Artists are continuing to work in spite of not being able to go to their studios because of the pandemic lockdown. They have adapted their practices and set up temporary home studios. With the challenges of less space, domestic furniture, other family members, lack of equipment and trying not to get paint on the curtains, artists are adapting their working methods and the work they are making during this uncertain period. To get an idea of how everyone is managing I asked two artists a few questions about how they chose what materials and equipment to take from their studios, how they have set it all up at home and if their work has changed. I also answered the same questions myself.
Making Art During Lockdown
Sally Hirst
Sally Hirst is a professional artist who teaches painting and printmaking workshops in the UK and Spain. She wrote an article for us earlier this year: Sally Hirst Compares Cold Wax Mediums. Sally has set up a temporary studio in her small flat to continue her painting and printmaking practice. Sally is also learning how to do live streaming so she can make some workshops to share online.
What percentage of your studio did you bring to your home?
2%. My studio is 36sq meters and now I’m reduced to just 3sq meters.
Sally Hirst’s studio
How did you decide what you would be doing, so you could decide what to take?
I thought about what I could feasibly bring, what media and scale I could work on in such a small space. I had a few small paintings I wanted to finish so they came and the materials I needed to do that, but I also saw it as an opportunity to do things I haven’t done for a while, small scale mark-making, simple bookbinding. I also decided I wanted to deliver some online workshops so I need to think about – What could I make for videos, What will people want to learn. At least my situation puts me in the same position as many of my students, so if they can do it so can I.
The first of the two trolley-loads Sally took from her studio.
Was it difficult to fit it in your home?
I live in a small two-bedroom flat with no garden. In our spare bedroom which is 2.5m x 4m we have two single beds. As we are not expecting visitors in the foreseeable future I stacked one bed on top of another. In this bed-size space I have put a long pasting table (60 x 180) and a chair. I can store things underneath the table and I’ve put a cover over and cardboard on the stacked bed so I can use it as an additional surface.
Sally’s temporary studio
What tips do you have for setting up a temporary/emergency home studio?
Imagine you are going on a retreat, what would you take, what could you get in a suitcase or a small car? Take it as an opportunity to play, to explore, to work small, and to stop thinking ‘finished paintings’. On a practical level consider those around you. This is also my husband’s home. I will try to keep my wet work and dirty cloths away from communal areas, keep paint off the carpets, and brushes out of the bathroom sink!
What do you wish you had brought from the studio, but didn’t think of?
Ah, it’s still too early to have found that out! There’s a large tin of chocolate biscuits that would have come in handy!
How have you managed without the thing you forgot, did you order it delivered or try a new way of doing things?
I realise that working on paper would take up less space than my usual panels, so I ordered some from Jacksons. I’m also planning some online workshops, in my studio there’s everything to hand, so I have thought carefully about what people can get easily get hold of and purchased a few ‘sets’ of things to develop projects around.
Has working at home changed what you make?
I’m hoping it will encourage me to explore ideas around scale, make more work on paper, be less precious, live for the moment. My galleries have closed, no-one is buying so this is a self-imposed residency!
Where are you putting wet artworks to dry?
I already had some shallow picture shelves up on the wall (Ikea) so I have cleared them. But I will be spilling out into the hallway and pinning work up in the shower with masking tape.
The picture ledges she will use for wet work are above her table.
Anything else you’d like to add?
The situation we find ourselves in means we have to adapt and change. I’m used to having space, used to teaching live, that is all upside down now and I have to adapt. I’m currently learning how to live stream sessions on Facebook. We will come through this with new work, new skills and new approaches to our work and our lives.
Sally will be posting the live sessions on her Facebook page Sally Hirst Artist and Tutor.
Nick Morley
Nick Morley is an artist printmaker and tutor who runs Hello Print Studio in Margate. He is also the author of Linocut for Artists and Designers. Responding to the stay-at-home directive, Nick has temporarily moved his studio to his home. Nick is also putting videos on YouTube to share some workshops online.
What percentage of your studio did you bring to your home?
About 2%. I have left behind all my big presses, books, big ink rollers, etc.
How did you decide what you would be doing, so you could decide what to take?
