After spending two months at the Con Artist Collective
space, I know it’s a place that I’m going to miss. You have artists and
creatives from all walks of life coming in, at all times of the day (the studio
is open 24/7) to work, play, explore and create. It’s a thriving place that’s
perfect for emerging artists looking for affordable studio space in Manhattan’s
Lower East Side. I’ve enjoyed painting there on my latest series of paintings ‘Transitions’, while also working on the
business side to my art in the laptop work space on the ground level.
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| The Con Artist Collective space |
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| Me working away on the ‘Transitions’ series in the studio |
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| The outside area, where you can do spray-painting and work with other adhesive materials |
How does it work? Well, it’s a shared studio space that
works through a monthly membership where everyone pays the basic of $20. This
enables members to have access to submitting work for the regular group shows
that take place, attend classes and other events run by the collective.
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| Here’s a typical month’s schedule of the different events taking place |
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| The ‘Unauthorised Mickey Mouse’ show that took place to commemorate Mickey’s 90th Birthday! |
You then have workspace memberships for whether you wish to
use the studio on a 24/7 basis, or in the daytime from 11am to 7pm, during the
gallery’s opening hours. The prices are currently in the process of changing,
but for instance I was able to pay $405 for one-month of 24/7 access to the
studio, including storage space. Amazing!
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| This is the main man - Brandon - who you see as you come into the studio |
The best part for me has definitely been having a community
of artists. Being an artist can often be lonely work, and it’s nice to have
people around you that are coming from the same place, with similar ambitions –
all of whom simply ‘get you’ for being the crazy-creative-being that you are!
Everyone at the space is very friendly, and I’ve been able to have discussions
with artists from all disciplines and artistic backgrounds. Bliss 😊
Sound perfect? Well, nowhere is perfect, let’s be fair. And
with so many artists coming in at all times of the day and night, it can get a
little messy (artists leaving their work out or not packing away properly), cleaning
supplies can get low and the temperature in the workspace can also be a bit
iffy at times. But on the whole, these feel like minor prices to pay for the
overall ambience and the running of the space. Plus, it’s important to keep in
mind that it often just takes one or two artists to create a mess – so most
artists are actually being clean, tidy and respectful – and that’s the main
thing to take away.
In terms of the *many* awesome artists I’ve met, here’s the
lowdown on two of them:
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| Jeanne at work on her latest piece in the studio |
Jeanne Jalandoni is an incredibly talented artist who lives
and works in Uptown Manhattan. Her work is deeply fascinating, as she explores
defining her Filipino-American identity through her experiences of growing up
as a 2nd generation American. Her work entwines both oils and textiles, as her
quest continues into deepening her understanding on how
Filipinos/Filipino-Americans are perceived both socially and historically.
Secondly, is Bonesy, a passionate and dynamic force of an
artist with an appetite for yoga. Yoga saved her life, quite literally, and
she’s currently working on an ambitious series of work on the 196 yoga sutras
that exist. The sutras are the authoritative text on yoga and each sutra is
complex and conveys guidelines for living a meaningful and purposeful life.
Bonesy is looking to create a painting that represents each of the 196 sutras.
Interestingly, Bonesy completes all her paintings using palette knives - no
brushes, and uses layered images to create depth and interest.
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| 3 of Bonesy’s watercolour pieces created at the studio |
And that’s just two of the many talented and amazing artists that make the studio their
workspace!
Having not had the concentrated period of time to paint and
think since my last artist residency at Hannacc in Barcelona, it’s been amazing
to be around other artists and to be in a space with such dynamic and positive artistic
vibes. And I know I’ll miss that. That hub and community. There’s something
about the energy of others and being on a journey alongside them.
And finally, a big thanks to Con Artist Collective for being
such a wonderful and welcoming space to be a part of! You guys rock and will
certainly not be forgotten 😊
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