And so it happens that my new studio was not able to be built this year as I had hoped. Thankfully, after realizing we cannot do everything ourselves, we have local Amish carpenters lined up to build the permanent structure in the coming Spring. In the meantime I am attempting to make use of my temporary 4-season bell tent through the winter.
We purchased this tent from Vevor https://www.vevor.ca/yurt-tent-c_10246/4-season-5-8-people-large-waterproof-cotton-canvas-bell-tent-with-stove-p_010311775375 and put it up on a platform in the first week of June.
We had already purchased a cast iron wood burning stove https://smallwoodstoves.com/ca/mini-wood-stove/peanut-tiny-stove.html for the yet-to-be-built permanent studio, which we installed into the tent in September. Once the permanent studio is built, everything I’ve outfitted the tent with will be moved into the new building.
I call this temporary studio, Le Tente, and have been amazed at just how well it has been working as a temporary art studio. The tent has been through numerous heavy rains and gale winds and performed better than expected. Le Tente is well designed and well made.
In October I applied a fresh coat of waterproofing to the tent and erected a crude awning at the entrance to assist in providing added protection during the winter months.
As there is nothing between the inside of the tent and the outside except poly/cotton canvas during the colder months whatever temperature it is outside is what the interior temperature is before I get a fire going in the Peanut. So far, even on days that have been below freezing, the wood stove warms the tent up sufficiently and it is quite comfortable to create art within it. We’ll see if this good fortune holds when the heavy snows and deep, deep freezes arrive.
It’s been my routine to arrive to the atelier around 9am and head back up the bluff to home at 4pm and unless there is some unavoidable appointment or distraction, I joyfully keep this routine 7 days a week.
And I absolutely love it!
