A View From the Easel
“I love that I can make a mess and leave it until the morning.”
Welcome to the 340th installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, Stacy Bogdonoff follows artists' exhibitions around New York City and yearns for more s p a c e.
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.
Stacy Bogdonoff, Kent, Connecticut
How long have you been working in this space?
Ten years.
Describe an average day in your studio.
Summer: Studio in the late afternoon/evening, after biking and being outdoors. Winter: Early in, poke around studio all day, occasional nap, graze the refrigerator, work/work/work. Wash, rinse, repeat.
I often work on several pieces at once, proceeding slowly and altering the physical activity to keep my hands and body feeling good. When I land on a medium or process that draws me, I like to push it and go deep and then create a series of consistent work.
Listening: WNYC, pods, rarely music, occasional streaming shows if I'm sitting.
How does the space affect your work?
I divide my time between this studio/home and a small apartment in NYC. This is my large and primary studio, and without it, I couldn't make art. It's that simple. It's 10 feet from my bedroom, so my practice requires no commuting. It's mine alone, so I do whatever I want, whenever I want. The fact that I own it and care for it supports my identity as an artist. I have no excuse not to work.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
I consume culture in NYC, much more so than in Kent. I follow exhibits and artists and go wherever there's a show I'm interested in: MoMA, The Met, Whitney, MoMA PS1, American Folk Art Museum, the Museum of Art and Design ... Chelsea, Lower East Side, Upper East Side, and Tribeca galleries. In Kent, I belong to several art associations within a 50-mile radius and participate in their juried shows and sometimes go to openings.
What do you love about your studio?
I love that all the media I use and might use are within sight and reach. I love that I can make a mess and leave it until the morning. I love how quiet it is inside, and how beautiful it is outside. I love the big table in the center and that I now (finally) have a large viewing wall.
What do you wish were different?
SPACE! I could use 10 times the space. Who couldn't? I'm often moving clean projects and stitching to a safer space outside of the studio — dining room table, down to the city — and opening the ironing board in the foyer. I'd like to get a heavy printing press, but it would have to be put on a roller table and stored after use. S P A C E !
What is your favorite local museum?
I follow artists and shows, not museums. Ruth Asawa at MoMA was fantastic. Next up: Duchamp, Carol Bove at Guggenheim, Jeremy Frey at Karma ... I always have a list and manage to get to about 85% of who and what I want to see. I go alone, I go fast, almost always walk miles, and just take, take, take it ALL in.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
I'm a mixed media artist, often working with textiles and fiber: burlap, linen, silk, paper, wire. Mono printing is happening and large strips of shellac'd percale sheeting is coming up.
