Welcome to the 244th installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, artists from the Southwest double as private investigators, savor the serenity of en plein air painting, and cherish having their first private studio space.
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.
Sean Hudson, En Plein Air, New Mexico
How long have you been working in this space?
Seven years.
Describe an average day in your studio.
When working outside, en plein air, I wake up with a mission. I make a coffee with eggs, and throw a granola bar and apple into my bag, and head for the hills. I work on a single painting at a time. In the desert, the painting dries in a snap, so there’s virtually no waiting around. I paint in “silence,” although being outside, all the changes of light, shadow, and color keep me on my toes.
How does the space affect your work?
Nature is the greatest teacher of all. There are infinite possibilities and scenes to paint. My current lesson is the art of distillation, of simplifying the ever-complex view in front of my eyes. The studio feels like a great privilege after a day in the desert.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
I have several friends who paint outside, and we often go together, head our separate ways, paint, and reconvene for lunch and to discuss, mostly the wind and the brilliant light. I work in a studio building in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, where a few great friendly painters paint every day. I feel blessed to be around painters. We go to shows and events, but the highlights are those short moments while we’re washing brushes or something simple during the day.
What do you love about your studio?
In the en plein air context, it’s that painting outside is always humbling, always a new adventure, and I get to experience time, light, and space in what feels like a very special way. At the end of the day, it’s time well spent, it feels primal and creative, and simple, which is a rarity.
What do you wish were different?
You know, sometimes I wish I wasn’t so hard on myself in the process of painting, but then again, if there were no bad days, the luminous moments wouldn’t be so bright.
What is your favorite local museum?
International Folk Art Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
I’m going with watercolor.
Jessamyn Lovell, Alburquerque, New Mexico
How long have you been working in this space?
Two years.
Describe an average day in your studio.
Because I am balancing my artistic practice with being a parent, university lecturer, and private investigator, I log most of my studio hours during the weekends, nights, and breaks. My current creative practice is about my work as a private investigator and overlaps quite a bit with my artistic work. I conduct research and surveillance out of my art studio and home office. I answer emails, check my to-do lists, and set aside time to write grants and put together submissions. Making time for creative writing and visual projects usually happens during academic breaks.
How does the space affect your work?
My studio/office space is on the ground floor of my home and quite small; it was originally meant to be a bedroom with a closet. This is where I keep my private investigation disguises and photography equipment. My door even has a frosted window like the PI offices you see in noir films. I have my art book library taking up most of the west wall and plants all over those shelves and in the south-facing window. The studio also doubles as my yoga practice space so it feels pretty calm. There is usually a candle burning whenever I use it. I have found that my work is very much in my head and on the computer because the space is so limited. I am temporarily borrowing access to a classroom on campus to experiment with materials and installation ideas for an exhibition. The home studio/office serves its purpose very well, and having the privilege of access to campus space from time to time is very beneficial in making it work. Because it also holds all my PI disguises and equipment, it gives me access to that while I make my art, which helps inspire ideas and make connections.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio
My studio/office is in my house located in a working-class and artsy neighborhood just north of the university campus where I teach. I can walk and bike to and from campus to meet with other faculty, students, and attend community events. My family walks to the art spaces on campus and has attended lectures and protests there. We feel so fortunate to have access to such a richly creative and cultural community.
What do you love about your studio?
It gives me a quiet space of my own to work and think. I feel safe taking necessary risks in the work I do and make. For decades, my family and I lived in very small houses and apartments, so there was no room to make art in my home or anywhere outside of my laptop in a coffee shop, really. For some of that time, I rented a studio downtown, which was nice but also cost us more than we could afford and I found it distracting at times. Since buying our first home two years ago and creating this space to work, I have been able to synthesize my work as a PI into installations, performances, and photographs that will become exhibitions and a book sometime soon. I love that I can dress in my disguises to go out on surveillance while simultaneously documenting my process, all in my own private space. The two practices flow together in this quiet little oasis.
What do you wish were different?
I honestly wish I had a bit more space to spread out and experiment with scale and materials. Having my own door to the outside would be nice as well.
What is your favorite local museum?
The Albuquerque Museum has such inspiring rotating exhibitions of both local artists and craftspeople as well as touring exhibitions. I always feel inspired after a visit.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
Surveillance cameras.
Lucy Finch, Las Vegas, New Mexico
How long have you been working in this space?
Three years.
Describe an average day in your studio.
Mornings are my most creative time, so I’m in the studio between 8am and 9am and stay there until 1pm almost every day of the week. Typically I have two projects going at once but tend to focus on one at a time. I only work on the second piece if I need a break from the first. Spotify is my studio companion. If I need to deeply focus, I listen to classical music, but if I am at a more carefree part of the process, I listen to all sorts of music and podcasts.
How does the space affect your work?
It gives me a quiet bubble in which to focus and hear myself think. I named it “My Own Space Studio,” as it is the first time in my life I’ve had dedicated space to work and not be interrupted.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
Over the last three years, I’ve made a point to get to know other artists that live in Las Vegas and for a short time wrote profiles of them for the local newspaper. I am involved with the Las Vegas Arts Council and with the New Mexico State Committee for Women in the Arts. Recently I started painting a public mural on our backyard fence, which has made both me and my art more visible to the community at large.
What do you love about your studio?
That it is my own space where the outside world melts away and I can focus on creating.
What do you wish were different?
I’d love it to be bigger and to have large, north-facing windows for consistent natural light.
What is your favorite local museum?
New Mexico Museum of Art on the Plaza.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
Soft pastel.
