I have been in many artists studios across Australia and around the world. Some are grand and some are modest. I have come to realise that space dictates a lot of how the work comes out. Big spaces accommodate big works and big visions and the opposite can be true. Having experienced both large and small spaces for my own work the thing about getting into flow is something different again.
For me there are different stages of the arts making business. The ideas formulation, the testing and tentative mark making, the confident execution of the work, the layering and resolving.
It is a given whether your studio is large or small that you will have your tools of the trade around you. There are some things that are mandatory in my opinion.
good light for day and night
enough space so you can get right back and observe the work from different angles
permission to be messy
places to put inspiration or resource material to hand
windows to see out of
doors to shut the rest of the world out
Studios are not usually about places to show off to the world they are making spaces where you can go within. So what do I do to get into flow?
First I am disciplined. I go into the studio almost every day. Its my job and I treat it like one even though the hours are crazy and the pay lousy! Whether I am sitting at the computer responding to emails, doing research, grinding pigments, preparing surfaces, painting or just sitting. I am in the studio every day.
I keep artist journals with ideas, thumbnails, random quotes, exhibition or series plans. I keep a diary of what I am doing when and now I am also tracking how many hours I spend on prep, artwork creation, business and volunteer work.
I volunteer in the arts, by supporting other artists I cultivate a community and generate cultural capital for my region.
I read about artists, I visit exhibitions, I explore techniques I haven’t tried. I experiment, I play. I plan.
I wake up with a busy mind, so I like to get active straight away. If I can get out and go for a walk or do some yoga that is great to get that done early on. Sometimes the busy brain takes me to the computer and I end up working on the arts business ( aka busy-ness) side of things. The checking emails, paying bills, writing…. can take a fair bit of bandwidth but its good to tick things off my list.
Once that is behind me I get into it. If I have a painting on the go I might begin about 8 ish in the morning and finish about 6 pm. Even after dinner when its time to chillax, I keep my hands busy with stitching or sketching.
When I am at the beginning of a new work- I don’t want interruptions- no visits, phone calls, distractions. No talking, no need to listen to anything other than my own instincts. A diffuser with basil fragrance wafts in the background. This is the birthing stage, when things can be brilliant or go to s**t. I will have my journals out, perhaps some music on low….nothing with words. I use charcoal a lot to mark up the canvas or paper- even though it is messy I love the feel of it in my hands and the tactile-ness of the mark on the surface and my fingers smudging it this way or that.
I work mostly in layers. How I prepare the ground be it paper, board or canvas informs the work. I like to have a lot of grounds prepared in advance in different ways ready for me to select for particular works. I have done a lot of works over maps in the past few years. I may also incorporate other textural collaged materials like pages from old books or texts.
When I have my surface, a thumbnail of what I think I am going to work on, I start the underdrawing. This is the stage where I want no interruptions. Once I am happy with the composition then its the application of whatever media I am using. Once it is beginning to take shape then I can listen to music, listen to podcasts, audio books have conversations … whatever. I get into a rythym of mark making and building layers and texture. This stage is a meditation. Hours can pass. I am always reluctant to leave the easel.
When I look and see that it is dark outside I drag myself away.
Once the artwork is completed I look around at the chaos in the studio and put everything to right for the next work.
That’s me, that’s my process in the studio.
