Artist name: Wendy Van Camp
Location: Orange County, CA

Website: www.indigoskye.com
Blog: www.indigoskye.com

Do you have a dedicated studio/artistic space? Yes.

Where is it located? A room of my home.

Is it a large or small space? It is a former bedroom, so a small room with a closet and window.

 What medium(s) do you work in?  I am an artisan jeweler and a novelist.  I do both of my mediums in the same room, although I have designated areas for each.


What one word would you use to describe your studio?  Cluttered.

What do you think is the best feature of your studio? I like the privacy I have at the back of the house and the view of my rose garden and lemon tree through the window.  I have my workbench facing the window both for ventilation and for the view.  It is the quietest room in the home.


What would you change if you could?  I would get rid of the carpet and put in pergo flooring.  It would be easier to keep clean and be safer. 

Can you share an organizational tip?  I like to use translucent boxes to store my supplies in.  That way I can tell what I have at a glance.  It is not as pretty, but it is very functional.



Describe the usual state of your work table? Cluttered.  It is actually a lot cleaner in the photos than it usually is since I'm wrapping up my bangle bracelet project and moving on to something new.  I tend to work on several projects at the same time and move back and forth between them so things tend to lie around.  I do try and keep the floor clean so that I or guests in the studio don't trip on things.

Does your work table face out into the room or toward the wall? My jeweler's bench faces a window so I can have the natural light to work with and see the rose garden, but often times I will work with the windows closed too. Depends on the weather and my mood.  My computer, where I do my writing, faces the wall.  I also have an Alphasmart 3000 that I take outside to write with or to coffeehouses when I meet my writing group.  An Alphasmart is a digital typewriter.


What's one drawback of your studio/artistic space?  Did I mention the wall to wall carpeting?

Do you have any studio mascots (pets, mannequin whatever)?  I have an australian shepard.  She often lays at my feet when I'm writing on my computer or working at my bench.  However, I put her out of the studio and close the door when I'm sanding or working with something that might fly out and hurt her.


Do you have an idea wall or inspiration board?  Now that would really make my studio cluttered to have an idea wall! LOL I have a Moleskine journal that I carry with me in my purse.  When jewelry or writing ideas occur to me, I jot them down in the journal.  I also use it to take notes in at seminars and workshops.  Lately, I've been using Evernote to write down jewelry recipes as I work.  That way I always have my notes with me either on my computer or on my Ipod Touch.  It helps when I'm in my booth and decide to make something when the show is slow.  All my measurements and supply needs are at my fingertips.  Takes much of the guesswork out of restocking my wares.

Do you listen to music in your studio?  I find music to be distracting when I work. I prefer things to be quiet and peaceful.  The only time I play music in here is when I'm cleaning!  Then it is alternative rock, celtic or folk music.


Do you display your own work in your studio? Other artists' work?  On the walls of my studio are a mixture of my own digital paintings and work of other artists.  The jewelry I create remains in their inventory boxes most of the time.  They are made to be sold.

What's one quirk or unusual feature of your studio?  I have a plump, comfortable chair behind my workbench area for guests.  Often times my husband will sit there when he stops by to chat with me or guests will sit there when they visit.  I lose a bit of functional space, but I like having it here.  I seldom sit in the chair myself.  It was the favorite spot of my cat for many years, but he passed on due to old age last year.  Now the chair remains empty much of the time.


What is one of the newer features you've installed in your studio? That would be my new bookshelves that are over the plump chair.  My entire jewelry and gemological library is now in my studio instead of the books being scattered all over the house.  When I want to see a tutorial, it is right here.  When I need to reference a technique for a project, it is two steps away.  I also like having a place to keep my necklace anvil and photography props as objects of art.  I sometimes wonder how I functioned without this additional shelving.


Where did you buy your workbench? As you probably notice from the photos, my jeweler's bench is rather beat up.  I had bought it used from a retiring jeweler who had advertised it on craig's list.  I always recommend doing a search there for heavier tools or furniture for your shop first before ordering things from the supply houses.  The bench was in even worst shape when I bought it.  It had been burned up with fire in the front and the work surface was not even.  I ended up sanding it with my dremel to remove the scorching and make the surfaces more even.  I saved hundreds of dollars doing this and it only took a few afternoons to do the work.  It is a sturdy bench and takes the hammering from my forging of metals well.