A View From the Easel
“It's just me, my dogs, and my turtle.”
Welcome to the 352nd installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, printmaker and self-proclaimed "mountain ultrarunner" Hilary Lorenz transforms paper into boats, books, and weavings in the studio she built herself.
Want to take part? Check out our submission guidelines and share a bit about your studio with us through this form! All mediums and workspaces are welcome, including your home studio.
Hilary Lorenz, Abiquiu, New Mexico
How long have you been working in this space?
I have been officially in my studio on and off since 2013. I bought a small house in rural New Mexico in 2010 and started building my studio the following summer. I was still living in NYC and spending three months a year in Abiquiu until I moved here in 2022. I am actually in Medanales, but many of us have multiple addresses for the post office, utility, etc. So it can be confusing. I built my studio with the help of two neighbors; it is entirely out of stones I picked up off a mountain, mud, local timber, and windows from Habitat for Humanity Restore.
Describe an average day in your studio.
I did not run electricity lines to my studio, which I didn’t think I needed since I work during the day in natural light. Not having electricity or Wi-Fi keeps me from getting lost on the internet. After I walk my dogs at 7am, I then run for an hour or so. I fill my water bottle and enter the studio. I normally work on one or two pieces at a time, so I look at what I completed the day before, evaluate my materials (always paper), and begin working. Studio time is almost always production time; I am producing physical artwork. I save my digital admin stuff to midday. In the summer it gets so hot, in the high 90s, that it is miserable to work in the studio from about 2pm to 6 pm; that is when I go into the house, which is cool, to do any grant writing or exhibition planning, anything that needs communication. After it cools off, I go back out to the studio for one to two hours. My studio is about 100 meters from the house.
How does the space affect your work?
I love what I built. My studio is a place of comfort and security. When I am working at my 10-foot table, I look out my open glass doors to the mountains. I attached a corral to my studio for the dogs to hang out, and there is an acre they can wander around in. I often sit outside when I need to clear my head. But the outdoors also offers me additional space to do big messy projects, like my linocut-printed paper canoe or my "Shipwrecked" installation piece.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
I am always looking outside when I am working. I set myself up so that when I am weaving my prints and drawings together, I can see outside. I also have three entrances to the studio and a lot of windows so that I can have the feeling of being in a protected space, protected from the sun and wind, but also feel like I am outside. I am also a mountain ultrarunner, so I spend huge amounts of time outdoors and in the mountains. It is an integral part of my making process. But being so rural, unless I leave there, it's just me, my dogs, and my turtle. It is rare to see people, which can be unsettling.
What do you love about your studio?
I am incredibly proud that I built it, and I hauled five massive truckloads of rocks that I picked up myself off the mountain to build the walls. I love that it is mine and I don’t pay rent. I love that I built my tables, and it gives me a sense of independence. Because I live so rurally, I mostly have to do things myself, which can be a struggle, but that is the way it is. I love constantly learning how to solve whatever problems come my way. I also love that when I go away, I can lock the door and leave. The building is mud and stone; it is strong and secure and requires minimal maintenance, but it is made from earth and one day, hopefully not for a very long time, it will naturally decompose right back into the ground.
What do you wish were different?
The absolutely toughest part of being here is the isolation. I am not fond of isolation. I am happy to be alone and work alone, but then I want to be able to walk out my door and see people, to meet friends, to go to openings, to dinner, without having to drive over 60 miles. I wish my studio were closer to, or in, an urban environment. I would love to walk out of my studio and get a coffee. I suppose I can do that now, but I have to make the coffee myself.
What is your favorite local museum?
I love going to Site Santa Fe, though it is almost 70 miles away, so not super local. Also in Santa Fe, I love the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. I always get charged up by the exhibitions there. New Mexico has many really interesting museums that all require long drives; some really surprised me, including the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos, the telephone museum in Albuquerque, and the Roswell UFO Museum. That one was really fun.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
Paper! Absolutely paper; I print it; relief, intaglio, and lithography. I marble it, using suminagashi technique. I cut it up and weave it. I make boats and books with paper. I love paper, and the primary artwork I collect is also on paper.
