Billy Makes A Break In A Maynard Dixon Inspired Studio

December 23, 2018
   Found a big, old scratchboard in my studio (where Kristi does her archival work) yesterday and realized it needed a few more scratches and tweaks.

"Billy Makes A Break" (revised)

   Speaking of being in my studio, here is the original inspiration for my fantasy work space:

Maynard Dixon in his San Francisco studio, circa 1923.

   I used to study this photograph all the time and imagine what my studio would look like if I ever had enough ponies to build one. I knew one thing: Maynard didn't have enough hats! 

   In 1987, John Glenn built our house and studio, which was designed by the, at the time, novice architect, Perry Nathan Becker. I showed Perry the above photo and said, "Give me a version of this," and, he did, and here's how it looks today:

A Similar Space Only With More Hats

   And, yes, that is a ladder and hatch, at top right, which leads up onto the roof and a crow's nest, which my grandkids absolutely love. And, yes, I have many more books than appear in Maynard's studio, and, yes, that is an RJ Preston sugarloaf sombrero in a prominent position. 

   Full disclosure: I eventually outgrew that space, and had to add on another 600 feet of archival storage and work space, which looks like this:

BBB Studio Expansion

   Virtually everything I love is in this photo. Including photos of my parents and my kids, Kathy Sue, my Big Bug Creek pot-bellied stove, plus mucho reference and drawings of Mickey Free, Geronimo, van Gogh, Wyatt Earp, Emiliano Zapata, Bugs, Wild Bill, Doc Holliday, Bob Guess, Olive Oatman, The Arizona Rangers, Big Nose Kate, plus, a Lon Megargee print and a Route 66 sign.

   No wonder I like working out here in my studio where I'm surrounded by everything I love!

"Go as far as you dare in the heart of a lonely land, you can not go so far that life and death are not before you."

—Mary Austin