A View From the Easel : Hyperallergic

Featured in "A View From The Easel" on Hyperallergic

"Hyperallergic is a forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking about art in the world today. Founded in 2009, Hyperallergic is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York."

How long have you been working in this space?

From a converted garage to studio, seven years.

Describe an average day in your studio.

Normally work in the studio after lunch to evening, creating handmade jewelry in small batches. When I enter the space I light incense, put on music (Patrick Wolf, Johnny Flynn, Florence + the Machine) or a podcast (Art Juice: A podcast for artists, creatives, and art lovers with Alice Sheridan and Louise Fletcher is a favorite to feel less alone in my solitary workshop.) Sometimes I simply open the windows and listen to the birds, wind, and stream.

How does the space affect your work?

My metalsmithing bench was made from a local live-edge maple, a favorite birch tree that sadly had to be taken down is now a stump to hammer metal on. I try to hold that reverence for nature by making my art practice as eco-friendly as possible.

How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?

I am in the middle of a hemlock forest, beside a stream. Nature is ever-present, out every window. As a member of the Hilltown Arts Alliance, we gather to support each other as rural artists, and hold a yearly Open Studio Tour. Not as isolated as we had thought before moving out from Boston, grateful for the rich art and music communities in Western Massachusetts.

What do you love about your studio?

Large enough to have separate areas to work in metal and glass, and even a small closet turned into gallery space. I love the serenity of being surrounded by trees and nature’s peace. The inside is a bit maximalist, as I am like a bowerbird, surrounding myself with thrift store finds and tag sale rescues. And lots of green.

What do you wish were different?

Running water, plumbing!

What is your favorite local museum?

Not very local to me anymore, but worth the two-hour drive: the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. It is where I go when I need to remind myself why I create, and in the winter for the cloister garden to keep me sane.

What is your favorite art material to work with?

Discarded shards of stained glass, collected ephemera from old catalogs I’ve hoarded for decades, recycled bronze, and sterling.

Thank you to Lakshmi Rivera Amin & Hyperallergic!