An artist's studio or workspace is a reflection of their personality, their process and their approach to their art.
These portraits capture some of Vancouver's artists and artisans in their workspaces.
Meredeth Aitken “My studio space is airy so my thoughts float away, but it has just enough dust to keep me grounded.”
www.meredithaitken.com
@meredithaitken
Fran Alexander “With the white noise of life at a standstill, my art studio allows me to create, ruminate, translate, learn, and experiment."
franalexander.com
@franalexander.art
Jane Appleby “The great outdoors inspires me to create and so is my main painting studio.“
www.janeappleby.com
@jane_appleby_art
Arnt Arntzen “Surrounded by materials and found objects I have collected over the years, my studio is the place where my imagination soars.”
www.arntarntzen.com
arntval@telus.net
Valerie Arntzen “My studio is a visual feast piled high with labeled boxes and drawers stuffed chock o block holding my collections of junk and treasures.”
www.valeriearntzen.com
valeriearntzen@gmail.com
Miriam Aroeste "My studio is my playground. A place where I exist without limitations nor rules, where I can play, be myself and let myself be in the moment."
@miriamaroeste.art
miriamaroeste.com
Jenn Ashton “My studio is 15 feet away from the kitchen, 10 feet from the fireplace, 10 feet from my bed and 15 feet from the nearest old growth tree. It is basically the centre of my universe.”
JennAshtonArt.com
@RaveOnStudio
Monica Baek
Deborah Bakos “I have an expansive space where big ideas grow.”
www.deborahbakos.com
@deborah_bakos_art
Enda Bardell “My home studio, a converted garage, is my cocoon where I create in solitude, surrounded by photos of my family, references for painting, and images of some of my favourite artists’ work, while listening to music ranging from classical to jazz and blues.”
www.endabardell.com
endabardell@gmail.com
Kate Barry "I rent out space when I'm preparing for a performance or an exhibition. I haven't had my own studio space since graduating from university in 2010, because space simply isn't affordable."
Judson Beaumont in memoriam
Born in Saskatchewan in 1960, Judson Beaumont was known internationally for his unique and fanciful furniture designs. Jud was a fixture at the Parker Street Studios in East Vancouver having opened shop there in 1985 after graduating from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. Judson's humour and energy were as contagious and memorable as his designs. Pictured here in his studio and woodshop in 2018, Judson passed away suddenly on February 17, 2020.
Cory Bigcharles “The Onion is where it all started for me. It was my first studio out of school, where I started my business and the beginning of my family. Me and my family will miss the Onion. We have a lot of memories there.”
Suzy Birstein “My studio at 1000 Parker Street has rocked my world. I LOVE being part of this creative, inspiring, supportive arts community. I love the private yet open space I share with my wonderful studio mates.”
Mary Blaze “My studio is my sanctuary, where 'creating suspends all limitations but expects full engagement.’” ~ Nora Naranjo Morse, Heard Museum Catalogue.
Kyla Bourgh “My studio is a place where I don't have to respond to or relate to anyone else but my authentic self.”
Mandy Boursicott “My studio is an oasis of calm, where I can really focus and connect with my creative self.”
Christine Breakell-Lee “My studio is where I feel completely free. Where I lose and find myself.”
Michael Brown "My studio is a 'mad scientist laboratory' where I concoct various formulas and carry out experimental techniques in an effort to bring the ancient medium of egg tempera into the 21st century."
http://culturecrawl.ca
Instagram
Lydi Buxton "My thoughts and considerations about the every day often come up in the studio - making and creating gets me in a state of flow like nothing else can."
Chantal Cardinal "Busy hands 'esprit tranquille'. My studio is a place to make connections: magical, meaningful and metaphorical."
Bridget Catchpole "Now if you know anything of the behaviour of a bowerbird, then you would understand why I call my studio My East Van Bower! Like a bowerbird, I collect found objects, bring them to my studio, and try to make sense of them by grouping them into different patterns, and then organizing them for use in my artwork."
Nina Chebry
Leanne Christie “My studio is the only space that I am entwined with. It traps me and the paint so that there are ever only the three of us, feeding off of the other and creating an endless loop that becomes tighter the more time we share.”
Sherry Cooper “My studio, my rules! It’s the place I go to solve visual problems over and over again. Most times it is enjoyable, but often it is hard work. It is a place where I get to make all the decisions and having this power keeps me feeling settled.”
Dana Cromie
David Crompton
Carolina De La Cajiga “The city is my studio. Unpredictability, surprise, anything can happen... I just have to be ready to capture the decisive moment!”
Ross Den Otter "Before we moved into Strathcona in 2005 the first thing Sarolta had me do was to measure the size of the garage of the house we were considering to make sure it could serve as a space for the work we had been doing. This garage in East Van gave us a space to make a mess; or more accurately, for me to make a mess."
