The key to any organizing endeavor is to create a place for everything, so that everything can be in it’s place. In my art, I use wooden dowels and tubing of various lengths and types of material. A quick trip to Home Depot or Lowes can provide a great way to store them in a readily available way. How? PVC. It’s not just for plumbing anymore. The photo on the left shows 4 PVC pipes (4 inch interior diameter) bolted together top and bottom. The pipes used here are 24 inches tall and are generally available precut in that length at Home Depot. Put together in this way, the unit is pretty stable. However, they could also be attached to a wooden base.

The photo on the right shows a single 24 inch pipe attached to a corner of a folding bookcase, but it could also be attached to the leg of a work bench. Seven inch geared band clamps (hose clamps – also available at Home Depot) were used to do the attaching (You may need a longer clamp depending on the size of what you are attaching it to). PVC can be cut to length, and comes in a variety of diameters, as well. (Click thumbnail to view larger image.)

Check out other studio tips by typing “Studio Tip” in the search field at the top of the column to your right, or check out my Studio Tips board at Pinterest.

A while back, I began a search for new work tables for my studio. After perusing the online art supply sites, and even a few actual art store locations on foot, I stumbled upon the ideal solution: a food-prep table from the kitchen department at my local IKEA. It’s called the Groland and, for my needs anyway, it fit the bill perfectly. I needed a good solid table tall enough that I could comfortably stand at or sit on a stool. The top and legs needed to be thick and sturdy enough to handle the hammering that my assemblage/jewelry/framing work sometimes requires. The Groland from IKEA is 47″ long, 21″ wide/deep, and 35.5″ high. The top is 2″ thick. The legs are 3″ x 3″. The table, besides being the perfect lounge height for my cats, is also working beautifully for my collage work. And the cost was great. At $199, the table is $100-$200 less than comparable tables being sold in art stores. The Groland is unfinished, so you can decide to varnish or paint it or leave as is. And before you ask: No, I don’t work for IKEA. (Click thumbnail to view larger image.)

Here’s a link to the product on IKEA’s website.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40157485/

Check out other studio tips by typing “Studio Tip” in the search field at the top of the column to your right, or check out my Studio Tips board at Pinterest.

A big part of assemblage is bringing together objects in wonderful, unique, and often startling ways. To that end, assemblage artists like myself are constantly looking for ways to keep those objects together. That involves gluing, nailing, tying, soldering, welding, and screwing. I keep a variety of nails, screws, wire, and glues on hand, and I always have my eyes open for more and different types of all the above. Recently, I found these black screws at Home Depot.  They’re called Sharp Pan Head Framing Screws. The size is #7 x 7/16″. Can’t wait to use them either decoratively or to attach thin objects or materials like tin and other metals. It’s always nice to find a good screw.

Check out other studio tips by typing “Studio Tip” in the search field at the top of the column to your right, or check out my Studio Tips board at Pinterest.

Pavel Josef Matyas lives in Hawaii. He is currently a member of Honolulu’s homeless community and spends hours every day sitting at his local Starbucks creating his marvelous works of art on various found papers, including an Estee Lauder gift box, with ballpoint pens and markers.

Betsy recently walked in on an exhibition of his work at a local Philadelphia Starbucks. It was installed by a University of the Arts student (Claire Kalala – cm_kalala@yahoo.com) who, along with Gabrielle LaBrosse-Ellis, a Hawaii Pacific University Sociology major have taken an active interest Matyas’ work and are now working to make the public aware of the artist. Betsy came home all excited about what she had just seen and insisted that I return with her the next day to check it out. She already had in mind a few pieces she wanted to add to our collection.

Alas, when we walked into the Starbucks at Broad and Pine Streets, the walls were bare. The show had been taken down the night before. We got the name and number of the student responsible for the hanging of the show and called her immediately. She was kind enough to bring the work to us and after much shuffling, selecting, and rating of the various pieces laid out on the top of the piano, we purchased the artworks you see here. (Click thumbnail to view larger image.)

For more information about the artist and his work, contact Claire Kalala at cm_kalala@yahoo.com or 202-460-4538.
Or Gabrielle LaBrosse-Ellis at  Gabrielle.blaqgrass@gmail.com
Or visit his blog at http://paveljosefmatyas.tumblr.com/

Over the past five years Artists Wanted has provided over $1.5 million in cash and awards to artists, photographers and designers like me. This summer Chashama and the Times Square Alliance is working with Artists Wanted to present artists from around the world in brilliant lights on a massive scale in one of the most iconic locations in the world – Times Square.

