A View From the Easel
“Fabrics are everywhere — we touch them, they clothe us, they contain histories and memories.”
Welcome to the 266th installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, artists crave community and consider the nomadic nature of textiles.
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.
Tamar Ettun, Brooklyn, New York
How long have you been working in this space?
I just moved in a few weeks ago and I am so happy. This is the first time I have a space that is just right. It took me many years of residencies, nomadic, shared, temporary, tiny, barter, and outdoor spaces to get a studio that supports my practice the way I needed.
Describe an average day in your studio.
My studio practice revolves around ancient healing rituals involving the demon Lilit to address contemporary gender-based oppression with a focus on pregnancy, birth, abortion, infertility, and motherhood. I start each day by making a quick drawing of a demon based on a personal story. In 2020, I created a text messaging service where people can communicate directly with Lilith, and people often share with her experiences from their own lives and demons. After this “demon warm-up” I move into working on the more complex pieces – installation, sculpture, or video — that often require many stages of making and working with others.
How does the space affect your work?
A lot! I always wish I were less sensitive to space. I make inflatables that take the shapes of their surroundings, so they can become like a space within a space and provide an energetic shelter. Every space I worked in had a special story: I went into labor in my last studio in the middle of the pandemic, the space before that was an old pool in the subbasement that someone let me use. These experiences shape the work, like an inflatable that takes the shape of its vessel.
What do you love about your studio?
I love that it’s right next to Kid Zone, a weekly mutual aid group I run that meets every Saturday to make art, and I can respond to urgent requests as quickly as I get them! Everyone who comes for a studio visit comes with offerings like clothes, coats, toys (clean and in good condition!). In my work I think about demons and cultural shadows, specifically in how they manifested in maternal and reproductive health. Directly supporting refugee families offers a tangible and fulfilling counterpoint to the more abstract aspects of our work as artists attempting to shift culture.
What do you wish were different?
Right now I feel very grateful about the studio, I have no complaints except rent! Today I installed a new electric line for a kiln, and I cannot wait to see what comes out of it in this new space. Having the studio right on top of Kid Zone is a constant reminder of all the systemic wounds that I wish were treated differently.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
I work with many different mediums and materials, but I always go back to textiles. I think about how we experience the world and one another through a somatic, tactile experience. Trauma often leads to sensory shutdown, and my work aims to create pathways for feeling and embodiment. Fabrics are everywhere — we touch them, they clothe us, they contain histories and memories. I am intrigued by the nomadic quality of textiles; they can be folded small and taken in a backpack. I make inflatables, tapestries, collage work, and even ceramics with embedded textiles to address the urgent threats facing women and reclaim the value of traditionally undervalued women's work.
Azul Nogueron, Chicago, Illinois
Describe an average day in your studio.
I usually go to the studio two or three times a week. I work on my pieces one at a time because I need to see a painting through. When I go to the studio, I usually blast music like Fall Out Boy, the Cure, Flock of Seagulls, or other rock music to get me hyped up and motivated. I usually have a loose sketch of an idea I have for my work, but I will say it's very loose because I get excited and the painting ends up looking different from the initial sketch.
How does the space affect your work?
The space is somewhat small so I'm a bit limited size-wise with what I want to paint or work on. I want to work on GIANT canvases because I feel like I can pack more of a punch with larger space, but alas. It is a space that I do love, though, because previously I never had a studio and would paint in my bedroom, which was really difficult.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
The studio is located in a very creative neighborhood so it's always exciting to take a walk down the road and see all the great street art that Chicago has to offer. There are many artists residing in the neighborhood and it's fun interacting with locals about what kind of art they do. My studio building has some lone artists who keep to themselves, so it's nice to connect with others in the neighborhood.
What do you love about your studio?
I love the location and the price. It's easy for me to get to my studio from my job, it's in a great location surrounded by creative folk, and also it's relatively cheap for the area!
What do you wish were different?
I wish I had bigger walls to work on there and that the artists in the building would talk to each other.
What is your favorite local museum?
National Museum of Mexican Art.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
Oil paints from the Rembrandt brand.
