book review: Sanctuary

Sanctuary 
Britain’s Artists and their Studios
Editor and interviewer Hossein Amirsadeghi 
Photographer Robin Friend 
(600 pages)
I love to visit other artists’ studios and to hear what they think about their artistic practice and their working process. I’ve now and then been searching Amazon for serious books on the subject and not fond much. Surprisingly little has been written about the importance of the studio for artists in the Western art - especially in modern and contemporary practice, which is also pointed out in “Sanctaury”. So immediately when I learnt that this book was published I ordered it without a second thought. I was very excited when I got my huge package - it is a big book – and I still am excited after three weeks of reading a bit every day. It is a great book!

Sanctuary presents interviews with 120 of Britain’s most renowned artists (counting living in Britain or being originally from Britain) and in most cases visits to their studios – or at least talks about what the studio represents to these artists, if they work without a studio or didn’t want a visit there. For many the studio - or just the idea about it - is a safe place. For others it is just a production place. Then there are artists like for example Liam Gillick, who are not working in a studio at all. Gillick’s works are created in the exhibition spaces. Earlier he did it right there – on the spot – nowadays in three-dimensional computer generated plans.

David Batchelor: I usually do an hour or two of emailing in the morning. I’m in the studio at 9.00 or 10.00 and usually leave around 6.00 or 7.00.  A regular working day.

All the interviews are different, even though there might be some questions that reoccur now and then. I feel like the artist shine trough in all their diversity. There is a praiseworthy lack of bullshitting in the interviews - something Amirsadeghi expresses in his foreword as important for this book “There was, I determined from the outset, to be no art-speak in the book”. Yes, I get the impression of sincerity in most artists’ answers.

Cecily Brown on how she can’t help being a painter;
“It is when people want to go on holiday and you have absolutely no interest. It’s an affliction in the sense that I’d rather be here than anywhere else”

 Richard Deacon on the studio;
 “ … It’s a place where you cannot do anything at all. It is not necessary to be always working. I think certain amount of boredom is something quite productive when you are an artist. Your brain is slightly free of obligations, but you have enough time to play, as it were. It can be playing with materials; it can be playing with things. It’s not necessarily just a thinking process, it’s also a physical process attached to materials. Creativity comes out of idleness. One of the things I think an artist does is to pursue those funny thoughts that bubble up”

Phoebe Unwin

Phoebe Unwin: 

 “There aren’t that many rules in my work, but sometimes you need a few rules to not feel inhibited by total freedom. In order to have a rule, I always work in one size of sketchbook. My sketchbook is somewhere I can be very gentle with my ideas”

Dexter Dalwood reflecting on how artists nowadays make art 

“Each work has its own life. Obviously when you are working towards a show it’s different because it takes its own momentum. Historically artists never thought about that. Chardin never painted for a show; he painted paintings. A lot of pre-nineteenth-century artists painted for the Salons and for private collectors. The whole thing of doing a body of work is different, how one painting relates to another painting and how when you go into a room, you are surrounded by them”

Except for the more obvious reoccurring themes in the interviews - the importance of the studio, the artists’ work process etc – Amirsadeghi is returning many times in his interviews to the changed art market and the celebrity status of artists in contemporary Britain. In most other countries this doesn’t exist.  Many older artists refers to the change that started in the British art world in the late 80s with the YBA, like for example Susan Hiller (originally American):   “I’d been working with young artists … ([teaching) … so I wasn’t surprised that there was a lot of talent around. What did surprise me was how the government leapt on it as a way to advertise the country. It was fascinating to observe that this old, old, old country tried to present itself as new, new, new and young, young, young! The branding, in other words, that went on between Satchii and the government promoted a group of artists who were very talented indeed but possibly no more so than a lot of other young artists. Art was suddenly hot”

The photographs in Sanctuary really grow on you. The photographer Robin Friend, a young fine art photographer, is normally a landscape artist. I feel like the studios and the artists have been leading Friend when he has been taking the photos - like he has been very open to impression. Many photos are straightforward and “ordinary” in the best of senses (honest) but sometimes Friend couldn’t resist some obvious opportunities - like the photo on the cover - which isn’t wrong either.

Tony Cragg’s studio

The studios range in size from Tony Cragg’s huge studios in Germany with twenty full time employed workers to John Stezaker’s downstairs studio where he only works at night with his photo collages and Katy Moran’s studio with an outside sink to wash her paint brushes (cold in the winter!). I found it interesting to see that many of the artists have recreated corners in their studios that are like the white cube (galleries/museums).

As an artist myself I’m getting very much out of the artists thoughts on their working process and how they formulate what their art is about. It is interesting to read about their hard work and sometimes doubts and struggles. And I love getting that peek into their studios. This is a book I will return to many times!

