And now back to the studio

Artists’ studios have nothing of the mystique of galleries. A look inside gives unexpected insights into their ways of working and the things they draw inspiration from

THE VISITORS WHO peer into the Francis Bacon Studio at the Hugh Lane gallery in Dublin aren’t just pilgrims coming to pay homage to the space where Bacon created his paintings. There is also the sense, the hope, that some of that creativity might rub off or that somewhere, in the midst of the chaos Bacon worked in, we can gain an insight into the source of his greatness.

Artists’ studios are fascinating places. Bacon liked disorder, but, as you can find out today by visiting the workplaces of any of more than 250 Irish artists, in the Visit 2011 programme, order is more usual. Perhaps it’s procrastination, and the impulse that says, “I can’t possibly get down to work until all this is tidy.” Or maybe it’s to ensure that once you’re in the flow of work, you won’t be distracted by trying to find where you put down that red paint.

They are also unexpected. The noticeboard in Samuel Walsh’s studio in rural Co Limerick is home to pictures of old masters’ paintings, even though his own work, currently on view at Visual Carlow, is abstract and contemporary. Many, including Nick Miller’s PT truck, which he converted into a mobile studio and drives around the wilds of Co Sligo, are covered in paint. Maud Cotter’s space in Cork city is a trove of the mysterious and everyday objects that she uses in her fabulous creations.

There’s also a pleasant, casual feeling to the studio. Away from the rarefied space of the gallery, no one speaks in whispers, and art is handled rather than touched reverentially with gloved hands. You’ll find an artist lick a finger to wipe a smear from a surface, or add a dab of paint to something not quite finished. In the studio, an artwork is still full of potential and hasn’t yet become a commodity. Perhaps that’s why they are such exciting places.

Artists have different relationships with the spaces in which they make their work. Donald Judd thought the studio was the perfect space for viewing, and created a living museum of his own in Texas. Philip Guston felt a sense of the separation between making and being, saying: “I am a night painter, so when I come into the studio the next morning the delirium is over. I come into the studio very fearfully, I creep in to see what happened the night before. And the feeling is one of, ‘My God, did I do that?’ ”

Irish artists, who had been unwillingly at the vanguard of gentrification, were squeezed out of their work spaces, particularly in cities, during the boom. But groups such as Pallas took advantage of unwanted buildings; one of their former homes was in a block of condemned council flats. Studios are not confined to cities, though, and the Good Hatchery in Co Offaly is an example of artists getting together to create a workspace in a former hayloft.

Is there such a thing as the ideal studio? Most artists say they prefer northern light, as it is constant and indirect. Beyond that, studios are as varied and idiosyncratic as artists themselves. From Alice Maher and Dermot Seymour, who built a modern studio as part of their house in Co Mayo, to a whole Georgian building on Henrietta Street in Dublin, where former tenements are now populated by artists, a phenomenal level of creativity is going on behind closed doors.

You can get tantalising glimpses of studios in paintings, such as Matisse's The Red Studio. You can see a reconstruction of the sculptor Constantin Brancusi's studio at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, and that of FE McWilliam at Banbridge in Co Down.

Or make the most of Visit 2011 today, which also includes bus tours and guided walking tours.

See visitstudios.com; for more general lists of studios see asni.info and visualartists.ie

Artist and insitution: Mary-Ruth Walsh

“I have been at Imma since June. The timing is funny, as I just built a new studio in Co Wexford, where I live. It’s a beautiful space, but the Imma studio is fantastic and really well run. I’m used to working in different places. I had a residency in Philadelphia, which I remember for being freezing cold: it was -8 outside. One of the pleasures of the Imma studios is having other artists around. We have a good rapport, and it’s plenty of fun between work.

“Different spaces change my work. Any new space effects change, yet the core of your work doesn’t really alter. In a new space I try to get stuck straight in, to make the space my own. It takes a little time to become friends with a new studio space – does that sound weird? I’ll make drawings, research online, and I recently took up drinking sparkling water instead of coffee, although I discovered dark chocolate helps the concentration. Sometimes I’ll put music on.

“It has been a busy year, and I’ve just finished an installation, Real E-State, where I put up an estate of town houses (without planning permission), then auctioned them off. So now I’m working on editing the film footage of that. Then there are some drawings about mapping for Building Material, with the Architectural Association of Ireland, and I’m currently working on a project with Katherine Waugh relating to Eileen Gray.

