Site overview
The Cynthia Brants Painting Studio, designed for a highly-regarded painter in the region whose work is in the permanent collection of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, is the first “Glass Box Modern” structure in north central Texas. The two-story steel frame structure sits atop a slight hillock and is surrounded by small trees and other growth rendering it almost invisible to unknowing passersby. It is entered by a steel bridge from the west/uphill side and a cantilevered balcony projects from the east elevation continuing the spatial thrust of the entry bridge. The bridge spans to the studio from a poured-in-place reinforced concrete plinth to the west which contained the original mechanical system. Both bridge and balcony are centered in the middle north-south bay defining a strong symmetrical axis which is offset elegantly by the asymmetrical volume of the interior painting space.