Paint big paintings without a studio

It includes lots of plastic wrap

Paint big paintings when you don't have a studio

I love all the pictures of messy, cozy, ordered studios. Big and small, modern and old fashioned. All of them. Well, I don’t have one. I don’t even have a room. Welcome to the Munich rental market.

BUT

I wanted to provide a silver lining, or at least the message should be: the lack of dedicated space should not stop you from giving a crack at a big project, it’s all about being resourceful.

1. Talk to your partner, or whoever you are living with:
   May seem like an obvious point, but jointly speaking about the project, the timeline, the amount of space you are going to need is quite key. In our case, we decided the painting battleground is going to be the bedroom, as it is the least disruptive room for our daily life. By discussing it previously, we avoided an unpleasant “oh lord what is this doing here” moment.

2. Make sure not to disrupt the “normal” activities of the used space:
   If I’m doing work on the weekends, and I’m using the dining table for the base, I avoid lunch times. It avoids me stressing about the time, and it avoids everyone else being annoyed by my mess.

3. Make yourself comfortable:
   Keeping in mind 1 and 2, it’s about having a set up that works for you. Where you can be at ease when you have the time to sit and paint for X hours. I have covered the space with protective plastic, and have a small set up with my paint. It is temporary, it is easy to install and to tuck away, making for a harmonious coliving.

As a summary, I haven’t stained anything yet. Will report back how the project ends for all of us.

Thanks for reading,

xx

Elisenda