Not since I moved into Halls of Residence at University have I filled a car with possessions, and been so bloomin’ excited about moving into somewhere with carpet tiles and a cleaning rota. (This is where any further similarities with university accommodation ends, no single beds or pints of cider and black!)
About a year ago, I put my name down for an art studio with an organisation I’d heard of in Edinburgh called Open Doors Scotland.
With the help of landlords and the local council, Open Doors take empty commercial properties and offer the spaces to artists (sometimes individual offices, sometimes shared open-plan floor space).
Like other big cities post-pandemic, Edinburgh has a lot of empty office space, and this is a brilliant way to re-energise the buildings with artists and other creatives.
I was lucky enough to be one of the first people to see round a building in the heart of Edinburgh’s bustling West End not long after it became available. It was previously occupied by investment management firm Baillie Gifford but has been empty for a while (co-incidentally, a lovely friend of mine met her soon-to-be husband while working there many years ago. An office romance!)
I think I let out a little scream of excitement when I was offered An Actual Corner Office on the 6th floor. You can see even see Edinburgh castle if you crane your neck out the window!
It’s taken a while for me to fully move in - there was a strange lack of helpers who volunteered when the lift to the sixth floor was out of action - but since it’s been mended there has been a steady stream of enthusiastic friends and family not only giving me things like a desk and chair, but assembling my easel too.
I’m going to use the space for painting larger canvases because as well as the two walls of windows pouring in light, there is generous space (though I have had to protect those carpet tiles, and will likely have to protect the walls for paint splatters too…). Co-incidentally enough, my next project is a big diptych commission for my former Baillie Gifford friends. A lovely symmetry there.
If you’re an artist looking for studio space in Scotland, check out www.outerspaces.org I would highly recommend them as supporters of artists and other creatives.
If you’re interested in looking at some of my paintings, my website is www.susiecollingbourne.com where you can find a selection of works currently available, and more information about the process of signing up for a commissioned painting.
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