Lori Vrba was kind of enough share her work space with us, so we thought we would ask a few questions.

Whats your average creating day?

I rarely have a day that I don’t work in some way. But during the week, I get my kids off to school and usually dive in before I even get dressed. If things are going particularly well, I forget to eat or change out of my pajamas. I am not very structured. I follow my gut so it may be shooting, printing, encaustic, assemblage or a walk in the woods for inspiration and getting myself centered.

What “objects of inspiration” do you have in your space?

I keep my guitar right next to my desk and I pick it up several times a day. There are all kinds of found objects; organic, gifts, oddities . . . I arrange them in my space and then re-arrange them in my space so that my eye and mind never get complacent.

What tools do you have in your work space?

The blow torch is my favorite.  I use it for the encaustic work and love the Girl Power.  I have drills, jigsaws, wire, c-clamps, Dremel tool . . .  I didn’t know how to use any of it until I started making the assemblage work and wanted to be in charge of my own creative fate.  And of course the darkroom is its’ own beautiful amazing scene.  I never get over it.

If there was one thing you could change about your space what would it be?

I would like to have enough land to build a separate studio behind my home.  No matter how I try to “contain” the work . . . it spreads through out my house.  Also, my darkroom is fairly spacious but it’s “ghetto”.  A state-of-the-art darkroom would be just, beyond.

Is there a studio pet?

There are many animals living here but the only one I claim in my workspace is Stella . . . the best dog I’ve ever had.  Oh and there was once a POSSUM in my darkroom WHILE I was toning in the wee hours of the morning.  That is a wicked story that I can only tell you in person. I still have nightmares about it.

How do you keep track of all of your ideas?

I have a variety of books for making notes.  I love pencil on paper.  My mind clicks when the pencil meets the paper.

Whats on your desk right now?

Oh, to list it all would be embarrassing, but a few things. Burt’s Bees lip shimmer in Champagne, giant coffee mug, Ray Ban’s, three tape measures, darkroom test strips . . . heavily stained and inspiring, Hiroshi Watanabe’s book, “The Day The Dam Collapses” .  . . obsessed with several elements of that book, guitar pics, Polaroids from five years ago (?), cards from Catherine Couturier, my Houston gallerist who rocks so hard, framed hipsta prints of my kids on vacation, a silver vase full of pencils, a silver vase full of black sharpies, a mock-up of my book cover.  Can you believe that’s not all?

Thank you Lori for sharing your space with us.

 

To learn more about the work of Lori Vrba please visit her page at Lori Vrba.