More Winter Studio Renovation

Here are a few more photos from the renovation project.

Carrying gypsum board (a.k.a. sheet rock) from the
lower to upper studios. 5/8 firecode gypsum board is
2.2 pounds per square foot, making a full 4x8 foot
sheet weigh 70 pounds. I used 20 sheets for the project.


How does anyone make money manufacturing and
selling sheet rock? These cost me just $8.80 per sheet
at the local hardware store, Owl Lumber, and that's a
better price than what Home Depot quoted. We do have
a gypsum plant just 90 miles north of us, so maybe that
has something to do with the lower price. The price per
pound is 12.5 cents!

Stapling R-19 insulation to 2x6 studs. This amount of
insulation is necessary in Wyoming. I went out to the
new space earlier this morning and discovered that my
900 watt radiant heater I am using has the temperature
at 46 degrees farenheit, and the temp outside is 15 below
zero! Not to worry. We also have a propane gas vented
stove in the corner to my left in this photo. And when I
turn it on, it takes about 30 minutes to heat the room to
mid-70's! Once I get everything sealed tightly and install
the floor insulation, it'll stay warmer in there. WOOHOO!

Winter Studio Renovation

Adding a new circuit to the service panel.

Stripping new 12-2 Romex wire to install new receptacles

Running Romex wire through studs

and ceiling plates.

Barrie in the attic

In the attic installing wall nailers between joists.

We came home three weeks early from our tour and immediately began interior renovations to our main studio building. The 30x60 concrete cinder block building was built without wall insualtion, and when Wyoming weather drops sub-zero, no one really wants to be in there. Barrie does use the lower half of the building for making frames during the winter, but it's awfully cold.

So Barrie has renovated the top-half of the building (the half that AB also uses to create paintings in when the weather is right) so that the couple could also be together doing their work in a warm and cozy room during the winter months. That room is approximately 15x17 feet and has R-19 wall and floor insulation, and R-38 ceiling insulation. Walls are framed with 2x6 studs and finished with 5/8 gypsum wall board. The door to the warm room is an exterior type door even though it is located within the interior of the building (remember, it's cold out there in the rest of the studio). Barrie did the entire job himself, including running a new electrical circuit from the service panel to throughout the room. WOOHOO!

Florida Tour CANCELLED

We have cancelled our appearance at both Florida locations. We will not be at Winter Springs or Ocala.

Everything is going well on our tour, but we are returning home to Wyoming as of October 11, 2o1o.

Fall 2010 Photo of our booth...AT NIGHT!

We took this photo of our booth during the Friday night reception for Highland Art in the Park at Highland, IL. We love the way the picture lights make everything look at night. We also won one of the top two awards, the Nona Weder Abbott Special Award. WOOHOO!

NEW ART FALL 2010

Castaways is a pastel on rag board painting copyright 2010 AB Word

Now in a private collection at Huntsville, Alabama since we sold it during the Monte Sano Show on September 18.

This painting is one of AB's finest ever. Featuring her best two models, Ambra and Devon, lost at sea. We just didn't get to live with this one ourselves for long enough, but we are thoroughly pleased that it quickly found a patron. Sold its first day out of the barn. WOOHOO!

BEST OF SHOW at MONTE SANO!

Great news! We were awarded BEST OF SHOW during the Monte Sano Art Show at Huntsville, Alabama held September 18, 2010. We had a great time at Monte Sano and look forward to returning there again soon.

So here's a photo looking inside our booth at that show. WOOHOO!

FALL 2010 SCHEDULE

September 18
FEATURED ARTIST - Monte Sano Art Show at Huntsville, AL

October 1-3
Longview Art & World Music Festival at Lee's Summit, MO (Kansas City area)

October 8-10
Art in the Park at Highland, IL (St. Louis area)

October 16-17
Winter Springs Festival of Arts at Winter Springs, FL (Orlando area)

October 23-24
Fine Arts for Ocala at Ocala, FL (central Florida)