Artists and studio tour
May. 20th, 2013 02:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vamysteryfanOn Saturday I toured the studios of a group of artists loosely grouped around the U Street and 14th Street corridors in DC. It was really enjoyable.
What struck me was how cleverly the artists created spaces to do their work. Some people used part of their homes, others found other spaces to work. One young artist had set aside a small part of his living room, carefully set off by a room divider. One side held his CDs and DVDs. The other side nearer the light held his paints and supplies. Other artists had converted their garages. A few had joined together to rent spaces to share. It was fun to walk down the street and learn that there were studios hidden everywhere. I felt like I'd won a scavenger hunt every time I found one. I was really intrigued by the people who had remodeled spaces. Those narrow spiral staircases were very popular. A couple of the artists even used the bathrooms to hang color wheels and swatches.
The artists ran the gamut from abstract to concrete, photographers to found materials artists. I had an impromptu lesson from one man in printmaking. He'd been an art educator for 40 years. One artist told funny stories about his former studio in New Orleans where the rules about house paints can be persnickety in the French Quarter. Another described an upcoming commission from the Absolut Vodka folks.
I think some of the shared rented spaces are destined to disappear as the area gets trendier and the construction increases. It's happened along a couple of the past art corridors and it'll happen to these. Fun to enjoy while we have them though.
The website is here if you'd like more information about the artists
What struck me was how cleverly the artists created spaces to do their work. Some people used part of their homes, others found other spaces to work. One young artist had set aside a small part of his living room, carefully set off by a room divider. One side held his CDs and DVDs. The other side nearer the light held his paints and supplies. Other artists had converted their garages. A few had joined together to rent spaces to share. It was fun to walk down the street and learn that there were studios hidden everywhere. I felt like I'd won a scavenger hunt every time I found one. I was really intrigued by the people who had remodeled spaces. Those narrow spiral staircases were very popular. A couple of the artists even used the bathrooms to hang color wheels and swatches.
The artists ran the gamut from abstract to concrete, photographers to found materials artists. I had an impromptu lesson from one man in printmaking. He'd been an art educator for 40 years. One artist told funny stories about his former studio in New Orleans where the rules about house paints can be persnickety in the French Quarter. Another described an upcoming commission from the Absolut Vodka folks.
I think some of the shared rented spaces are destined to disappear as the area gets trendier and the construction increases. It's happened along a couple of the past art corridors and it'll happen to these. Fun to enjoy while we have them though.
The website is here if you'd like more information about the artists
