Chapel of Art

As you study art, artists and their paintings, inevitably you have a desire to visit their studios; the environment in which those works came into being. It's a chance to see the bigger personality between the person and the picture (painting).

This evening I came across a site called TENWORDSANDONESHOT - it's exactly that; one shot of the artist's studio, their answers to ten, one-word questions and a link to their site. It's quite addicting to be able to peek into all these diverse personalities and oeuvres. Of all the possibilities for an image to share, I chose this one of Christopher St.Leger (from page 40) because he's looking out the window (?) and it just struck a chord with me.

Enjoy. 

Willem DeKooning Studio

An awful lot has been said since DeKooning's passing and about the current Show at MOMA (etc). I'm certainly not qualified to add anything to that, other than to say that I have a beautiful and distinct memory of being quite inspired by his work when I was a child and wanted to experience what seemed like total abandon in painting. I've since learned, of course that his "expressionism" was quite planned and thought out, which is very reassuring to me now.

Be that as it may, the images from an Architectural Digest Shoot of his studio are also very inspiring. What would it be like to paint ion that space ?

Image from Architectural Digest.

Ab/Graff

A first look at the canvases of Howard Sherman and we immediately think of Graffiti. His heady mixture of brash strokes, muscular paint-handling and crass titles, sucks us in and then spits us out laughing. Knowing that he was a cartoonist adds some sort of equilibrium to this mix.

I've long suggested that Ab/Ex (abstract expressionism) needs paring down to better identify the many disparate oeuvres within it's shadow; names that would more precisely steer our minds in the right direction. Ab/Graff might also end up being a huge umbrella type label, but it certainly gives a better clue as to the content we'll be experiencing.

The top image is from his Website where you can see many more images of his work from "06 through 2009.
A great review in Art Lies gives us more information on the cartooning aspect in his career.



You'll enjoy the candid studio visit, video above, from chron.com; it really helps to see these large canvases in context.

He's also represented by the McMurtrey Gallery.

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Studio With Chair

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Ahhh the artist's studio. That sacred sanctuary where paintings are born. And there's always a chair; a particular chair where the artist can contemplate his creations.




Garric Simonsen is the artist and this image is from his Blog where you'll find other pics of work in progress. You''ll want to visit his Website to see the finished works.
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The Artist's Studio

We see the final product at a gallery, in a magazine or on the Web, but it's rare that we ever get to watch the creative process or even get to look in the studios where they're birthed.

The John Annesley Company makes stretchers, supports and other related products and I learned several new things by visiting their site. What's really great is that they have a page to showcase the artists who use their products. Some of the artists have a link to a photo tour of their studio. There are over 60 studios that you can "visit". Some are expansive, while others are just another room in the house; and everything else you can imagine in between. Some are tidy and ready for company, while others are just a big mess. The range of differences here is enormous and entertaining. So fix a cup of coffee or tea, sit back and enjoy.

The picture of the stacked wood is from Tony King's studio set. I couldn't help but admire the sensibility of mixing the sizes of wood this way and making it so handy.

The two pictures below are from Lyn Jamie's set. Imagine having your studio on a bluff overlooking the ocean. . . .

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Well-lit, Spacious Studio

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Don't you just love this studio shot ? Ah yes, a well lit sanctuary where art is brought forth; how romantic. Actually it's just another "day job" that certain people take seriously and do very well at. And you gotta love the atmosphere !

Charles Arnoldi produces paintings that are at once entertaining and meditative. He's honed his oeuvre to an exact science of his particular forms and colors in all their variations. An interesting read is Interview 1 and Interview 2 at the William Turner Gallery where you'll find a short and sweet overview of his work. This image is from and he's also represented by Charlotte Jackson.

Here are Image Search results from Google, Clusty and Yahoo.

The Artist In His Studio

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Christopher Wool has always fascinated me. His oeuvre is something of an acquired taste. Whenever I've tried to study his work, there seemed to be pitiful few images available at the time, so it was pretty cool to find HIS Website. There are waaaay more images than you can shake a stick at. And it's always good to see installation shots to put the work in context - from the Simon Lee Gallery.
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Even though I don't understand completely what's going on, or like all his work; it seems like he knows what he's doing. This partial quote from Christopher Wool: Painting about Painting
BY ELLEN S. WILSON sums it up. - "But even then, he had honed in on his particular vision, and had established what was important to him, and what he wanted to say.” (Madeleine Grynsztejn is speaking of her visit to his Chinatown studio in the mid 80's.)

