Welcome to the 245th installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, artists toggle between studios, find solace in desert plants, and feed their imagination with mountain views.
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.
Didi Lehnhausen, Camaiore, Italy
How long have you been working in this space?
Since January.
Describe an average day in your studio.
Ideally, I work in my studio alone six to seven mornings a week. Some days, I continue working in the afternoon, or I bring my three-year-old twins to draw and paint together. The first thing I do is put on my painting clothes, and I fall into a painting immediately and continue until I have to run out. If for any reason I can’t be in the studio, I draw, take pictures, and write. During those times the frustration of not having a space or little time to be there leads to new perspectives and fresh ideas.
How does the space affect your work?
The back door opens into a wildly neglected garden with a view of a mountain village. The front of the studio is a lively roundabout with fantastic views of the mountains, too. Pieces of marble from nearby are integrated into the floor. Coming from a very flat country, these mountains are mythical creatures to me; they are changing the way that I paint. In the marble mines and workshops, it’s fascinating to see how fiction and dreams collide with practical boundaries. The size of the block is cut to the weight a truck can drive down the very steep mountain paths.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
My studio is between the fruit seller and the kiosk. When I leave the doors open on hot days, people walking by drop in to share their thoughts on my paintings.
What do you love about your studio?
I love the glass front door, the tile floor, the sound of the birds in the back, the movement of the traffic in front, the bike ride each morning, and being in the town center.
What do you wish were different?
The sink! I miss having a big sink.
What is your favorite local museum?
Florence is an hour and a half away, so the Uffizi is near. Closer by there are many churches, some with real hidden gems of paintings in them, like Botero in Pietrasanta. But the marble mountains, workshops, and pieces that you can find in every house and street are my favorite places for inspiration right now.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
Anything I can make a bath from. Dye, developer, water/oil paint. Surfaces: strong linen and light-sensitive paper (for darkroom paintings).
Michael Namingha, Santa Fe, New Mexico
How long have you been working in this space?
Four years.
Describe an average day in your studio.
Depending on the project or exhibition, 9am is a regular time for me. At any given time I am working on two to three pieces or compositions. I use photography as a base for my practice, so editing images and shaping them is my way of sketching. I sometimes like to revisit older compositions for inspiration, or where I left off with a work that didn’t quite gel at the time I left it. I have music going pretty loud in the studio, my taste ranges from Pet Shop Boys to Lana Del Rey to Mozart.
How does the space affect your work?
My space helps me to focus on my work. I am also surrounded by works by other artists that help to inspire me or to look at when I am on a “pondering” break.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
I live near the mountains, so I go outside to be with the surrounding environment of high desert plants, trees, and wildlife. I have plenty of deer that wander by. I like to name them. I am a runner, so I like to go for a quick run when I hit a wall creatively in the studio. It helps to get the brain going again and also acts as a form of meditation. Santa Fe has a large community of artists and it is up to the individual to engage with it. I am introverted, so many of my outings locally tend to be pretty limited. In the summer I do enjoy our local opera venue, which is outdoors and quite amazing.
What do you love about your studio?
I love being in my studio because it is a place I can work in total seclusion. I love to get lost in my own space and emerge when I need to.
What do you wish were different?
Nothing.
What is your favorite local museum?
Santa Fe, for being a small community, has quite a few museums. The New Mexico Museum of Art, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, SITE Santa Fe, and the Museum of Contemporary Native Art are some of my favorites.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
Nature.
Linda Bond, Weston and Concord, Massachusetts
How long have you been working in this space?
Twenty years in Weston and five years in Concord.
Describe an average day in your studio.
I am fortunate to have two studios, one at home in Weston, and the second in an artist building in Concord. Since leaving university teaching in 2022, I have a daily studio practice. I typically go to my Concord space three times a week to work on drawings made with colored pencil on Mylar or large sheets of Somerset paper. I usually listen to the radio or to an audiobook and have a lunch break in my studio. In my home studio, I am engaged with the research and fabrication of various elements that comprise my current installation project.
How does the space affect your work?
This balance that my combined studios provide has been rewarding and constructive to my practice.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
The solitude and undistracted environments are invaluable to my work week. There are also opportunities to engage with the arts community in formal and informal gatherings, artist talks, gallery openings, and critiques in Concord.
What do you love about your studio?
The space and light both studios provide.
What do you wish were different?
I could use more storage space.
What is your favorite local museum?
The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
I use conventional and unconventional materials including colored pencil, graphite, Mylar, blood, gunpowder, gauze, bullet casings, embroidery thread, and woven paper.
