FPAC takes a sneak - peek at artist Jennifer Lewis' studio space: I'm Jennifer Lewis. I'm a illustrative painter residing in the Fort Point area of Boston. I work out of my studio at Midway Studios. My studio is a lovely space with great light, high ceilings and huge windows. When the weather is nice I open the windows and oil paint, any other day I work in acrylics.
I share my studio with my husband, and our two cats Missy and Snacks. My husband is an artist as well, he sews monkey heads and paints creepy critters. Sundays we usually spend together, first we have breakfast with coffee, then some sketching or painting and movies. Below are some images of a typical "lazy" Sunday in my studio.
Previously I used to work on the floor, now I have two designated workspaces, my computer desk for smaller paintings and sketches and the little beat-up wooden table in front of the t.v. for paper cutting and messier work.
I collect a lot of things that offer me artistic inspiration. Here I have some small plastic figurines from my favorite artists, these are an affordable way for me to acquire art. I also collect books, comics and vintage labels.
NEW - FPAC is asking what inspires artists' work in a new blog series called "Inspiration." Check out what inspires Douglas Urbank, Fort Point artist and filmmaker.
"I make short experimental handmade films, but the artform I value most is drawing. Long ago I made sculpture, but gave it up completely. At some point I felt I had reached an impasse with my own drawing and turned to making films. My representational drawings have often been inspired by film, but I never imagined I would be a filmmaker.
I’ve always listened to the radio, since childhood, and I am fairly tuned in to the sound world around me. So another influence on my art is music or—more generally—sound, live or recorded. Since 2001 I've hosted a radio program focusing on experimental music and sound art and have immersed myself in the local experimental music scene." - Urbank
Drawing, film, and music are all represented in this short list:
1.Mathis Gothart Nithart (aka Matthias Grünewald): (c. 1470 – August 31, 1528): Studie zu einer Klagenden Frau: Incredibly delicate, alive and human.
2.Max Beckmann, (German 1884-1950): The Family, from the portfolio Hell: One of the greatest draftsman ever.
3.Salvador Dali, (Spanish 1904-1989): The City of Drawers, Study for The Anthropomorphic Cabinet. I don’t care what anyone thinks about Salvador Dali, this is a beautiful and masterful drawing.
4. Brice Marden, (American 1938): Cold Mountain 6 (Bridge): Inspired by the poems of Chinese poet Hanshan from the Tang Dynasty era.
5.Jacob Epstein, (American 1880-1959): Bust of Rebecca: Known as a pioneer of modern sculpture, particularly for “Rock Drill”, Epstein also worked more naturalistically. The first piece of his that I saw is The Visitation at the Hirsshorn Museum in Washington, DC , which caused a bit of a scandal.
6. Linda Hayden, from The Blood on Satan's Claw directed by Piers Haggard (British, 1939): One of a handful of dark and pessimistic Vietnam era horror films, set in 17th century England. Great soundtrack and one of my favorite opening credit sequences. The devil takes possession, one by one, of young people within a small village, in a creepy mirror of the youth rebellion of the 1960s.
7. Luther Price, American: I first saw Luther Price’s film, Home, at Studio Soto before it had ever occurred to me to make a film myself. Luther is the artist who introduced me to experimental filmmaking and showed me that I could make handmade films. He is the real thing.
8.Living, directed by Frans Zwartjes, (Netherlands 1927) and starring Frans and his wife, Trix: Zwartjes films are dryly hilarious and erotic with wild camera work, wonderful experimental soundtracks and great opening credits. And mostly, nothing much happens. From 1971.
9. Veronika Voss, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, (German 1945-1982), part of his BRD Trilogy: Unbelievably prolific filmmaker who also directed plays and TV series, acted and did other creative stuff. Died at 37. I saw my first Fassbinder film at about 20 and wasn’t really ready for it. Odd and experimental, humane and disturbing.
