A photo of part of my studio. I don't have a studio. That's just one of my book shelves. But it is close to where I make art. About four feet away.
Scrolling through Instagram the other day I saw someone's studio. It was extremely tidy. I wondered if a hair on the work surface caused them distress. Their work is also tidy. Very clean. Precise. Measured. So I conclude that the state of an artist's studio may often reflect the nature of their work. Francis Bacon's studio was famously messy.
Whilst his work couldn't be described as 'messy', I think there are raw, wild, uncontained elements to his paintings which are reflected in the chaos of the studio. Those nightmarish smears...the violent brush strokes.
Sometimes I wish I had a studio, if only to hold cabinets where my work could be neatly put away. As you know, the kind of work I produce really doesn't demand lots of space. My desk is the crucial item. But even without that, I would only need a space to put the typewriter on or make collages. If I had a studio, would I make larger work? Possibly. But even then, large works can only be shown in galleries and I'm not in love with the idea of gallery shows. I've taken part in a few and was left...underwhelmed. The internet is a better gallery and suits what I do because my work can be scanned and posted.
The other day I decided to type on a page from an old sci-fi magazine. I usually draw on them but have typed before. The art is to make the type a strong element as it battles with the printed word. As usual, I had seen a line which I wanted to be read. The red shape was outlined first, then the mass of type created to fit it. The red ink went on next followed by what's typed onto that.
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| What Am I?, RTomens 2026 |
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