A View From the Easel

Welcome to the 280th installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, artists in New York City capture light streaming through their windows and piece together the history of a family brownstone.

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.

Mona Kamal, Brooklyn, New York

How long have you been working in this space?

A year and a half.

Describe an average day in your studio.

As an artist who has a job outside of my art practice, I tend to go to the studio in the late afternoon for two to four hours before I eat a late dinner. If I have a deadline for an exhibition, studio visit, or upcoming open studios event, I will stay for several hours until the work is done. One time, I arrived in the afternoon and didn’t leave until 7am the next day preparing for an exhibition. Since my time at the studio is limited, when I am there I work hard to get as much done as I can. Even though I love silence, most times I am listening to music on my ear pods, like ’80s pop, disco, ’70s, punk, alternative, and heavy metal. Two of my favorite playlists are ’70s Bollywood and Xmas Punk: Christmas Punk Rock on Spotify.

How does the space affect your work?

My current studio is on the top floor of my partner’s family brownstone. The house has been in his family for four generations. The space and the history of the home have been extremely influential for my practice. I have been collecting found objects from the house, including an old wooden ironing board, a hand washboard, parts of a tin ceiling, and an old set of antique keys. The house, my studio space, and these objects have inspired me to create a series about displacement.

How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?

For over a decade, I had a studio in a warehouse building comprised mainly of artists in Bushwick. Even though I miss the community of a studio building, I have discovered artist communities and public art projects that exist within Bed-Stuy. As I walk around the neighborhood, I have noticed art studios in people’s homes. These walks made me run into residency programs such as the Bed-Stuy Art Residency and the Bed-Stuy Aquarium, which was a public art project in which a group of local residents built a goldfish pond underneath a dripping fire hydrant. These discoveries have allowed me to see artists living, working, and contributing to a community in which they belong, rather than artists housed in a studio building who know little about the community that exists in the neighborhood.

What do you love about your studio?

The space, its history, and the proximity to my home (I live downstairs).

What do you wish were different?

I miss having a white box space, as I have to get creative when I hang my work.

What is your favorite local museum?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has always been my favorite. I always tell people that New York would be an amazing place to grow up because every school-aged kid has visited The Met! How amazing is that?

What is your favorite art material to work with?

It has always been wood, but recently to save my back, I have been working on paper.

Sarah van Ouwerkerk, New York, New York

How long have you been working in this space?

Forty-five years.

Describe an average day in your studio.

I start at 6am when the light is really beautiful.

How does the space affect your work?

It’s quiet and peaceful.

How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?

I live in Soho, so I go to the dog run and go to exhibitions all over. I used to take my daughter to the bus stop for school with others in the neighborhood and buy vegetables on the corner.