@pink_monkey_studios
facebook.com/ross.denotter
nuovofresco.com
Robert Dewey
Margaret Dragu
Marney-Rose Edge “My studio gives me a mindset of work by separating me from home. It is a place that brings so much joy. A place for learning, sharing, giving and taking. A place I eagerly get to as often as I can.”
Melanie Ellery “My studio is the place I work, experiment, dream, explore, drink tea, create, contemplate, problem-solve, listen to CBC, dream, make big moves and make a big mess. It’s my artistic haven, my heartbeat... It’s where I express my authentic spirit.”
Joan Ellis “I love my newly renovated studio which looks out into the garden. I now have room for my treasured collection of old books, ephemera and found objects that inspire me to finish a project or begin a new one.”
Denna Erickson “My studio space at 1000 Parker Street is like home. I feel happy every time I drive up to the building and park. I walk through the hallways with a smile, as I say hello to the wonderful community in the building. My studio brings out the best part of me.”
Lynn Falconer “My studio is my place to play. I clean up my mess when I want! I have wax and clay and glue and bits of wire and wood and liquid rubber and sharp things and hot things and things that smell bad. I might hang a hammock and take naps when I like. I play the music I want to sing to. Sometimes my phone rings and I don’t even answer it.”
Deanna Fogstrom
Bernadine Fox “Studio spaces are sacred places. For some artists, we achieve a meditative space that is, at times, higher than that of Buddhist monks while we create. For me, to reach down into my soul and create a piece of art requires that I close my eyes to the world. To do that requires a safe space: a sacred space.”
Merrell Gerber
“I don’t go to church, I go to my studio.”
Ken Gerberick in memoriam
Ken Gerberick was an assemblage artist and automotive historian in Vancouver since 1984. Ken was photographed in his studio space at 268 Keefer Street in 2018. Despite being a living legend in the Vancouver art scene, Ken was as humble and patient a photo subject as one could hope for—a pleasure to work with and a gentleman through and through. Ken’s work and artist roots go back to the late 1960s and he was featured in McLean’s Magazine, the Globe & Mail, the Georgia Straight as well as documentary films. He passed away in January, 2021.
Lori Goldberg “I call my studio ‘a room of one’s own.’ My studio informs my art. My art informs the world.”
Sally Gooding "My studio is where I get to play and work through struggles. It’s my place of detachment and absorption, where I can be fully present to create space and stillness."
Leesa Hanna
My Studio:
Off crooked frames
daylight drips like honey
slowly
into the grain
and the afternoon
sinking to the floor
lapped up by the shadows.
Jennifer Harwood “My studio is my perfect companion. It puts up with my mess, indecisions, my demands, needs and wants. It supports me when I feel down and celebrates my achievements. I am very grateful for this space for being at the ready for all my creative needs and endeavours.”
Maria Heo “Every time I step into my studio, I'm able to dust away the impurities of my life and it makes me feel truly liberated. My studio is an oasis and a tangible refuge.”
Andrea Hooge “Each time I step into my studio, I’m reminded of a thought or idea I thought I’d forgotten, but I am suddenly inspired by again. In that way, for me it is like a visual time capsule for creative ideas, past, present, and future.”
Tannis Hopkins “As soon as I arrive in my studio my shoulders drop, my spirits lift and I am warmed by the comfort of being surrounded by life affirming signs that, yes, this is who I am and this is what I am meant to be doing.”
Pam Hudson
Cath Hughes “This is the first studio space I have rented outside of my home in Vancouver, having worked in a spare room for many years whilst my kids were young. For me it is a space away from the many distractions of life where I can focus upon my ideas and take my need to create seriously. I appreciate the sense of community in our building and feel less isolated and more bolstered by our common sense of purpose.”
Cybele Ironside "My studio is my refuge, my sanctuary, my place of possibilities"
Sonya Iwasiuk “My studio is my business, sanctuary and second home.”
Jeanette Jarville “My studio has always been my most personal, sacred, creative space. It is where I dream, meditate, contemplate, experiment, teach, work and create original art.”
Cathryn Jenkins “I walk into my studio, close the door behind me, and leave the rest of the world outside. I am at home in this space, and time is mine.”
Sean Karemaker “A tranquil oasis, a refuge of thought. My studio is where I go to to get weird.”
Annah Merick Kassen “This studio is a connection to something bigger: a great community of creatives and an organization supporting the arts in Vancouver. It’s an empowering place to play; I feel very lucky to be here.”
Peter Kiss "The gallery is an unexpected lifetime opportunity that I never expected to happen to me. It allows me to make the art I choose to make."
