A View From the Easel
“I love that I can make a mess and leave it until the morning.”
Welcome to the 340th installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, Stacy Bogdonoff follows artists' exhibitions around New York City and yearns for more s p a c e.
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.
How long have you been working in this space?
Summer: Studio in the late afternoon/evening, after biking and being outdoors. Winter: Early in, poke around studio all day, occasional nap, graze the refrigerator, work/work/work. Wash, rinse, repeat.
I often work on several pieces at once, proceeding slowly and altering the physical activity to keep my hands and body feeling good. When I land on a medium or process that draws me, I like to push it and go deep and then create a series of consistent work.
Listening: WNYC, pods, rarely music, occasional streaming shows if I'm sitting.
I divide my time between this studio/home and a small apartment in NYC. This is my large and primary studio, and without it, I couldn't make art. It's that simple. It's 10 feet from my bedroom, so my practice requires no commuting. It's mine alone, so I do whatever I want, whenever I want. The fact that I own it and care for it supports my identity as an artist. I have no excuse not to work.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
I consume culture in NYC, much more so than in Kent. I follow exhibits and artists and go wherever there's a show I'm interested in: MoMA, The Met, Whitney, MoMA PS1, American Folk Art Museum, the Museum of Art and Design ... Chelsea, Lower East Side, Upper East Side, and Tribeca galleries. In Kent, I belong to several art associations within a 50-mile radius and participate in their juried shows and sometimes go to openings.
I love that all the media I use and might use are within sight and reach. I love that I can make a mess and leave it until the morning. I love how quiet it is inside, and how beautiful it is outside. I love the big table in the center and that I now (finally) have a large viewing wall.
SPACE! I could use 10 times the space. Who couldn't? I'm often moving clean projects and stitching to a safer space outside of the studio — dining room table, down to the city — and opening the ironing board in the foyer. I'd like to get a heavy printing press, but it would have to be put on a roller table and stored after use. S P A C E !
I follow artists and shows, not museums. Ruth Asawa at MoMA was fantastic. Next up: Duchamp, Carol Bove at Guggenheim, Jeremy Frey at Karma ... I always have a list and manage to get to about 85% of who and what I want to see. I go alone, I go fast, almost always walk miles, and just take, take, take it ALL in.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
I'm a mixed media artist, often working with textiles and fiber: burlap, linen, silk, paper, wire. Mono printing is happening and large strips of shellac'd percale sheeting is coming up.