Ask Alexandra: on portfolio diversity

read my first answers in my Column "Ask Alexandra" over at Pikaland

hard working girl

I've been a bit quiet here lately, because I've been very busy. Today I've worked for 15 days in a row - and I have two more days to go before I take a little break ... So why so busy? Many reasons. I have this so very exciting "new experiments" going on plus a new toy for my art (I'll share soon), had a very important grant application to put together, a screen printing workshops to teach - and more. Today I'm meeting a gallerist to show my recent work - to keep her informed for my exhibition next year (spring) - so I've also put together some materials showing sketches, art works and my process. I'm still in a developing phase with my new work, but now I feel like I know where I'm heading ... so I think I'll be able to give her an idea. (It will be interesting to see what she thinks.)

interesting link for artists How's my dealing - artists on dealers, galleries, curators etc (mostly in the US) [hint: it's the comments you should read]

Just for Camilla

This image is just for Camilla Engman to look at. A secret message; what I talked about today. ... are you still reading, you who are not Camilla? Curious? I'll let you in eventually.

Art as Business: research and investment phase

The other years when I've been writing about Art and Business I've been mostly concentrating on how to get structured, how to manage time and how to finance my art through my art. Now I'm in a different phase concentrating on moving up to the next level with my art (not my "art as business" - there I've already advanced). I couldn't really do that before when juggling too many projects. Basically I didn't have the time to go deep into my art, to experiment and achieve more. Also: having too many exhibitions coming up forced me in some way to be consistent ... So I needed to save up some money to get the time - and take a break from exhibiting and doing different art projects. After finishing my commission in August last year that's been what I'm doing: having the time for playing around and no pressure (but from myself). You could say I gave myself a working grant. Now I've soon run out of the saved money, but luckily I have some few incomes from teaching art occasionally so I'll do my best to stretch this period until winter. I've so far succeeded in holding back on getting involved in art projects in order to concentrate on just my "own" art (here I make a distinction between my own art and commissions for example). Luckily I haven't either gotten any more public commission (yes, I think it is good. A commission would have been a big distraction). So lately I haven't tried to "market or sell" my art really, because I haven't felt able to define it. This has been kind of scary and weird for me ...but at the same time I know it is necessary to take this break. As I see it I'm investing in my art...

connecting the dots?

I'm in the middle of choosing what material to use for my annual application for the Swedish Arts Grants Committee (for a working grant).

Wednesday

Today was a nice and sunny day, not too windy. So finally I could continue spray painting this glass test outdoors. Very kitsch (on purpose). But not finished yet. Most of the time I'm working on something totally different (that I'm not showing here), but I think I will be able to connect the dots to a bigger picture in the end. As somehow, it is about the same thing anyway. You know: same same, but different. Jag fick just en ledig plats på min kortkurs i screentryck på papper 11-13 maj. (jag tar anmälan ända fram till söndag.) Mer info om kursen här.

still laughing

I was granted some money for printing a book with photos of my art. Now I just have to make something great to fill it with!

art in windows

Anna Eggert's glass art in a window at KKV (artist run collective workshops)

Emma Ströde's bronze sculptures on the windowsill in her studio

...and Lotta Söder's glass objects in her studio next door to Emma Yesterday I managed a quick look in some artist studios during Majornas Konstrunda (open studios and workshops). It's always interesting to get to see other artist's studio - but in the context of "Open Studio" the studios have always become more like showrooms. Art is on display and all the mess is gone. And the artists hope to make a sell. (Still nice to see the studios, but the creative ambience is not present. There are no visible works in progress) I've been thinking a lot about studio practice this spring. About what it means to me, about creativity and pushing boundaries. About my kind of everyday life and what makes us artists go on. I've just started reading (and looking in) a very promising book about artists and their studios - I will review it here, soon. Where they create - a visual documentation of artists' and other creatives' (work) environment by Paul Barbera. (not the book I'm reading)

cheers!

... been busy with my family ...

sketches

I like how the shadow draws some extra lines. It's another drawing and I'm just partly responsible for it. I'm doing a lot of exploring this spring, but I must admit I sometimes feel confused by my lack of focus ... and a bit stressed.

studio stuff

 Recommended reading (and looking): IN THE MAKE, studio visits with artists and designers

- it's worth following the link, I assure you!

see how Gabriel Schama makes his intricate paper cuts (found via In the Make)

demo art piling up

Comrade Mao, made the other day. He just exists in digital form for now (could it be pedagogical to print him as well? Probably) Saturday I gave a one-day-workshop in "Photoshop: preparing for screen printing". Always when teaching I make some "demo art" in different ways and styles - which means I make something just for the purpose of showing the principles. Now these "art pieces" - existing in a sort of limbo just for the sake of pedagogic - really have started piling up. They need a drawer of their own. I wonder how many I will have in the end? ( I don't sell them of course) DigitalArts has got great photoshop tutorials, like this one for example!

