the studio visit

I had a studio visit over the weekend. There is a magic to the studio visit, partly because what is most centrally involved is bringing someone into a very intimate space and this person (or people) recognizing it as such. Beyond the idea of going backstage, a visit to the artist’s studio is about seeing the work come to life in a way that it rarely does on the walls of a gallery or museum. The work is there, surrounded by context and the tools of its creation. As artists, I think we get desensitized to this aspect.

I think too that when I have someone in the studio, I am able to see the work through their eyes for that moment. Thankfully, this is almost always a positive experience!

Most of my collectors are old friends, and perhaps that is the way it should be. That is what I hope to eventually find with a gallery, a relationship that extends beyond the business of selling paintings. For now, I'm always happy to at least sell a painting.

My visitor this past weekend is one of my oldest friends. He has work going back to 1997, when I was far more sculptural than I am presently. On the occasion that I visit him or his younger sister and her husband, it is like visiting a future retrospective of my work. They have pieces that I intended to exhibit together; they possess a collective timeline of process and approach.

The temperatures at night have dipped below the 30’s, so for now I’m shut out of working. The good news is that I have only 2 more weeks left at the day job for the year, so I’ll be able to get into the studio during the day when the temperature climb and the winter sun warms the spirit. The large wooden panel has yet to dry, and needs another coat of ground. It may not be ready to paint for another two weeks anyway.