Behind the Curtain: The Artist Studio
By Emma Hapner, September 3, 2024
An artist’s studio often holds an air of allure and mystery, much like peeking behind the curtain at a theater or catching a glimpse of a performer’s dressing room. While we are accustomed to seeing artwork displayed in the polished surroundings of museums or the pristine walls of galleries, experiencing art within the artist’s own studio offers a uniquely magical perspective. It reveals the intimate and creative environment where the work is brought to life, adding a rich layer of context and connection to the art itself. During my undergraduate and graduate studies, as well as throughout my career as an independent artist, I’ve been fortunate to explore a wide range of artists’ studios. Each visit has revealed a striking diversity in studio practices, highlighting how uniquely each artist approaches their craft.
Francis Bacon's studio, reconstructed at Hugh Lane Gallery ,1998
It is equally captivating to view the studios of artists throughout art history, whose work we may have only seen in textbooks, or museums. One studio practice I find incredibly engaging is that of Francis Bacon. Bacon, an Irish-born British artist, was renowned for his figurative painting characterized by its raw and unsettling imagery. He is now also known for his cluttered and chaotic studio, which was painstakingly relocated from London to Dublin, where Bacon was born. His studio can now be viewed at Hugh Lane Gallery, where it is preserved exactly as they found it. Bacon once said, “I work much better in chaos… chaos for me breeds images.”
Édouard Manet, Claude Monet in Argenteuil, 1874
Another unique studio was that of Claude Monet, a French painter and founder of impressionism, who often painted not in a home studio, but in a studio boat. Many artists of the Impressionist era were interested in capturing the fleeting effects of light in nature, and therefore often painted en plain air, or outside, but this presented some challenges, like moving art supplies back and forth. Monet had a clever solution, which was to paint from a small boat on the Seine. As he was especially interested in painting water, this was the perfect solution. He once said, ““These landscapes of water and reflections have become an obsession. It's quite beyond my powers at my age, and yet I want to succeed in expressing what I feel.” He was often joined by artists and friends, like Édouard Manet, who captured Monet in his studio boat in the painting shown above.
Equally as exciting, are the studios of artists working today. Many artists have adapted their studios to fit their needs, sometimes working from home or renting a space. Each space is unique, and often reflects the work being created there.
Holly Osburn is an Indiana-based painter and illustrator exploring life, nature, and whimsy. Her work harkens back to the likes of fairytales and storybooks, emphasizing the senses of nostalgia and magic that were so prevalent in her childhood. Holly was interested in art from an early age, pouring over illustrations from artists such as Beatrix Potter, Edward Gorey, and Maurice Sendak.
“My studio is nothing fancy or aesthetic—paints are strewn about, watercolor paper and half-started paintings are piled precariously, and cat hair from the “studio beasts” (a.k.a. the four kittens that have taken over my workspace) swirls around in the breeze. But despite all the mess, my studio is where I go every morning, with a matcha latte in hand, to put to paper or canvas the ideas in my head.
Though my schedule oftentimes varies to a certain degree—a perk of being a self-employed artist—my days tend to follow a general pattern. My workday usually begins by doing a bit of research and finding reference photos for new paintings. I tend to focus my work on flora and fauna species that are native to the Midwestern United States, with a special interest in those that are endangered. Because of this, I typically spend an hour or so scrolling educational nature sites and flipping through books to become more familiar with my subjects and their natural habitats.
The majority of the day is spent painting while drinking a little too much tea and listening to music a little too loudly. I prefer to work on multiple projects at once, utilizing a variety of mediums including oils, gouache, and watercolor. When I get tired or frustrated with one painting, switching up what I’m working on helps me to take a break and see it with new eyes after a bit of time away from it.
I tend to end my workday by marketing my art. The marketing side of my job usually involves updating my website or social media, applying for art festivals or shows to display my work, or connecting with people who are interested in commission work. I also spend much of the year selling my paintings at art festivals, which requires quite a bit of prep work both before and in between the start of the festival season. This typically involves varnishing, framing, and photographing my art, as well as making, signing and packaging limited-edition prints, updating my displays, and pricing all of my inventory—a very arduous task that more often than not gets put off until the very last minute. You can tell how close a festival date is getting based on how messy and chaotic my studio looks. By the day before a show, my studio is all but trashed and the “studio beasts” are lost in a mess of art supplies.” – Holly Osburn
Daniel Morowitz is a painter based in Jersey City, NJ. In a time when queer identity and queer bodies face significant threats, queer culture and visibility have become more crucial than ever. Painting holds a dual responsibility: honoring its own historical legacy while also serving as a potent tool against the dangers confronting queerness. Daniel Morowitz’s work embodies this mission through its fictional narratives, which seek to elevate queer realities to a mythological status. His art mythologizes sex and sexuality, portraying them as both intensely abject and profoundly elusive. In his paintings, queer identity is represented as existing hidden in plain sight, navigating the delicate balance between oppression and desire. This creates a chimeric blend of coexisting realities, reflecting the complex interplay of visibility and invisibility within queer culture.
Morowitz’s first New York City solo exhibition, Epoch, opens at Shelter Gallery on September 4th and will run until October 5th, 2024.
“I try to get to the studio around 9 or 10AM, usually grab a coffee on the way, ideally I jump into painting immediately but generally check emails before starting. Paint usually 3-4hours straight through and try to leave around 3pm to run errands or go to the gym. I prefer painting in the morning and occasionally come back at night depending on the piece or deadlines.” – Daniel Morowitz
Based near Detroit, Michigan, Jonathon Downing is an innovative artist whose work seamlessly blends his passion for basketball, music, and pop culture with the elegance of classical figure painting. His surreal portraits stand out for their unique ability to be both grandiose and deeply personal. Downing’s distinctive style is rooted in his background in photo montage, which he uses to create uncanny, composite portraits that tell complex stories.
In his artwork, Downing often portrays his subjects as mesmerizing fusions of multiple images, each one draped in the jerseys of their favorite basketball players. This visual approach not only celebrates the athletic prowess of the sport but also delves into deeper themes such as grandeur, perseverance, and the intricate dynamics between idols and their admirers. Through this fusion of sports and classical aesthetics, Downing invites viewers to explore the intersections of admiration, identity, and personal aspiration, making each portrait a profound statement on the human experience.
“I usually get up around 8 or 9am, eat breakfast and do my workout. I try to be at the easel by 11 but sometimes it ends up being closer to noon or 1. Then I set up my ipad with my reference photo, put on music, a tv show, or a movie and get to work. I make spreadsheets for all my shows and plan out my weeks in a little planner book. I used to bounce around on the pieces in a show, doing all of the backgrounds at once, then the clothes, faces, etc. I did that to create cohesion because I was learning new techniques so quickly, I didn't want to have pieces in the show that were way better than others.
Now that my toolbox is larger I have the luxury of painting one piece at a time from start to finish while still getting the necessary cohesion in a series. I paint at home, which is an interesting dynamic because I can see the works every day and really become engrossed in them, but not having an outside studio makes me a little less disciplined. It’s easy for a 15 minute break to turn into an hour, but it works for me and I wouldn’t have it any other way right now.” – Jonathon Downing
Featured:
Holly Osburn
IG: @holly_elaine_art
Website: https://www.hollyosburn.com/
Daniel Morowitz
IG: @dm61889
Website: https://danielmorowitz.com/home.html
Jonathon Downing
IG: @jonathondowning
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