two screen prints made during a demonstration printing session - to show how you can make simple images with an open frame using only a cut mask in yellow pages paper (left) or by painting directly in the open mesh (right) before pulling the squeegee.

one of my first demo prints made some years ago

ask alexandra at Pikaland

Starting May I will have a reoccurring column at Pikaland called ask alexandra where I answer questions about Art and Business. You can already now start asking me questions! (but I won' answer until May)

why you shouldn't eat and paint at the same time

... I almost mistook the red coloured water for tomato soup

learning about reproduction photography

One of my important part-goals for spring 2012 has been to learn properly about reproduction photography. Lately my paintings have become more tricky to take good photos of (a lot of white, monochrome in strong colours - often red and pinkish in thin layers) and I have been swearing over how I can not make them justice in spite of all the time I spend colour correcting in the computer afterwards... My strength as a photographer lies more in seeing possibilities and using ambience ... not being "correct". So today I had hired a photographer to teach me how to take good reproduction photos of my paintings and how to use photoshop better for the afterwork. I had a vague idea of how most works, but learning from a professional sure makes a difference! It's a smart short cut. Now I am asking myself why I didn't do this earlier... Not that I can say I'm mastering it, but after a little bit more of practice ... ? [for anyone worrying about my results - the photos above were taken with my iPhone documenting the photo session - and are not my great "reproduction photos"]

studio visit: Tina Frausin

It’s a sunny spring day when I jump on my bike to visit Tina Frausin in Studio Agnes. Tina Frausin is just back from Småland where she has been preparing for giving a glass-casting course. Just before that she was in India for a month to explore the possibilities to get something cast in bronze there. Tina started out as a glass artist but nowadays her artistic focus lies on the possibilities and expressions of materials in a wider definition. Tina Frausin’s studio is situated in the basement of an apartment building on Hisingen in Gothenburg. Hisingen is industries and suburbs, but not the fancy sort of suburb. It has a history of insecurity, gangs and burning cars. Nowadays it has gotten calmer and they are constructing new apartment buildings here, but it is still not the part of town you show the tourists. 


 - How long have you been in this studio and how big is it? 

- Since 2004, which makes it 8 years. Studio Agnes, as we call it, is 140 m2 and contains several rooms. I share this working space with two other artists Ida-Lovisa Rudolfsson and Jenny Skrufserud.

In Studio Agnes there is a small room for preparing wax/casting, a small room with a glass kiln and a common room for working on bigger projects. In addition there are two storages, kitchen, lunchroom and then the three artists have their own rooms.

 - What kind of studios have you had before? 

- In 2002/2003 when moving back to Sweden after finishing my education, I ended up in Gothenburg. I didn’t know the town well at all and got a very small studio together with a ceramic artist. I had just one small room, like 10 m2 and the rent was higher than what I pay here. I wasn’t very pleased with it. It was tricky for me to get there and also far. Besides there were these not very practical stairs … as I’m working with glass and I had to carry my heavy and fragile material up and down.

- And then you found this studio? 

- Yes, I wanted something better and started to look for a studio together with Jenny who I knew from my glass education in Bornholm, Denmark. This studio is a basement and had once been housing a security company, but when we looked at it five folk high school students were renting the premises and had painted it in all the colours of the rainbow. Each room was in a strong colour representing the person situating it; yellow, purple, red …
 Jenny and I thought that ...
maybe it wasn’t in the area we had thought would be the one for us and ...
maybe not the kind of premises we had imagined  - but ...
it seemed ok and not that expensive…
 and it worked out fine!

- What is the best with this studio? 

- It doesn’t even take me 5 minutes to ride my bike here. Also for me, it is great, because I work with all these different kind of materials – in my former studio it was difficult to even get hold of a screw … that’s what so great with having a studio here – you can find a sand blasting firm, industrial coating, retails stores (like home improvement) and more on walking distance, or just a few minutes bike ride. There are all these small industries here in this area. But at the same time Studio Agnes is still in a residential area and it is just wonderful that on a nice day I can take out a table on the lawn, next to our door, and work outside. Not that I can leave things unattended … but I can work calmly.



- Do you wish something were different with your studio? Is there something not working? 

- Haha … the low ceiling… I can stand on a small step and reach the ceiling! Also I’ve had this studio for so long now and it is like it has grown into what it can be, matured – and I wouldn’t say there is much that can be improved further - it is ready. I feel happy when I come here and it is cosy. But sometimes I feel it might be time to change studio – could it be that the grass is greener on the other side? … I’m especially dreaming of big windows and a high ceiling. I’m feeling that my art pieces are rapidly growing in size. I’m working with these weird kind of sculptures, many of them hanging from the ceiling.