I figured I’d make some new work and reprint some old blocks. I did two trips on my bike so I was limited to what would fit in my panniers. I took as much lino and paper as I could carry and my tools of course, plus a little X-cut press which I use when I do workshops off-site.
Was it difficult to fit it in your home?
I am very fortunate that we have a loft with a skylight so it’s actually quite spacious. I have had to move some boxes around to make room though. With a four year old in the house, it’s good to have a separate space I can use.
What tips do you have for setting up a temporary/emergency home studio?
I guess you have to adapt what you are making. I’m lucky because to make linocuts you don’t need very much space or equipment.
What do you wish you had brought from the studio, but didn’t think of?
Hopefully, I have everything I need! Let’s see how long the stack of paper lasts…
Has working at home changed what you make?
I can’t make any big prints. And I can’t run workshops, so I’ve started making YouTube tutorials. I’ve only managed two so far as I’m mainly working in the evenings and learning how to edit films on my phone took a couple of days. I’ve done one about drawing a design on the block and one about carving lino. I’m planning to post lots more in the coming weeks.
Here is the link to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Linocutboy
Where are you putting wet artworks to dry?
I’m going to string up some pegs in the rafters.
Read our interview with Nick Morley from a few years ago.
www.linocutboy.com
www.helloprintstudio.com
Julie Caves
Two weeks ago I began self-isolating and to continue my painting practice I set up a temporary studio in my lounge. I have been painting every day that I haven’t been working remotely on the Jackson’s Blog.
What percentage of your studio did you bring to your home?
I’ll go with 2%, also. My studio isn’t huge but I have over 20 years of paintings (finished, abandoned, in progress) stored in there so it is pretty crowded. I brought 3 Ikea bags of paints, brushes, mediums and gesso. A box of small painting surfaces – mountboard offcuts I had primed, unfinished small paintings, oil painting paper and little canvases. A box of A3 gatorboards to use as shelves to lay flat in spare places with paintings on them to dry. And my Half Box French Easel.
How did you decide what you would be doing, so you could decide what to take?
Like Sally, I thought about what was going to be possible in the space I was going to have. My lounge is really small, so I thought I would make small paintings. Because they would be small I didn’t need any large brushes except one for priming. The bare minimum of colours and mediums, solvent, brush soap, palette knives, palette, apron, and gloves.
Was it difficult to fit it in your home?
Thinking about making a mess is something I don’t do at the studio but I am conscious of it here. I planned on draping something over the chair but got oil paint on it before I even started. I then slid the seat cushion into a bin bag and that has worked really well. I had planned on folding the french box easel each night but I only need to slide it over the box I’m using as a side table for my palette – the legs slip in the gap and it all fits well.
The legs of the half box french easel slide into the gap next to the chair so it puts away neatly. The seat cushion is inside the bin bag. Materials are under the kitchen table.
What tips do you have for setting up a temporary/emergency home studio?
If you are an oil painter think about ventilation. I had planned for this, so have a fan going in the open window. Plan to adapt, try something new. See how much you can do with how little. Plan to focus on one thing for a while and really get to know it – a colour of paint, a subject, an idea like contrast or using a variety of greys.
What do you wish you had brought from the studio, but didn’t think of?
Some paintings for #artistssupportpledge on Instagram, I moved my studio to my flat right when the initiative was started. So I’ve been putting some of the new work on.
How have you managed without the thing you forgot, did you order it delivered or try a new way of doing things?
I had an order delivered of oil ground and oil medium. And somehow I had managed to not bring a Cadmium Red, so I got that. If I run out of materials, I have a few inks, watercolours and sketchbooks that I already had at home for sketching in the evening, and I can switch to using those.
Has working at home changed what you make?
I already work quite small sometimes. But I am exclusively working small now and on thin boards. I’m sad to say I have better natural light here at home so my paintings seem sunnier but that could also be that it is Spring!
Where are you putting wet artworks to dry?
I have laid A3 gatorboards across every flat surface in the living room and have small paintings all around the place drying.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Being limited means you can explore an area more thoroughly because it is smaller. So I think I may benefit from the concentration and focus, not being distracted by too many options. There are also lots of positives around personal comfort and convenience: it’s warm, there is no commute, there is fresh air and I don’t have to pack a lunch. Being in lockdown also means I am here for deliveries!
My small set up in the lounge facing the kitchen.
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