The New Of It
By Robert Beck
Many WSR readers were supportive of my quest for a new studio, and I want to thank all of you for your encouragement. I’ve landed well, but the flight wasn’t easy. Your cheering helped. What you know of me probably comes from what you see in the Rag. I’ve done more than twenty columns so far and hope to maintain that groove as the universe allows. I have plans, and the new studio will play a big role.
I admit to a touch of bitterness, leaving the old building next to Zabar’s. Many of the other artists who must find new studios are in a bad spot. There is no affordable space left in Manhattan, and having no place to work is like having no place to breathe. I could hear it in their voices when we talked. Like all relationships, the artist’s tie to their studio ends when it becomes clear there is no future. Once I knew I had to leave, the spirit drained right out of it. All the air was gone.
That old building was the real deal, with a sense of purpose and total lack of presumption. It was designed for artists. The room was always hot or cold or on its way to it. There was a Christmas tree seller right below my window. I was in the flight path of Engine 74 and half the ambulances in Manhattan (Boy, those folks are busy. And loud).
That studio was right for then, but the new one over Blondie’s on 79th is right for now. It has twice the space. I’m able to step back or to the side while I work. My paintings can be seen from the right distance. I can move easily between creating images and writing. It’s a place people are welcome to visit to see how my work looks and feels in real life. Where people old and young can interact with a working artist, ask questions, and talk about the art they do. They can examine what role it plays in their life. The new studio is support and protection, sanctum and Lyceum.
In my first column, I mentioned taking some of the ghosts with me to my new space, but I’m sure some will remain on the old property to establish liaisons with the residents of the new building once it’s finished. They are more than a little annoyed and ready to share their feelings. I’m moving on, beginning a new story in a new place. I’ve got the Banksy across the street. The Dublin House Bar. The tall tree cozy in front of Knitty City. I’m sure they will crop up in my work, somehow. It’s a new relationship, one that will encourage fresh and reinvigorated painting. That’s got me excited. I can breathe again. The ghosts that came with me are pretty happy too.
You can get in touch with Robert Beck through his website, www.robertbeck.net
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How can one visit to see your wonderful paintings? Congratulations on the new space!
You can get in touch with me through my website: robert beck.net. It is in the process of being updated but the contact info is good. I look forward to your visit.
Congrats, and you write as beautifully as you paint.
Thanks, Linda.
So glad you have inspiring new digs! Sometimes like plants being repotted is good for us.
Congratulations. I was worried about you. I don’t remember reading that you found a place. I am so happy for you. I love your work. Do you paint in Gouache?
No, just oils, although gouache intrigues me and you never know.
Congrats on your new studio space, a fitting resolution, as you make space for the spirit of people, places and things through your work
I was nodding my head when I read your statement early in the article that “there is no affordable space in Manhattan.” So true, for housing and presumably everything else! Now I’m curious to know how your long and disheartening search finally led to this happy ending.
That’s a long story, but not for here.
Glad to learn that you are now in a new and even better space to do your painting, and thank you for that very heartfelt column – it resonates a lot.
Good luck in your new studio! It actually sounds wonderful and in a great location.
Change is hard — at least for me. But you are so right when you say that something is right for a certain time — and something else may be right for a different time. It sounds like what you have now is very right!
BRAVO on the new space! It is wonderful and shows us there is life after death! That old place has an incredible history. I guess we should be happy to go down with all of it, ghosts and all! XO
I admire your pluck.