The Artist's Studio (Hamlett's Website)

I was surprised that although each artist produced distinct, different work, many of their studio spaces were very similar. First off, there were the obvious materials that most of the artists had such as palettes, brushes, paints, sketchbooks, paper, found objects, pieces of art that the artist had already finished along with other works at various stages of development, and craft supplies like glue, scissors, tape, pencils, pens, rulers, and markers. However, besides all the necessary supplies, there were also many little shared idiosyncrasies. For example, most studio spaces had inspirational objects up on the walls or on tables. These objects varied from swatches of material, magazine clippings, pictures of work by others, to books, CDs, and little 3D knick-knacks. I also noticed that most places seemed to have beautiful, natural light, and wide open spaces in the studio. Some people also took pictures of friends or family or themselves working in the spaces, while other just showed the space. Some people also had pictures of friends or family in their workspaces too. Some people also took pictures of food, drinks, or their fridges, which I found interesting. Finally, I found that animals seemed to be a big theme in many artists' studios--- there were pictures or miniature animals in the studios, and one person was even making giant moose heads out of found objects! I believe that all these things are so prevalent in the studios because all these things will either inspire the artists or will allow the artists to work for long periods of time. For example, the swatches of colour and magazine clippings may remind an artist a mood or shape they are trying to portray. Similarly, flipping through art books or drawing in their sketchbooks will help artists to generate ideas. Things like books and CDs will also allow artists to take a break from working and not leave the studio and get out of studio mode if they hit a roadblock and need to take a break. The same concept of not wanting to leave the studio and artistic mood applies to why artists find keeping food and drinks in their studios so important. The natural light, wide open spaces, and animal themes probably help to relax the artists and allow them to have a clear, level head. Finally, I just think that it is interesting that some artists appear to find others integral to their studios, while others don't (the ones who include others in their studio pics vs. those who only include objects in their pictures).