Kari Kristensen “My studio isn’t magic, I am. It isn’t a magical place either, but it’s where I make it all happen.”
www.karikristensen.com
@theprintmakerandherdog
Laurie Landry “My studio is a place of refuge, where I enter the magical realm of creativity and imagination.”
http://portfolio.laurielandry.com/
Klee Larsen Crawford “My studio is one part of my process, and I feel both calm and excited when I step in.”
Sasha Lozaic “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” (Bruce Lee)
Kate MacDonald "My studio is in a building that’s over 100 years old and overlooks the tracks and the port. The unit I'm in was part of the original rooming house above the Hamilton Bank that housed itinerant labourers and railway workers. It's a little bit haunted. In a good way though. I'm not sure if it’s affected my work, but if it has, that's okay. I love the sound of the trains running past. It might be my favourite place in the world."
katemacdonald.com
@katemacdonaldarts
Helena Maizlin "My studio holds a special place in my heart. Every morning when I arrive, I’m greeted with the familiar smell of paint and wood that is so dear to every artist. It relaxes me and sparks my imagination. The window beside me displays the mountains and always manages to show me something new every day as the seasons roll and rain, fog, and sunlight pass through the streets. I’m fortunate to have my studio at 1000 Parker Studios and be a part of its creative community."
Kevin McAllister “My studio is a place for contemplation, creativity and exploration, a place to play and make mistakes before a design is shared out into the world.”
Megan Majewski "I love coming to work in my studio where I am surrounded by other creatives making amazing work. That energy is passed between us and we feed off it."
www.deadkittie.com
Instagram
Facebook
Jennifer Mawby (with work in progress)
“My studio is both a place for creative research and development and a haven. I have learned over the years that my art practice needs a studio in order to be grounded and feel productive. It is equally a place of frustration and bliss. It makes me happy just to walk in the door and I love being there alone and working alone. Conversely, one of the great things about a studio is also inviting people over and introducing them to your secret world.”
@jenniferjeanmawby
jjtmstudio.com
Kathryn McPhee "My studio space became available to me at the exact moment in my life I needed it the most. As someone who's never felt that they really quite fit in anywhere, I'm blessed to have a space to go to that is 100% ME. My studio is my escape."
katmcpheegallery.com
@mcphee.kathryn
Meaghan McRae
@lundenjewellery
lundenjewellery.com
Pilar Mehlis
Federico L. Méndez-Castro “My studio is my endless source of pure joy, a fragment of Nirvana on Earth. The only place I feel immortal.”
Sára J. Molčan "My studio serves as both a fantastical escape from reality and an office to conduct business in. It is a liminal space that exists however I require it at any given time. It’s magic."
saramolcan.com
@sarajmolcan
Eric Neighbour “My sunny corner of the Arts Factory is a warm pocket of resolution. I cross its imaginary line, into my personal realm and breathe.”
Sylvia Oates
Ray Ophoff. “My studio is the one place on the planet where I get to do 100% proactive problem solving. Also the grandkids can’t damage my LPs.”
rayophoff@hotmail.com
Joyce Ozier “The wonderful light and warm energy of my studio reminds me every time I walk into it that I'm a professional. It's a special place where I can lose myself for hours, but also a space where I can conduct business. It is an important part of my life and I feel very grateful to have it.”
www.joyceozier.ca
www.littlepicassoseries.com
Karen Lorena Parker "Parker Street Studios is where I can really feel connected to the hard working artists in Vancouver. To be in the creative zone, the studio is that magical place to leave distractions outside and focus on doing the work and meeting the artists and clients."
kpartist.com
@karenlorenaparker
Shayla Perreault “My space means being able to let go creatively without distractions and being able to set boundaries between work and home. I also thrive with some social interaction and love being in a community of creatives.”
shaylapaints.com
@shaylapaints
Sonja Picard “My design studio is one of three studios I create in. It’s where I sit after my consultations to think, dream and inspire the creations that are optimal for my clients. It’s essential I be surrounded by wondrous beauty, fresh flowers, a scented room, nature, cards, deities, books and my design journals all which spark the mystical elements within me. It’s where it all begins before the making.”
sonjapicard.com
@sonjapicard
Julia Pileggi
“Every time I show up to the page
or on it, sometimes under it
I know my pen is the power I fit
between my fingers
There is a readiness; the risk
in flinging myself off the edge
The discovery of beauty and madness
(sometimes kissing)
I will keep showing up to the quiet
Anywhere there is paper
ribbon, machine, patience
And the truth waits for me there
clutching me like a long lost sister”
www.juliapileggi.com
www.thesefiveminutes.com
@juliapileggipoetry
Lori Popadiuk "My studio is my sanctuary, my happy place, where I am free to be anything and anyone. It's lovely."
www.loripop.com
@loripopart
Natalie Reynolds "Some days I have to convince myself to go into the studio, but when I arrive and open the metal door I'm greeted by aged wood floors and pops of colour from my paintings on the walls... I am instantly energized and motivated to create! I love my space."