Image is from the Shawn Mortensen Website, where you can find images of other famous artists.
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Grand Studio

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I had never heard of Trevor Bell, but seeing this picture of his studio from an interview at artcornwall, piqued my interest. Though it's not the normal fare on this blog, you'll forgive me for having a soft spot for minimalism and his work, to me, is sort of in that direction.
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There is not much I can say about the work since I'm unfamiliar with it, but I thoroughly enjoyed the visit to his studio via and courtesy of Art Cornwall. The video is over 9 minutes, so sit back and enjoy your visit.



Trevor Bell from artcornwallvideo on Vimeo. Pictures of his work Here, and Here .

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Perfect Little Studio

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Please treat yourself and go visit Harold Hollingsworth at his blog. He's just moved to a new studio and doing great. Go back through his archives and you'll see how his oeuvre has changed over the last year. It was already fantastic; now it's off the hook !

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Up In The Attic

Both romantic and charming, this is the studio of Morten Andersen, 31, in Denmark. Rather fantastic and inspiring, eh ? And you know this is a studio for someone young enough to climb those stairs.

He's got a great Website that's got lots of images of his paintings; great abstracts ! And there's a whole lot more. Check it out.

Click thumbs for larger image.

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Neat As A Pin

At first glance it looks as though the artist is either just moving in, or about to move out; until you study the paintings. The paintings are finished. That's right, when it comes to applying paint, Ingo Meller doesn't spend a lot of time trying to cover the canvas. A few competent brush strokes and he's outta there. More about that later.

This post is about the studio; that sanctuary where art is born. The word conjures up different visions for each of us, but here we have a spare and sparse space that completely jibes with the artist's mental attitude towards painting. Kinda makes you wanna mess the place up a bit.

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Image is from the Gallery, Slewe.nl as listed on Artnews.org.

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When you visit Artnews.org, click on the major international cities listed at the top to see current exhibits from around the world. Also of interest is their lists of international galleries and artists.

Artist At Work

Studios can be large or small and come in different shapes, with varying lighting situations. But regardless of all the variables, it's the artist who "makes" the studio. The artist's personality and endeavours truly give the place it's persona.

This is the studio of Bob Garlitz. You'll want to visit his blog Chromenos and check out his paintings and paintings in progress.

I don't know what the view is from the window - but I'll bet he's happy to have one. Daylight cannot be replicated.

Studios

It's always a special treat to see the workspace in which an artist does his thing. Some make do with what they have; others can afford to rent, buy or build spaces that are more compatable with their needs. Your enviornment surely affects how you work and how you approach your subject matter. For all of the outside stimuli that we need, the insular world of the artist's studio surely molds his oeuvre.

We'll start this random series with Marc Katano, a 55 year old American who has 39 solo shows under his belt and his works hang in more than a few Art Museums. Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1952, he got his BFA at California College of the Arts in Oakland in '75 and now lives in Los Angeles.

You'll cerainly want to visit his Website and see his work which he's catalogued nicely. The Japanese calligraphic influences are very apparent and forthright and his Artist Statement is concise and honest.

Kadar Brock

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Artist contemplating his work. Visit Kadarbrock.com

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Studio Envy

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There is absolutely nothing that can compare to having a studio - any studio. But what a wonderful thing it must be to have a well lit and roomy area in which to create and then step WAY back to ponder the results.

image from http://www.garanjoud.com/
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Luc Tuymans

This photo conjures up so many fond memories for me. There was a short time in Georgia when I lived in a small warehouse (with a bed and kit and bath facilities) and some days it was just me, the space and light and the silence - room to work and a gas heater. Aaahhh, that was the life !

image is from Artinfo.com

You may want to read their article about him titled "Unnatural Resources"
by Yasmine Van Pee. And there's a link to another article also.