Meet Michelle

Meet Michelle

Hi! My name is Michelle Ciarlo-Hayes and I’m a photographer. I work mainly in black and white…no matter how hard I try to shoot color images, I never really stray from my love for strong contrast and the stunning simplicity of pure black and white. I’ll photograph anything that doesn’t move! I love to capture architecture, light, small details: the beauty in every-day things that we often overlook. I always have my batteries charged for my digital camera…there’s nothing worse that seeing something lovely and finding out you can’t shoot it! I have two young boys and I try to see from their point of view – they love to investigate things, so I find myself shooting in macro, picking up the small details, rather than standing back and taking a longer view. Recently I’ve started experimenting with an old Kodak Duaflex viewfinder – I love the grainy quality it gives my pictures! Everything inspires me – I just have to be sure I don’t rush through my day – when I’m taking in my surroundings, the photographs tend to find me, rather than the other way around. I also love to do commissioned work - making someone happy with a piece of art that I created just for them is a fantastic feeling.I’ve just started a blog: “The Stories Behind the Pictures.” There are so many funny things going on when I work, I just had to share them! I post a different image and story every week – I enjoy sharing the process with everyone just as much as I love sharing my artistic point of view.

Visit Michelle and her extraordinary work at http://www.mkcphotography.etsy.com/

Michelle's Blog www.mkcphotographybymichelleciarlo-hayes.blogspot.com/

Two Heads Are Better Than One!

Dragon Rags

I live and work in what is called a “visionary environment,” to borrow a term. What that means is that the home and studio in which I live and work reflect who I am. I am fortunate to share my home and studio with my boyfriend, also an artist (a musician ). We often work side by side in a studio that is comfortable (if a little small,) visually stimulating, peaceful, and very functional.

There are books everywhere, and we have cats (though we do not share the studio with them!) We both also enjoy and collect art.The house is an end unit, so we have 2 large windows that look out onto our neighborhood and onto a green space. As I sit at my desk, I look out on pine trees and grass and sky. It's quiet. When I am in the studio, I lose track of time and very easily fall into flow.When I really need to spread out, I do so on the floor of the studio.

My desk is suitable for some smaller projects, and that is where I take most of my product photos, edit and upload my photography, etc., but when I'm playing with my glues and paints, I do so away from the equipment. Ideally, I would like to have a work table, but the studio is too small. We have made the arrangement work for us.There is nothing like sharing space and a life with another artist!

We spend many a night giving one another feedback. He on my art and photography, I on his music. It is a lot of fun, and it keeps my creative juices flowing.When I first moved into my house, the studio was the master bedroom. When he moved in, we realized that it was the perfect room for a studio. Though we both would like to have a bigger work space some day, everything fits. We love this room, and we think others do, too: It doubles as our guest room. You'd have to spend time in this room to really get how nice it is.

I tend to organize by using containers that are either multi-functional or modular. I like to categorize my supplies. My papers are in a multi-drawer unit, sorted by category. My fabrics go into plastic tubs that can be tucked away into the corners and used as end tables. The shelves in the studio closet are fully utilized. That's where I keep my batting and the bulk of my office and art supplies. For me, organizing is all about not disturbing visual flow. Another way I like to keep organized is to clean up as I go. If I am working on multple projects, I tend to put each project's components into their own container and store the items toghether but not put away. That way, I can bounce back and forth between things but not end up with chaos when I am finished. Good organization is very, very important when working in a small space. I believe that is how my boyfriend and I manage to share without getting on each other's nerves!

Visit her studio at http://www.dragonrags.etsy.com/

Montage Studio's Creative Space

Montage studio has a fabulous space to create in . She has a beautiful and serene view to inspire her and great organizational tips. Check out her studio.

Montage Studio

I am a photographer and painter and do both in my home studio.

Visit http://www.montagestudio.etsy.com/

The space has a beautiful view, with mature trees and whatever wildlife my dogs haven’t scared away. My desk is where I alter my photographs and scan ephemera and painting to make digital collages. Although I shoot both film and digitally, most of my latest work is mainly digital.There is a large wooden table that I use for painting. It is wonderful to have such a big workspace, where I can leave several projects out at once. When I lived in Paris I always had several projects going at once and found that this really took the pressure off of one piece having to be utterly brilliant.

On the table I have a sweet little cubby to hold my paint; the larger bottles are housed in a lovely Salvation Army find behind glass doors.By nature I am a packrat and love being surrounded by “stuff”…BUT it can also get to me when there is no order to things and I spend half the day looking for a particular paintbrush!

I have been slowly tackling my piles, and am trying to keep “like with like” as they say: papers in plastic storage drawers; paintbrushes in earthen pots; books, journals and magazines on the new shelves that my brother-in-law put up recently (three 8 foot shelves: pure joy). I do TRY to keep my desk area tidy and free of clutter, but I am still working on that one!Having lived in apartments for most of my adult life, I feel so lucky to have a house with such an amazing studio space. I often work late at night and love the peaceful setting and the fact that the refrigerator is just a few feet away!!!

Check out Montage Studio's blog http://montagestudio.blogspot.com/