Iesza Jessica Robson-Smith “My studio office is an integral centre-point to all of my creative endeavours. Working as an illustrator, model maker and art director in Vancouver’s busy film industry, I balance all of my creative energies by grounding myself here. My dolls, designs and doodling-tools are sitting ready to greet me with open arms, as if I am "coming home” to family. So that when I get the chance to do my own artistic projects outside of film, I can dive right into it and immediately remind myself who “I am" and what “I” have to offer to the world.”
www.iesza.ca
@ieszajessicarobsonsmith
Antony Rolland "My studio is a comfort zone where I allow my self to feel uncomfortable."
Bruce Russell
Lena Savic “My studio? It's any space that can facilitate the mindset when I need to play, travel, forget or remember, be whole and awake. It's a realm of freedom and solitude and it keeps my time still. It's where I want to be.”
Kemo Schedlosky "My studio allows me to separate my work from home, it makes me go out into the world and engage socially with studio mates and allies. Any day that I am in my studio is undoubtedly a good, worthwhile day spent."
@heykemo
Bronwyn Schuster "My studio is always changing. I feel like it evolves with me and can form to what I need to make in the moment."
@bronwyn.schuster
Victoria Scudamore “I feel so blessed to be able to walk across my garden to my serene art studio. It is an idyllic place to welcome students, artists, and collectors.”
victoriascudamore.com
@victoria_scudamore_artist
Nur Shojai “My studio is a blessing and a reason for daily gratitude and excitement. I sought a workspace outside of the home because I was longing for more of two things in my artistic life: structure and community. My space at Parker Street has been a catalyst for both in ways I never imagined. "
www.nurshojai.com
@nurshojaiart
Michelle Sirois Silver “My studio is comfort food for the soul. At times it is a private space for making, a gathering place for learning, or a public space for viewing the work. But the pulse of the studio is the intimate and complex relationship I have with the creative process.”
michellesirois-silver.com
@msiroissilver
Alina Smolyansky. “My studio is a simple workspace. It is affordable for me and conveniently located.”
lettherebelightart.com
@lettherebelightart
Lori Sokoluk. "My studio is a space of refuge and transformation. I love that I can disappear into it, and that it also supports different levels of community. Creating art requires transformation. I become a conduit; blank canvas or panels come to embody a whole city, or a range of feelings and ideas. My studio transforms itself, sometimes multiple times a day, as I work on paintings, teach group workshops, host salon or open studio events, meet with clients, or tackle very large panels... My studio is the centre of my universe, where I feel completely safe and completely emboldened."
lorisokoluk.com
@lorisokoluk
Louise Solecki Weir “Here, I can be still, capture the essence of experiences past and present and create.”
louisesoleckiweir.com
Katherine Soucie “I view my studio space as a collaborative environment. It is a place where I incubate, create and develop stories that allow for the identity of waste materials I use come to life.”
katherinesoucie.com
sansoucie.com
@sansoucie
Claire Sower. "I am never happier than when I am in my studio. It's where I feel at peace, inspired and fearless."
www.clairesower.com
@clairesower
Amy Stewart “My studio is the place where my mind becomes quiet and I can express myself freely.”
amystewartartist.com
@amystewartart
Laurel Swenson "My studio is my sanctuary, where I can take creative risks, find nourishing solitude, spread out my projects and tools, and truly be myself."
www.laurelswenson.com
@laurelswenson
Catherine Tableau "As a collective space and according to my mood, my studio is by turns chaos, order, haven, anguish, happiness, hope, frustration, experimentation, lab, magic, silence, noise. Its continuing metamorphose doesn't stop to amaze me."
www.catherinetableau.com
Joan Tayler “My studio is a place to make thoughts you can hold in your hand. Where I can swim through materials and leave finished pieces in my wake.”
joantayler.com
Doug Taylor
www.dougtaylor.com
Ann Thinghuus “I enter my studio to escape from my daily grind. It allows me to be an artist by placing the creative means in a visual manner. This makes me truly happy.”
www.annthinghuus.dk
@annthinghuus
Vincent Truitner "Many artists regard their art studio as their 'fortress of solitude,' where they can freely create their art undisturbed. Though my art studio at the Beaumont is no exception, I've found that the most important thing about it is having the creative energy of other talented artists around me to help keep me focused and inspired. It is the community here that matters most."
vintruitner.com
@vctruitner
Mia Weinberg
Jeff Wilson “I joined Portside Studios in 2015, after working from home. It has proved to be a great working space, and it has made a real difference to be around other people for whom art is important.”
@jeffwilsonart
jeffwilsonart.org
Laura Zerebeski “My studio is a halo of clutter inside a haven of possibilities where everything exists for a reason. It's part playroom, part torture chamber, and mostly all drone cell in a creative community hive.”
laurazee.com