A View from the Easel, Part 14

CHICAGO — The fourteenth installment of a series (Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) in which artists send in a photo and a description of their workspace. Want to take part? You can peruse the submission guidelines here.

Gregory Reynolds, Brooklyn, New York (site)

My studio has become a completely ingrained part of my life here in New York, and I have really come to love it. It is in a converted, squat, four-story building of studios much like many around here, strategically equidistant from my home and day job. The studio is north facing and has a big bank of windows, and it gets terrific steady light all day.

One of the great things about this building is that each studio has its own bathroom; as I am primarily a printmaker (I make etchings on copper) a good sink that’s not down the hall is critical. I built my work area and put wheels on my press and big table so I can move them into place or out of the way as needed. Currently I am working on a suite of drawings, and in this picture all my drawing stuff is out: acrylic paint, graphite, watercolor, enamel sign and house paint, mapping tape and collage materials.

I have a library of art and general reference books and use these, as well as trolling news and the internet, to fill my trough. It heads who knows where from there.

Tracey Kessler, San Francisco, Calfornia (site)

I have various workspaces around the Bay Area, but my studio is located in the mission area of San Francisco, in a place with 40 other artists. This adds up to great inspiration, but on beautiful Bay Area days I often just drive along the Pacific coast on winding roads to no-where.

Greg Fadell, Detroit, Michigan (site)

My studio is a former library of a Detroit Public School that the city sold off a few years ago due to dwindling enrollment.  It is 1600 square feet with two sinks and a storage area. The walls are lined with the original library shelving, which is very convenient for storage.  There are brand new windows the city put in right before the city closed the school.  I covered the hardwood floors to protect them from the vast amount of paint that gets tossed around while I’m working.

I had to build the two large 8-ft high rolling easels due to the fact that the landlord did not want anything to be affixed to the walls, which ended up making the space much more versatile.  The 12 ft ceilings and plenty of light, both day and night, allow for great working conditions.

Carol Setterlund, Cloverdale, California (site)

This picture of my studio shows the clean part. Around the corner is the sculpture studio where I use a chain saw to carve wood sculpture. I paint mostly with acrylic on panels.

The wall showing is a working wall where paintings can be in any stage. The black chair is great for drinking tea or coffee and staring at the unfinished paintings. I belong to the group of artists who don’t know what they are doing or what the next move is going to be. Consequently I sit and stare quite a bit. I am usually, finally, propelled to move with paint toward one of the paintings.

Sometimes I am propelled to move toward a painting with a borrowed chisel from the sculpture studio. Some kind of madness overtakes and paint is dug into, carved into, sometimes down into the wood. Often I start all over again. Or, if I’m lucky, a layer underneath remains to add a mysterious depth that makes me happy.

Jamie Zeccola, New York City (site)