Welcome to issue 262 of Landscapes at the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspaces. This week, artists new to the studio work to the sound of their neighbors’ footsteps and consider opera the sound equivalent of painting.
Want to participate? Check out our submission guidelines and share a little bit about your studio with us via this form! All mediums and work spaces are welcome, including your home studio.
Ornella Bayiganba, Chicago, Illinois
How long have you been working in this field?
Four months.
Describe an average day in your studio.
I don’t plug my ears or play with anything while I work because I enjoy listening to life’s random rhythms: the clatter of the freight elevator, the squeak of sneakers at the Children’s Legal Center next door, or the rolling in the liquor suite upstairs cart. Three hours of this playlist went by in the blink of an eye. I usually take a break after three hours because squatting and the smell of paint make me dizzy. I ride my bike home to eat, go to the gym, and then often come back to the studio to do more.
How does this space impact your work?
After a month in this studio, I started and completed five of my largest works, one of which was invited to a museum. The studio has fundamentally changed my practice; while working from home, I simply don’t have enough wall space to create work at the scale I want to achieve.
How do you interact with the environment outside of the studio?
I’m lucky enough to have a studio in Chicago’s Arts District. The environment here is diverse and eclectic, a source of inspiration and delicious food. I host open studio nights, sommelier-led wine tasting and painting sessions, still life parties, and more events open to the community! I also frequently support other local artists at events and pop-ups.
What do you like about your studio?
Although I share the space with two other artists, I often have this large space to myself. I love that it’s not in a building dedicated to art because I’m exposed to new sources of inspiration. The loft style, brick walls, and rough wood floors make it feel like home; friends and collectors often comment on how popular the space is. I’ve even had people ask me if I could redesign their home interiors after my workshop – which is the biggest compliment!
What do you wish was different?
My studio is located in Chicago’s historic Central Manufacturing District, surrounded by abandoned industrial buildings. While it was great for my imagination, walking through the loading dock late at night on my way home was not good for my nerves.
What is your favorite local museum?
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. I love how it really highlights the evolution of the featured artists and the maze-like structure.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
aluminum! I like to use oil paint on reflective surfaces to bend the light to my will depending on where I place the paint.
Carolyn Schlam, Poughkeepsie, New York
How long have you been working in this field?
One month.
Describe an average day in your studio.
My schedule is pretty regular – swim in the morning, lunch, then studio in the afternoon. It’s 1pm and I can’t wait to get started. I’ve thought about what’s ready and made a plan – there’s always a few parts in progress because I have to work on drying and resting times, both for myself and for work. Classical music was always playing – the radio was tuned. I was ecstatic when there was an opera that day. I find opera to be completely consistent with painting.
How does this space impact your work?
It was a new studio in a Victorian building, a gift to myself. It was incredibly warm and inviting and I felt deeply grateful when I stepped through the door. This drives me towards excellence. I feel I must cherish the opportunities given to me to do serious, beautiful, thought-provoking work.
How do you interact with the environment outside of the studio?
My studio is in an arts center, but there are businesses in the building as well. Rent is not expensive but is beyond the means of most artists. I connect with artists through life drawing classes and other events that engage people in the art world. Because of my books, I’ve met a lot of artists who share their practice with me, just as I share it with them.
What do you like about your studio?
I went to art school in New York City in what was then the studio building at Carnegie Hall. I have incredible memories of this place and the happiness I felt there as a young art student. When I finished school, I rented a studio in Soho, which was about the same age and had a similar atmosphere. My current studio building is very similar to both places. It’s ancient, incredibly warm, so peaceful, and has a faint floral scent as I walk up the stairs to my third-floor studio. This is a place where art is created and enjoyed, and has been for over a hundred years. What a wonderful refuge I found!
What do you wish was different?
there is nothing. This is perfect.
What is your favorite local museum?
I have only been in Poughkeepsie for about a month and have not visited any other cultural venues other than the Badawan Opera House where I attended an afternoon concert. I’m just over an hour north of New York City, which has a lot of museums. I like them all and can always find something of great interest in any one of them.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
These days I only paint and make collages, but when I have the space I also work with glass, clay and wood. I like the glass to look like paint and the paint to look like glass.
