
First, I needed a surface that could accommodate push pins. My solution was soundboard, the stuff they put behind walls to soundproof them. A 4’x8’ sheet cost $9.95. I trimmed 9" off the width (with a box knife) so it would fit above my bookcases. It took three coats of primer on the porous surface to get an even coat of white on it.
I bought the tracklight from the Solux website for about $200. Installation was a bit beyond my skill set, so I paid another $400 for a pro to hang the unit and install a new circuit (the four halogen lights draw a total of 8 amps).
I now have two areas in the house where I can manage my work in progress—this big, properly lit surface, and the small corkboards in the kitchen, where I also spend a lot of my time. In both cases, I have these surfaces where I can encounter my new work over a duration of time and in different mental states. Something happens with your judgement when you study and contemplate a piece. Something else happens when it lives in your peripheral vision. Both inputs are important to clue me in to what works, and what doesn’t.
What a wonderful space! It inspires me to keep an empty wall in our walk-out lower level where, eventually, I hope to put my work in progress.
Posted by: Birgit Zipser | December 14, 2006 at 10:47 AM