An Artist’s Perspective: Insights from the Easel

Welcome to the 330th installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, artists listen to their paint and create molds out of high-heeled shoes.

Want to take part? Check out our [submission guidelines](https://hyperallergic.newspackstaging.com/47316/submit-your-workspace-to-a-view-from-the-easel/?ref=hyperallergic.com) and share a bit about your studio with us through [this form](https://forms.gle/Erq7cyGEmMUxKrLe9?ref=hyperallergic.com)! All mediums and workspaces are welcome, including your home studio.

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**How long have you been working in this space?**

I’ve been making work on and off here since I got this job, in 2023.

**Describe an average day in your studio.**

I don’t technically have a traditional “studio” at the moment, so my process is a bit compartmentalized. I now make most of my work at my job at Purchase College. Idea generation and sketching might happen at home or during my commute. And because I have limited time, I plan my work flow well in advance. I will plan to come up to my office on a day there is no classes and get things done there, trying to stay out of anyone’s way. I usually work on one thing at a time, so I will arrive, settle up my plans for the day, then grab any of my materials necessary and work. I store my materials and works in progress in my office. A lot of my work is process-intensive, like mold making and casting, so one day might just be making a bunch of molds, and the next day would be all casting.

**How does the space affect your work?**

The space makes me more calculated, which can actually be good for me. Since I am working in shared space (like the casting studio or print shop), I need to be able to leave the space super clean when I’m done. When I had my own studio, it was regularly a mess, and although I enjoyed the chaos of that, this is a nice change. I think it makes my work a bit neater and more precise.

**How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?**

I’m lucky because I’m working in a school, where the students are all amazing artists. And my colleagues are great artists, too. It’s inspiring to hear colleagues discuss projects they’re excited about! And there are always people around that I can ask questions about processes or materials. That sense of community is really essential for me, and it’s something I felt was missing from a more traditional studio set up. I was a printmaker in undergrad, so my first fine arts experience was in a print shop and I’ve never stopped loving a shared workspace.

**What do you love about your studio?**

I love that it just fits into my life. I know that some people have strict rules about how often they go to the studio and how long they stay there — that doesn’t really work for me. Instead, I’m usually letting ideas simmer and then carving out the necessary time to materialize them. So this really works for me!

**What do you wish were different?**

Sometimes I wish I had my own space, more like a traditional set up. But the reality is that I’ve had that, and I never felt like I had all the things I wanted in that set up. I didn’t have designated plaster working areas, no presses, no kiln. So I always needed to pay for more and more. I decided to leave that studio to save money and just figure out a way to make work otherwise. So, in theory, I would love to be able to walk to the studio, but I know that it would limit me in other ways.

**What is your favorite local museum?**

I have to shout out the Neuberger Museum. It’s on campus and it has a great permanent collection. Plus they always have really interesting exhibitions, sometimes in collaboration with folks on campus.

**What is your favorite art material to work with?**

Plaster. There’s not a lot of plaster in my work, but I make a lot of molds. Getting a mold to work still feels like magic to me!

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**How long have you been working in this space?**

I have been working here for 17 years.

**Describe an average day in your studio.**

I enjoy working on several pieces at once, though at the moment my focus is on a 60-by-48-inch commissioned painting. I typically begin my studio day after exercising, arriving around 1pm and working until about 8pm in the evening. I start by laying out my paints and spending time quietly looking at the work from the previous day, letting it tell me what it needs next. I don’t usually paint on teaching days — Wednesdays and Saturdays