The entrance to Tina's room

 - Maybe you need a barn? 

- Yes, a modified barn with huge windows and hoist in the ceiling! Because there are certain limitations for me here in the studio. But it depends on how you work, of course; it’s perfect for sketching, making models and working on ideas.

- Do you also work on your administration and on your computer here? 

- I used to, but I took the computer away as it became a big time thief. So much time is needed for paper work and computer and it is so easy that it takes too much time. When I had my computer here I couldn’t concentrate on being creative in the same way, not the studio creativity way. Nowadays I have a small portable computer here functioning only as a “radio” or for checking occasional e-mail. I have my office at home which has made it so much easier for me to divide my work. For example I try to decide – especially when there are several commissions to apply for - like now – this week I will work on administration for three days. I don’t come here to the studio at all then; instead I concentrate on that task. This way I become more effective as I can decide that the other two days I don’t even have to look at the computer – and instead concentrate on the practical - hands on - work in the studio. But it all depends on what deadlines I’m working towards, of course. If it is an exhibition I could very well just spend several weeks only here in my studio and nothing in front of the computer!

- If you could dream – how would you like to divide your time then? Intense concentrated creative studio time for some months – followed by concentrated administrative periods? 

- That is an impossibility – administration also means applying for getting to make commissioned public art and applying for grants etc; uploading images, filling forms and writing ideas … if I would to ignore that for like three months I would loose the flow in my business … You can NOT choose that.

- Do you ever feel lonely here in your studio? 

- Yes. Jenny is almost never here since the very beginning. Actually you could say we are only two people actively working here. Ida-Lovisa works here a lot, but unfortunately it’s like we have different schedules as she’s following the school hours, being a mother. Sometimes we are here at the same time, but not very often. I long for having colleagues just for taking a coffee break together. Because something can happen when exchanging some casual words with another artist, something that won’t happen when you are sitting there all alone. You could just throw out some ideas and share some thoughts that might lead somewhere – I feel I miss that exchange … or to just to be able to ask for an opinion and get some feedback when you need it…

lunchroom

One Saturday when I was visiting an opening at Konstepidemin I was thinking Oh here, here, I should have a studio here - to be in a context, where they help each other .. not in a basement on Hisingen where people think who are those weird people in the basement …  [Konstepidemin, or Epidemic of Art, houses studio space for more than 100 artists. Located in the former epidemic hospital are also galleries, a restaurant and more. See art events and happenings on their blog] But then I had a coffee with one of the artist exhibiting there and she told me she had just got her studio to herself – alone - and she was so very happy about that.. And then we talked about the artistic context there – but it turned out that there were other downsides and not everything was as fantastic as I had imagined. Greener grass…? There's something positive and negative with everything!

- What are you working on right now? 

- I’m working on my project “Knitted Monumental Sculptures” which I got financed by the Swedish Arts Grants Committee last year. So I’m knitting in metal and I also get knitted some things for me at the textile university in Borås - Actually I have just mounted the first model – but I’m not totally pleased with it though … And then I just learned the other day that I got this big public commission for a Theatre!



Tina just bought this old knitting machine

some of the first sketches for Tina's hanging sculptures. These are in textile though.

the first model in metal, knitted by the Textile University in Borås

- Do you have the time for all this … I know you have some exhibitions coming up too? 

- That’s a good question … haha … I have a lot of things going on… By june I should have finished an embroidered fence for a sculpture park exhibition. This is an idea I’ve had for two years now and I’m very happy to get the opportunity to see it through. And then, also in June, I participate in a group exhibition together with some artists who I went to India with last year; it’s a travelling exhibition. Then I have two parallel exhibitions in October – both separate exhibitions. One is to present the knitted sculpture project, the other exhibition will be totally different with tufted rugs and glass. It is true that it became a bit much, like an avalanche … you know, you apply for so much and then … then you suddenly get more than you thought. But I shouldn’t complain … there will come some totally quiet times again, for sure …

One of the windows of Studio Agnes

not this today

I suddenly realized I had far too much chaos in my papers and files to keep ignoring it ... just doing administrative stuff at home at night and spending most days daydreaming in the studio has had some unwanted effect ... Some catching up to do here! Punishment: no studio until Thursday no whiskey

working with wood

All weekend I've been taking this introduction course to the wood workshops at KKV (artists' run workshops). First I had these two raw oak planks. Then I split them in thin pieces, planed 21 sides, glued them together, planed them again, split again, - and cut them in the other direction. And now I have 8 pieces of smooth and lovely looking oak ... and you could think I've not made much progress - but next class I'll put them together and then have two beautiful  night tables (designed by me) to fasten on the wall! (oh, I love learning new stuff) I thought that this weekend I was going to be able to post the studio visit I paid to Tina Frausin the other week, but I was way too optimistic about time and my super powers...