> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://hyperallergic.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # A View From the Easel - URL: https://hyperallergic.com/a-view-from-the-easel-237/ - Published: 2024-06-06T21:49:49.000Z - Updated: 2025-11-24T16:37:35.000Z - Description: “One can never have too much natural light.” - Author: Lakshmi Rivera Amin - Tags: Community, A View From the Easel, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 09:36 (2023, 2024, part 2) Welcome to the 237th installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, artists let rhythm seep into their paintings, follow in the footsteps of AbEx greats, and approach their work like making a salad. Want to take part? Check out our new [submission guidelines](https://hyperallergic.com/47316/submit-your-workspace-to-a-view-from-the-easel/) and share a bit about your studio with us through [this form](https://forms.gle/Erq7cyGEmMUxKrLe9?ref=hyperallergic.com)! All mediums and workspaces are welcome, including your home studio. --- #### [Nelson J. Diaz](http://nelsondiazart.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com), Haverstraw, New York ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2024/06/diaz-avfte.jpg) ***How long have you been working in this space?*** Fifteen years. ***Describe an average day in your studio.*** I approach painting as I do cooking — my ingredients are non-Euclidean geometry, form, and content finished with color like making a salad. (My work deals with non-Euclidean geometry in modern art and quantum mechanics.) I listen to tons of music, a mix of everything. ***How does the space affect your work?*** A poetic space with chaos usually works. Then I tidy up and enjoy the vibe. ***What do you love about your studio?*** I love the big kitchen sink where I just dump and mix paint. Then I prep a meal. I trigger all the senses my space gives me that luxury. ***What do you wish were different?*** That I slept more. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2024/06/diaz-avfte-painting.jpg) ***What is your favorite local museum?*** The Haverstraw Brick Museum. ***What is your favorite art material to work with?*** Anything ... gouache, pastels, markers, oil, and acrylic. I love paper too. I journal daily. --- #### [Sarah Bechter](http://sarahbechter.at/?ref=hyperallergic.com), East Williamsburg, Brooklyn ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2024/06/img_2480-sarah-bechter.jpg) ***Describe an average day in your studio.*** I always start by having tea and just looking at the work first. I usually work on one painting at a time and have a second one up, which I turn to when I feel stuck with the first. This way, I can channel my focus on one work and have another painting as an escape door. This second painting is usually at a stage where I don’t have to make too many major decisions — either at the very beginning or at the very end, when I bring the painting to a conclusion. I listen to music, and I would be lying if I said that rhythm doesn’t play an important role in my work. The music helps me focus and shuts me off from my surroundings. My practice is very process-oriented, and I work without any preliminary sketches or fixed ideas. So instead of representing a certain image, I am searching for the image. ***How does the space affect your work?*** The studio space at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) is much bigger than my studio in Vienna, where I am based. I can spread out and have more of my work open and visible. In my studio at home, I lack the wall space to hang this many paintings at the same time. This is particularly nice for studio visits and also when preparing for a show; I can already see which works make a nice pairing. ***How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?*** We have a generous communal area in the studio building, where we usually cook and have lunch together. Artists from all over the world have their studios at the ISCP, and it is a great space for exchanging ideas. After working in the studio, I usually go see some shows or attend openings. It is so great that there is always so much happening and so much to see in NY! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2024/06/img_3270-sarah-bechter.jpg) ***What do you love about your studio?*** I love that it is so spacious and has a lot of wall space, which is really important for me as a painter. ***What do you wish were different?*** There is some construction happening outside, next to my window, so it is a little loud at the moment. ***What is your favorite art material to work with?*** Paint! --- #### [Janice Stanton](http://www.janicestanton.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com), Bridgehampton, New York ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2024/06/stanton_janice_studio-2-janice-stanton.jpg) ***How long have you been working in this space?*** Several years since it was renovated; five years previously. ***Describe an average day in your studio.*** I typically work in my studio during the afternoons, after full mornings of exercise, emails, social media, and other work-related admin. ***How does the space affect your work?*** First and foremost, it is a creative laboratory where I focus solely on my work. It enables me to become totally immersed in my process and engage with the materials that surround me. ***How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?*** I am fortunate to be surrounded by, and connected to, a very creative arts community. I often visit art venues and exhibitions nearby and know many other artists working in the community. And there is a history of some of the most important post-war American artists connected to this location, including Pollock, Krasner, de Kooning, Mitchell, Lichtenstein, and others. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2024/06/stanton_janice-studio-3-janice-stanton.jpg) ***What do you love about your studio?*** Everything! But especially the light, the space, and the configuration, which allows me to be surrounded by the materials I work with. ***What do you wish were different?*** One can never have too much natural light. ***What is your favorite local museum?*** The Parrish Museum in Watermill. ***What is your favorite art material to work with?*** Handmade paper.