Welcome to the 241st installment of Landscapes on the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their studios. This week, the artists celebrate nearly half a century of working in the studio, creating artworks in roadside restaurants and exchanging ideas with their studio colleagues.
Want to participate? Check out our submission guidelines and share a little about your studio with us via this form! All mediums and workspaces are welcome, including your home studio.
Zana Naveed, Dining Huts Around New York City
Describe a typical day in your studio.
I usually go out after get off work and look for a nice outdoor dining hut. I bring masking tape, sturdy paper, and some graphite sticks or crayons.
How does this space influence your work?
I love drawing cityscapes on large paper! I also love the effect the weather has on the drawings. There is nothing better than standing in the rain, and in the summer it can be so hot that the crayons melt in the sun, turning the drawings into weird faux wax paintings.
How do you interact with the environment outside of the studio?
It’s been lovely to interact with the NYC community around me while I’m painting. Often women and children will come up and comment. I still find it weird to have opinions on other people’s art, so it’s weirdly cathartic to encourage someone to speak up and specifically say what they want to say about the painting after they initially say “I don’t know anything about art, but you know…”. Sometimes the feedback can be constructive and very insightful! I was also a student at the NYC Studio School, and the community there was definitely an inspiration for me to start painting outdoors.
What do you like about your studio?
It’s meaningful to me to know that I can still make art that satisfies me and helps my practice, even when I’m between studios. There’s a huge difference between sticking up at an outdoor restaurant and sitting in a corner drawing with pencil on a floppy sketchbook. I get really sad and disappointed when I draw on my lap or on a table.
What would you like to see different?
While I love painting outdoors in the city, I can’t wait to eventually get my own real studio. Ideally, one that I can use for many, many years.
Amy Hill, Midtown West, Manhattan
How long have you been working in this field?
8 years.
Describe a typical day in your studio.
I listen to the news while I work. NPR And audiobooks. Drawing keeps me up to date with current events. I prefer classics and am currently listening to Balzac and a non-fiction book about North Korea. When I look at certain areas of my drawings, I am reminded of events covered in the news or in the book.
How does this space influence your work?
I have a roommate so I can’t mess around too much. He’s abstract and I’m figurative, so he makes me think about certain aspects of what I’m doing. We also comment on each other’s work, which may consciously or unconsciously influence me.
What do you like about your studio?
Being exposed to other artists and having the opportunity to learn about how they work, the materials they use, etc., especially when I initially thought I couldn’t understand what they were doing.
What would you like to see different?
I have no complaints other than wishing it was closer to my apartment.
What are your favorite art materials to work with?
I love the effect and traditional feel of painting on wood rather than canvas, but it is more labor intensive so I rarely use it.
Deborah Zuchman, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
How long have you been working in this field?
Forty-nine years.
Describe a typical day in your studio.
I usually wake up very early (5:30am) and after breakfast I head to my studio on the third floor of my house. I like to have a paper or canvas ready to go so I can get started. I sometimes put on classical music but often turn it off because I find it too distracting. I can work for about three hours before I need a break – a break, a walk, lunch, anything to get me out of the studio and away from the work at hand to get some perspective. I like to come back and assess whether I should continue, change, etc.
How does this space influence your work?
My space isn’t very big…it’s more private, but I feel comfortable in it. It’s my “happy space”. I like my space to be tidy and organized so I can work.
How do you interact with the environment outside of the studio?
I have a good relationship with my neighbors, many of whom ask me what I am doing and come to see my exhibitions. There are several artists in my neighborhood.
What do you like about your studio?
I’m so glad it’s right in my house and I only have to walk up one flight of stairs to get there!
What would you like to see different?
Sometimes I wish I had more free space…it’s so full it’s hard to keep things in. (My husband is an artist too and there’s a lot of work for the two of us).
What is your favorite local museum?
Philadelphia Museum of Art.
