Marc Scheff
Light space Take a look around this artist’s bright studio and find out
why he keeps a box of art ‘also-rans’ and ‘just-in-case’ creative tools...I live and work in
Brooklyn. My wife is
an abstract oil painter
(when she’s not
literally saving
the world and ending mass-
incarceration), so when we moved
into our brownstone we converted
the whole top floor into studio space.
I feel so incredibly fortunate to work
in this space with skylights and
windows out onto... well it’s actually
just a giant hole in the ground right
now, but soon it’ll be into other
people’s bathrooms and kitchens. IfI found these headphones at the bottom of a forgotten
corner of the house. I have no idea who owns them,
but they’re made by Skullcandy and sound amazing.The box next to my desk is filled with my “learning moments.”
You know when you get to a point in a painting and just... nope
it’s not going to work? Learning moments. I keep these around
in case I can somehow use the material as part of new work.The pastel figure drawing is a
drawing demo from one of my art
school instructors. Bill was always
full of energy and ideas. He taught
us that there were no rules in art you
couldn’t break. This painting reminds
me that the joy is in the process.This is my wife’s side of the studio.
The skylights provide plenty of
natural light. I do my pour-overs
here so I can seal it off and ventilate.I’m not a big collectibles
guy, but I’ve received a
few as gifts. This is a
favourite actor from an
all-time favourite movie.I go up to the roof I can almost see
Donato’s house. This is the thrill of
New York living.
My schedule varies, but if I have my
way it starts with walking my son to
school and then stopping at my local
coffee shop to clear my head and get
sketching. Head studies, thumbnails,
and animals. This was actually the daily
practice that led to the shift in my
work almost a year ago.
I’ve found, however, that my muse
isn’t always a morning person. She
arrives quite often at about 6pm, and
stays through the power hours of 10 tillmidnight, when I’m most often in a
flurry of productivity.
I’m a little bit of a process junkie
and fascinated with how our beliefs
and habits affect our work, our
relationships and our art. What you
don’t see in the pictures is my audible
library that’s filled with books and
strategies on these subjects. The rest
of the books are more often than not
historical narratives, and of course
there’s a healthy dose of sci-fi and
fantasy, and surreal fiction in there.
My days don’t end after dinner, but
one of the things I love most about myI use Photoshop to plan my next move when
working traditionally, because it’s hard to see
layers under the resin after prepping it for paint.ImagineNation News
24 August 2017