Welcome to the 286th installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, artists use light as a medium and relish the sounds of the ocean nearby.
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.
Mark Kobasz, Perkasie, Pennsylvania
How long have you been working in this space?
Since 2006.
Describe an average day in your studio.
I usually get to work in the mid-morning, break for lunch/errands/ adventure. I am working on many, many pieces at once. I vary my materials and processes from day to day. Whether brainstorming with pen and paper or cutting up glass or wood to get ideas in motion. I usually break up my days with sessions, maybe cutting and assembling in the am and printmaking or glass surface designing in the pm. Weather permitting, I do some glass grinding outside on the patio. I love to listen to music.
How does the space affect your work?
My studio is set up with lots of work surfaces so I can move around and choreograph from one process or piece to another. My wood and glass working machinery are part of that arena, although the wet cutting, grinding, and polishing is in an adjacent room which also has my “warehouse,” a large room with many rows of shelves. I have the tools and space to create just about anything in any material. Another room is my office, which allows me some wall space to display and reflect on my pieces as well as a large stack of huge flat files for 2d storage. Overall, it is like a semi-controlled chaos.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
I live on a small farmette in a semi-rural environment, and spend a lot of time on the property walking my border collie Jimmy and tending my flower and vegetable gardens. The location of my place allows a lot of opportunities for being outside in the natural environment. Hiking and biking in the woods and parks nearby. There is a wonderful sawmill nearby where I have been sourcing wood for my sculpture. I have many artist friends who live and work nearby.
What do you love about your studio?
I designed and renovated this building after my last studio on the property burned down. I wanted a timbery space full of light. I love the fact that there are a lot windows in all of the three rooms, granting me light, my favorite element of creativity. My college work started with photography and evolved into working with glass, both light-dependent mediums. I have a tall ceiling and the studio feels very spacious. I have many things hanging from the ceiling along the beams and walls. I am also most fortunate to have another structure to store my wood/lumber and other studio essentials.
What do you wish were different?
The warmth and glow of the wood stove is cozy, but it requires semi-constant feeding and time; central heating would be nice.
What is your favorite local museum?
ArtYard in Frenchtown, New Jersey.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
Glass, wood, and prints.
Holly Wong, San Francisco, California
How long have you been working in this space?
Twenty-four years.
Describe an average day in your studio.
My average day in the studio begins at 4am. I get up early before breakfast to get an hour of work in. After exercise, I work an additional three hours, break for lunch, and then work an additional two to three hours in the afternoon. My routine is to try to focus on chunks of time in the studio, with time on emails and admin in the evening, so that I limit task shifting in the studio. I try to dedicate my best focus time (which is the morning hours) to art making. I move back and forth between my collaged paintings, works on paper, and fiber installations. The fluidness across materials is important to me. I do listen to art-related podcasts in the studio as well as music, but it depends on what I am working on. If I am in the final phases of completing a project, then I don’t listen to anything at all.
How does the space affect your work?
My studio is a spare bedroom in my house. Because the space is not very large, I make my work modular where possible and, in many instances, I won’t truly know how the final piece will work until it is installed in the exhibition space. There is a surprise element in this way, but it has always worked out for me. If I need more space than my studio allows, I go out into the yard or the garage, especially if I am using aerosol sprays or chemicals.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
My primary interaction with the local arts community is with ArtSpan Open Studios. During the pandemic, they had a virtual Open Studio option so I hosted quite a few virtual studio visits that way and still do so, though in a less structured way. Like many artists, I see my studio as a great way to host visitors and when I have someone over to see the work, I always make them lunch because I love to cook and feed people too!
What do you love about your studio?
I have a westward-facing window and I see all the sunsets. A golden kind of light comes through the window frequently in the afternoons that often informs my fiber installations. In addition, we are only about 11 blocks from the Pacific Ocean, so I can hear the fog horns. I love the feeling of being this close to the water, and aquatic elements often enter my work as a result.
What do you wish were different?
I wish I had more storage for my collage paintings and works on paper. In many instances, I have to get off-site storage so I am not buried by all the work. With the fiber work, I can roll it up and store it in the rafters in my garage so I am lucky in that way.
What is your favorite local museum?
SFMOMA is my favorite local museum. They have a wonderful permanent collection and in recent years have increasingly started to show and collect more local Bay Area artists. Their SECA award exhibit is a great way to see important talent in our region.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
I love working with dichroic film and silk organza. The light reflective quality of these materials is so inspiring to use in my fiber installations.
