A View From the Easel
“I use palo santo in my space before working to honor my ancestors.”
Welcome to the 321st installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, artists carve faces into tree trunks and forage for color in the natural world.
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.
Clara Cohan, Cape Elizabeth, Maine
How long have you been working in this space?
I moved to Maine in 2001. My partner and I found a 1910 Cape and began renovations. I immediately claimed the garage as my sculpture studio and finished the space with work benches and tool storage.
Describe an average day in your studio.
Mornings are best for concentrated work. In the winter, I turn on the heat at 8am and get started around 10am. Summer, I start around 9am. I have two areas in the studio for projects. The large, heavy wood sculptures are carved in the front section of the studio, closest to the roll-up wide door. Smaller sculptures are placed on a hydraulic workbench. Before I start, I focus, connect with the Source, and ask for guidance.
How does the space affect your work?
My studio is my sacred space. There are only a few people that I allow to interrupt me and only if the reason is essential.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
I step out from the studio into vegetable and flower gardens that we have developed over the past 25 years. When I need a physical break, I sit with the hens in our yard. Portland, Maine, has a very active community of artists and arts organizations in which I participate.
What do you love about your studio?
I have an abundance of tools for every situation and size for carving, and they are aesthetically organized for pleasure and efficiency.
What do you wish were different?
I would love to have a caboose wood stove so that in the winter, I could keep warm by burning the trimmings and chunks of wood from the roughing-out process of the wood sculptures.
What is your favorite local museum?
The Portland Museum of Art has an eclectic collection of significant works. Also on my list is the Museum of Beadwork, which showcases cultural and supreme artistry.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
I work from various wood found at our local transfer station or trees that have come down in our yard, mostly cherry and apple. I also have friends who pass along tree trunks to me.
Maria Schechter, Bloomington, Indiana
How long have you been working in this space?
Since August of 2025.
Describe an average day in your studio.
I prefer to get started in the morning. I do work on several pieces at once. While working, I listen to music specifically related to the time frame of the painting. I use palo santo in my space before working to honor my ancestors. Once the energy feels clear in the room, I will organize my day in silence and then start listening to a podcast or a book.
How does the space affect your work?
My space is not very big, but the work I develop is often not on a large scale. It is just the right amount of space I need to work on my pieces.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
If I am not working, I attend several Indiana University (IU) activities and performances with my family, who are all graduates of IU. In spring and summer I host workshops in my community and others across Indiana. My workshops focus on sustainability, foraging for color, and turning natural materials into dyes to paint with. I also use mycelium as a medium and I have a lab for this.
What do you love about your studio?
I love that my studio was built with funding by the DeHaan Artist of Distinction Award in 2024, and granted to me by the Indianapolis Arts Council and Christel DeHaan.
What do you wish were different?
I would say perhaps more space, but I don't want to ask for more than what I need.
What is your favorite local museum?
My favorite local museum is the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at IU.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
Plant-based materials.
