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1. High windows. The studio was built by Jack Wilkinson, who owned our house and was head of the LSU art department in the early 1970s. His design insisted on plenty of light coming from high windows on the north end of the studio, which is ideal for viewing paintings.

2. Still life row. While not using them in paintings, I still enjoy having objects for inspiration in full view. Some are gifts, and some I collected from stores like Royal Standard off Perkins Road and Christopher’s on Magazine Street in New Orleans.

3. Shelves. Cabinetmaker and all-round expert woodworker Tom Willis made these useful and beautiful shelves for me a couple of years ago. All of my reference materials live in them and they have turned chaos into organization.

4. Ergonomic chair. I found this spine-friendly chair at the Better Back Store.

5. Oil paints. I use this sock organizer from the Container Store in Houston to hold assorted oil paints.

6. Easel. I was thrilled to find this in an LSU dumpster during grad school, hauled it home and reconstituted it by searching far and wide for the missing pieces. It’s a tank and handles any sized painting without a problem.