“I collect many things, bits and pieces from everyday life, usually making lots of notes, drawings and pictures that I edit and re-edit all the time. I keep them in the studio, and eventually some go in the bin, and some go on to better things. To be completely honest, the studio is pretty untidy when I’m in the middle of getting work ready for a show. Then, when I’m done, there’s a clean sweep and it’s immaculate again. The studio is clean now, smartened up for a Dublin Contemporary 2011 visit. Then it’ll be time to adjust to the new space in Wexford.”

See maryruthwalsh.com; imma.ie

Artist at home: Una Sealy

“Seven years ago I borrowed money from the bank and built my studio at the end of our garden. Before that I had worked in an upstairs room, but we needed it for a kid’s bedroom. Before I had the house I had studios in the city centre, including one of the first in Temple Bar and one on Henrietta Street.

“I lived in San Francisco for two years in the late 1990s and had a studio in the Mission district, which is the Mexican part of town. My work there was definitely influenced by the streetscape and by the people I met. I don’t think the different studio spaces themselves change the work, but what is outside the window, and who is in the locality, certainly do.

“Most of my paintings are done directly from life, and I rarely start with drawings. I get an idea, persuade someone to get involved, and just go for it. There would be a fair bit of coffee involved. My recent painting Neighbours” – winner of the Ireland-US Council/Irish Arts Review Award at the RHA – “happened because I could see the fantastic black and silver wallpaper in my neighbours’ bedroom from my studio, and I asked them to pose for me.

“I have lots of books about artists in my studio, but I don’t stick much stuff on to the wall, because there’s no room, with all my own paintings stored there too. I like having the paintings around – they keep me company – but storage is a huge problem. I’ve already filled my parents’ garage and most of our house. My studio, like my home, is totally disorganised. It’s not that I like it like this; it’s just I seem to have a serious aversion to tidying things up. My favourite thing there is my chair that turns into a bench for unexpected visitors. It was designed by my furniture-designer sister, Brigid Sealy.

“Music is essential: it helps get me to the mental place I need to produce. It takes my mind off other things, even though I hardly hear it. It could be anything, but it’s mostly ancient cassette tapes I’ve had since the 1980s. It never gets lonely, with kids, husband, cats, friends and seagulls providing interruptions, which I don’t mind. It’s part of having a studio at the end of the garden, and provides relief from the intensity of painting. The downside is that the space can fill up with lawnmowers, old bikes and general junk.”

Una Sealy is showing with Mick O’Dea and James Hanley in Undressed at the Imagine Arts Festival, Waterford, until October 31st. See imagineartsfestival.com, e-mail unasealy@yahoo.co.uk

Artist abroad: Alan Phelan

“My first studio was at Fire Station Artists’ Studios in Dublin. Before that I had worked from home, until storage became a real issue.

“The space at the studios really helped me to be more ambitious in scale, although right after leaving there I made even bigger works in a tiny space at Broadstone Studios. I have been with them since, and we have moved to a fantastic building on Harcourt Terrace. The neighbourhood is certainly a big change from where studios are normally located.

“I am in Helsinki for three months, since August, at the Helsinki International Artist Programme. It’s an exchange with Temple Bar Gallery + Studios. The studio spaces here are in a huge cultural complex in a former Nokia cable factory. It’s a live/work space, so I roll out of bed straight into work. It’s great for a short period like this, and I have really enjoyed being so close to the work. This was the set-up at Fire Station Artists’ Studios for almost three years. This situation can get a little claustrophobic after a while, especially with a partner.

“I’m not sure what an ideal studio would be. Living in a Dublin apartment now, I will never be able to build a studio in my garden, because I haven’t got one, so the group studio is the best solution. I really enjoy the social aspect of the group studios. It can lead to lengthy spells of procrastination, but sometimes you need to escape and come back to what you are doing with fresher and more caffeinated eyes.

“The big concern with group studios is tenure and the stability of leases. With the property crash this has become even more uneasy, but there have been some great opportunities. Broadstone shifted from a bad situation to a brilliant one. Making these new spaces into long-term commitments is the issue. The reality, however, is that you just have to move on every few years. Many studios do get crucial Arts Council support, giving artists a chance to have somewhere to work. Full commercial rents would have all artists working from home.

“Like many artists, I work on several projects and pieces at once. How it happens is a combination of several factors, and it’s always an issue to find the time to get the work done. I work part-time to support myself, and so time away like this is a real treat.”

Alan Phelan’s next exhibition is in Helsinki; his work will be on show in December in Cork with The Black Mariah at Triskel. See alanphelan.com