A View From the Easel
“The best part of my studio is sharing it with a fellow artist.”
Welcome to the 242nd installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, artists paint using smoke, craft their own speakers, and continue teaching drawing and painting amid threats to arts education funding.
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.
Maricel Ruiz, Fort Pierce, Florida
How long have you been working in this space?
Four months.
Describe an average day in your studio.
A typical day begins after I’ve dropped off the kids at school and gone for my morning beach run. I try to work from 11am to 2:30pm, until school ends and my motherly duties are summoned. School's out for the summer now so hours have not been consistent. I am still dedicated to the studio on Saturdays from 9am to 2pm, where I teach kids and teens the fundamentals of sketching, drawing, and painting. I typically focus on one artwork at a time but if a commission comes to play or a new artist call catches my eye, I can have several paintings in progress simultaneously. As I create I enjoy listening to reggae and music by Rick Ross, Bad Bunny, and others.
How does the space affect your work?
This space allows me to create without the domestic distractions that come along with having three elementary school-aged children at home. I share my studio space with one other artist and enjoy the support and motivation that comes along with it.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
My studio is located inside the St. Lucie Cultural Alliance studio and gallery space. I share and collaborate with the nonprofit organization I am affiliated with, and offer art lessons to local kids and teens to promote the arts in my community. After losing state funding this month, the organization I am affiliated with is at risk of closing and I would be devastated if I wouldn’t be able to have a studio to not only create work in but offer crucial art education to children in my community.
What do you love about your studio?
The best part of my studio is sharing it with a fellow artist.
What do you wish were different?
Even though there are good windows that offer natural lighting, I wish the lighting fixtures inside my studio were all functioning properly.
What is your favorite local museum?
I am originally from Miami, so even though it’s a few hours south of my studio, the Pérez Art Museum is my favorite local museum for its brilliantly curated exhibitions that highlight the cultural diversity of the city.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
Human hair. I use my studio not only to paint but also to create artworks that incorporate hair into domestic textiles.
Piyush Kashyap, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
How long have you been working in this space?
I am here from May to August, sponsored by the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation.
Describe an average day in your studio.
My everyday is a mix of audio-editing and speaker-making, followed by research and writing. I divide my time between one physical work and one text.
How does the space affect your work?
Being situated in a community of artists and curators at the International Studio and Curatorial Program is really great, always insightful.
What do you love about your studio?
Love is always complicated.
What do you wish were different?
More more more space!
What is your favorite art material to work with?
Magnets and copper wire to make speakers with; materials such as paper, cardboard, rawhide, etc.
Dennis Lee Mitchell, Alexandria, Virginia
How long have you been working in this space?
Eight years.
Describe an average day in your studio.
I usually arrive close to 7am then take a two-mile run, work out, and have breakfast all in the studio. Answer emails and get to work. It takes some time to resolve issues in a new body of work, so I spend a lot of time trying various options. I usually work on one kind of piece for weeks until it develops into new ideas and the cycle repeats itself. I listen to music of all kinds throughout the day and at times I try to see how the music and my work relate. The entire process of making needs to be as spontaneous as possible. This spontaneity hopefully takes me to the core of my ideas.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
My studio is in an industrial area. I usually try to invite artists over for lunch or meeting at one of the many museums in the area. Staying connected by going to various gallery openings is a must.
What do you love about your studio?
It's all mine. I can work as I see fit. Although I love to talk about my work in detail, I am very happy to be alone to make my work and think.
What do you wish were different?
A larger studio with great ventilation close to other serious artists.
What is your favorite local museum?
The Hirshhorn Museum.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
Smoke produced by torches and directly applied to paper or canvas.