(Click thumbnail to view larger image.)

All you have to do to help me win $10,000 is go to http://burnellyow.artistswanted.org/atts2012#.T4nQfSSJxzs.facebook and click the “Collect Me” button at the top of the page. Of course, I only want you to vote for me if you really like the work. Thanks.

We’ve all seen them, loitering on street corners, hanging out at the dump, usually lying down but not always. The law requires them to be dismembered. Something about protecting children. Well, Studio Tip #3 involves using the dismembered part to increase storage. If you haven’t guessed by now, they’re called refrigerators or, more precisely, refrigerator doors. I swear, if I had a huge studio, I’d cover a wall with these as an art installation. The one I just screwed to the wall is a smaller frig door. It measure 35″ high by 23″ wide, and it works great for organizing glue bottles, small paint jars, and even cans of spray paint.

(Click thumbnail to view larger image.)

Check out other studio tips by typing “Studio Tip” in the search field at the top of the column to your right, or check out my Studio Tips board at Pinterest.

I hang with a great bunch of folks known as The Philadelphia Dumpster Divers. As a group, we’ve been around for 20 years as of April 1st, 2012. Today we celebrate those 20 years of trash art and recycling education, numerous exhibitions and several Diver gallery incarnations. And to top it all off, Mayor Nutter has issued a formal tribute to the Divers. Says Nutter, “Their efforts have helped to raise the consciousness of art lovers and heightened awareness of taking a creative approach to support a more sustainable city, country, and world.”

So Happy Birthday to us, and here’s to the next 20 years — provided the Mayans were wrong.

(Click thumbnails to view larger images.)

Problem: Available floor space is a rare and cherished thing in my studio. This became clear again recently when trying to decide where to store my Wet/Dry Vac. I even considered getting rid of the wonderfully curvy brass coat tree I had rescued from the trash years ago. But, frankly, I love that coat tree! So what to do?

Solution: I hung the coat tree upside down from the ceiling, and I turned the hooks upside down as well, so it can still be used. This left the floor beneath the coat tree free for my Vac, and it all looks quite sculptural and just plain cool. Perhaps there are things in your studio that could be hung from the ceiling. Thinking outside the box sometimes just involves looking up. (Click thumbnail to view larger image.)

Check out other studio tips by typing “Studio Tip” in the search field at the top of the column to your right, or check out my Studio Tips board at Pinterest.

As a mixed media artist, one of the problems I’ve had is trying to keep all, or most of, my materials and tools handy without getting in the way when not being used in a particular project. Brushes, markers and pencils previously stored in jars on my work surface got to be a problem as the numbers grew. They just began taking up too much real estate on my work bench top.

Solution: I attached two 1/2″ bell hangers (they’re used to secure copper tubing to a surface) to the end of my work bench. I then inserted a length of 1/2″ copper tubing into the hangers and tightened then down. Both items can be purchased at hardware stores. I bought mine at Home Depot. You can either buy a copper tube cutter for a few dollars, or have the  tubing cut to size when you buy it.

Next, I picked up a few plastic paint cups with handles. Mine are called Handy Paint Cups and I purchased them at Lowe’s. Brushes, markers, pencils, toothbrushes, palette knives, etc. can be stored in them and then hung on the holder at the end of your work bench. I installed them on both ends of my bench. I hope you find this helpful, and feel free to share this post with anyone you think might be interested.

Update!! April 13th, 2012: I recently came across a paint cup made by Werner and sold through Home Depot that works even better than the orange one. They are more expensive (twice as much, actually), but they’re larger and deeper. And, because they are a little narrower than the orange cup, I can easily fit four of them on the bar inside of three. Click image below.

Check out other studio tips by typing “Studio Tip” in the search field at the top of the column to your right, or check out my Studio Tips board at Pinterest.

I recently discovered a fellow artist whose work delights and inspires. The sheer joy of the process of painting comes through loud and clear when watching her numerous videos on YouTube. You’ve all heard me say “There are no rules, only materials.” Or maybe you’ve read it scrawled on the floor or walls of my studio or on my website. Well, Mitsi Brown lives that maxim to the hilt. Her paintings come alive through her time-lapse videos, and I find her imagery, colors, and technique truly joyful and soulful. Her shamanistic process brings to mind free association and the automatic drawing and painting of certain of the surrealists. Watching her videos just gets me excited all over again about the process of creation. I’m like a little kid watching his very first magic show. Here’s one of her videos.

Find out more about her on her website at http://www.mitsib.com and on her YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/mitsib