Inside the Painter's Studio
"Also discussed was Inside the Painter's Studio by Joe Fig.This book offers a rare look into the artist's studio and includes aspects of a painter's daily routine. The author, an artist himself, embarked on this adventure almost ten years ago and features interviews with Gregory Amenoff, Ross Bleckner, Chuck Close, Will Cotton, Inka Essenhigh, Eric Fischl, Barnaby Furnas, April Gornik, Jane Hammond, Mary Heilmann, Bill Jensen, Ryan McGinness, Julie Mehretu, Malcolm Morley, Steve Mumford, Philip Pearlstein, Matthew Ritchie, Alexis Rockman, Dana Schutz, James Siena, Amy Sillman, Joan Snyder, Billy Sullivan, and Fred Tomaselli." --DarienLibrary"In the end, what the curious reader holds in their hand in a guided tour through How Artists Work, told by an insider. It's truly fascinating." --My3books"Modern Painters is a monthly art magazine we subscribe to over at Billykirk and the other day I was paging through the March 09 issue and came across some new miniature artist studio sculptures by Joe Fig. I have always been a fan of smaller scale sculpture work, not the name engraved on rice stuff but well executed, detailed miniatures from HO trains to toy soldiers. I have attached a few of his pieces below. He also has a new book, Inside the Painters Studio coming out in October. The book includes 24 artist interviews and rare snap shots of the artists studios including Erik Fischl, Chuck Close and Will Cotton. If you are into this sort of work Joe is having a book signing and artist reception at the Hendershot Gallery in NYC on 10/15/09." -- Chris Bray --Selectism"Don't look at these photos of painting studios unless you want to experience some serious studio envy. All that space! All those huge canvasses! Cue the green-eyed monster..." -- Marion Boddy-Evans --Marions Painting Blog"I just received Inside the Painter's Studio by artist Joe Fig the other day and I am so in love with it that I can't actually sit down and read it. I keep it near me all day and have paged through it, have looked at all the pictures but I am enjoying the anticipation of reading the interviews with the artists. So much so that I don't want to spoil all that by actually reading them. Makes sense, right? Like most artists, I REALLY REALLY like seeing other artist's studios and learning about their studio habits. I like to enlarge the photos I see online and just pore over every detail. Love seeing all the art supplies, art in progress, along with piles of junk, and all the quirky little things most artists have on hand for no apparent reason. Here is a good article about Joe's book, along with some good images of the painter's studios. And in a feeble attempt to position myself as a painter with a real studio (that's a self-deprecating joke, people!) I am posting a photo of my project table, which I love almost as much as this book." -- Tracy Helgeson  --Works By Tracy Helgeson"Inside the Painter's Studio collects twenty-four remarkable artist interviews, as well as exclusive visual documentation of their studios. Featured artists were asked a wide range of questions about their day-to-day creative life, covering everything from how they organize their studios to what painting tools they prefer. Artists open up about how they set a creative mood, how they choose titles, and even whether they sit or stand to contemplate their work. Also included are a selection of Fig's meticulously detailed miniatures." --Poeartica"Freaking brilliant. This book is exactly what the art world needs: some behind the scenes reality reporting (works with sports and music, why not art?). This book is the culmination of 10 years of work from Joe Fig. Armed with a camera and Artist Questionnaire, Fig began a journey through the workspaces of some of today's most exciting contemporary artists. This book gives you unprecedented access to the work spaces and inner thoughts of some of modern art's biggest names. Taking it to the obsessive level (that's what we want), Fig goes as far as creating detailed diorama-like miniature reproductions of each studio." --Turntable Lab"In Joe Figs intricate models, the cult of the artist-at-work is brought down to scale." -- Tom Vanderbilt --Modern Painters"For the past nine years, artist Joe Fig has been taking art lovers inside his colleagues studios - not quite literally, but through painstakingly crafted sculptural facsimilies, all scaled one inch to the foot. In one of them, fig shows a tiny Ryan McGinness screenprinting a dizzying canvas in his Chinatown space. In another, a diminutive Inka Essenhigh rests on a couch in her Lower East Side Studio. " -- Rachel Wolff --ARTnews"In his new book, Inside the Painters Studio, artist Joe Fig documents the day-to-day lives of 24 contemporary artists with photos of their studios, notes on their work habits, and interviews about where and how they make art. In addition, Figs own sculptures are shown miniature reproductions of the artists themselves in the process of creating, a spellbinding sort of diorama as portraiture." -- Rosecrans Baldwin  --The Morning News"This is a great book, especially for painters. Maybe only for painters or anyone who is interested on the process for making art."  --Global Popcorn Pipoca Global"In his new book, Inside the Painters Studio, artist Joe Fig documents the day-to-day lives of 24 contemporary artists with photos of their studios, notes on their work habits, and interviews about where and how they make art. In addition, Figs own sculptures are shownminiature reproductions of the artists themselves in the process of creating, a spellbinding sort of diorama as portraiture. For any artist, historian, or art fan, theres fascinating stuff in the minutia about gear and paint brands, and also the larger questions about what it takes to get up every morning and go paint. As Chuck Close says, Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work." -- Tim McFarlane --TIM MCFARLANE art + life stirred vigorously"Inside an art gallery, it is easy to forget that the paintings there are the end products of a process involving not only creative inspiration, but also plenty of physical and logistical details. It is these cruder, more mundane aspects of a painters daily routine that motivated Brooklyn artist Joe Fig to embark almost ten years ago on a highly unorthodox, multilayered exploration of the working life of the professional artist. Determined to ground his research in the physical world, Fig began constructing a series of diorama-like miniature reproductions of the studios of modern arts most legendary painters, such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. A desire for firsthand references led Fig to approach contemporary artists for access to their studios."  --DREAMS"Inside the Painter's Studio by Joe Fig is a series of interviews with painters who detail the day-to-day process of how they make art - what time they get up, what kind of paint they use, etc. Really great book for those of us who are curious about how work actually gets made." -- Tony Pinto --Tony Pinto Art Blog"I'll go out on a limb here and say that if you love the dialog around contemporary painting, you're very likely to love this book as much as I do. Truly, I've spent hours with this book (the photos are as eye-opening as the interviews) and can pick it up and re-read it over and over. " -- Edward Winkleman  --Edward_Winkleman"Inside the Painter's Studio, a collection of interviews by artist Joe Fig, explores the practice of 24 contemporary painters by delving into their quotidian habits and customs. Beyond some fascinating insight into the head space behind the easel, we've also gleaned a few tidbits that would make for interesting trivia." --Flavor Wire"I recently purchased Inside the Painter's Studio by Joe Fig mainly to see how other artists organize and design their studios considering that I'm in the process of doing so. Joe Fig has a list of questions that touch upon the design of the studio, the artist's work habits, rationale for their work and advice for other artists. I'm amazed at how differently each painter works, but more amazed at the similarities. There are some things about me I just think are, well individual quarks and come to find out they're quarks shared by most of my artistic siblings as well. I was amazed at how many figurative painters share the same studio practice of using photo references as I do. In regards to why I purchased the book. I figure if your remodeling your house you'd go out and buy books that showcase the style your into." --J. Howard Paintings"Thanks Princeton Architectural Press, for sending a copy of Joe Fig's new book, Inside the Painter's Studio. Throughout the blogosphere artists and critics are raving about this book, and so I was pleased that it arrived in the mail this afternoon. When I brought it home, J took one look at it and his face fell. He had just ordered it for my Christmas gift." --Two Coats of Paint: Articles, Reviews, Writing about Painting"Artist Joe Fig digs deep into the painter's creative process as he describes the daily routines of 24 painters using text, photographs, and miniature models. So what do Chuck Close, Mary Heilmann, Ryan McGinness, Dana Schutz, Fred Tomaselli, and more all have in common? They work incessantly, and follow rigorous daily routines." --The 99 Percent"Inside the Painter's Studio by Joe Fig reminds me of Linebreak's series `Where the Magic Happens' - both glimpse where art is created, but in regard to painters and poets, respectively. While Inside the Painter's Studio gives you 214 photographs of the studios belonging to famous painters, Fig also takes a time-out to ask each painter about their process and their beliefs about art. Fascinating."  --Linebreak"So, here's my second attempt to mention this great new book I picked up yesterday. It's titled Inside the Painter's Studio, and it's an insider's look into the studios and work routines of twenty-four New York artists. My work space is in the basement of our home about an arm's length away from the washing machine, so needless to say, there was much coveting going on as I pored over the pages of this book. Let's just say I broke the Commandment `do not covet thy neighbor's art studio' multiple times. Joe Fig, the author of the book and a New York artist himself, poses questions in the artist interviews that are relevant and actually interesting to other artists.  A few of the questions, for example, pertain to the different tools, materials, and equipment used by the featured artists. I love sharing great products with other folks, so I really enjoyed reading and seeing what other artists were using in their works. Looking through the photographs, I also loved seeing the work tables and palettes of the artists.  Some of these tables had layers of paint from decades of use. I'm not sure if I could handle my own work table caked in paint, but there is something so inspiring about it. Reading Inside the Painter's Studio, I realized how much I would appreciate a book like this if I was an art student today. At the end of each interview, the featured artists give advice to young artists starting out. Artist Gregory Amenoff says it so well, Form collectives. Rent spaces.  Have shows. Don't wait around for the dealers and the curators to come to you.  Create opportunity that brings them to you. Stay away from art fairs. Hang out at museums and look at old art. Whether you're an aspiring artist, an accomplished artist, or an avid fan of art, Inside the Painter's Studio is a great addition to any art book collection."   --Habit of Art"It's a wonderful book for artists and for anyone who's a voyeur of other people's work spaces. For art historians, collectors or other art lovers it has the same appeal as paintings that show studio spaces: it brings us closer to the artists and hints at their working habits. Some studios resemble industrial spaces while others have a domestic feel. One artist lines up paint tubes like toy soldiers and another assembles chaotic arrays. We get to see the photos, post cards and ephemera that artists tack to their bulletin boards. It's a secondhand intimacy, but seductive nonetheless." --The Art Blog"I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful beginning to 2010 and enjoyed a Very Happy Holiday Season! New beginnings are always wonderful and full of hope. I am looking forward to great things happening this year and I wish the same for all of you. Since we celebrate Christmas in my family I was graced with several lovely art books and today I wanted to share one with you I am having a great time with at the moment - Inside the Painter's Studio by Joe Fig. Fig asks 24 artists a series of questions while visiting them in their New York City area studios. There are photographs of the studios as well as Joe Fig's own sculptures of each artist working in the studio. One of the questions Joe asks is if the artist has a motto or creed they live by? Many say they do not, but some have responses which have interested me. I thought this was a great question to pose here at the beginning of 2010, however. Do you have a personal motto or creed which you follow? For me, it is to be myself. Being true to the person I am is very important to me. I have always been this way, and I have found it is appealing to some people and challenging to others. The thing is, I can't help it. I hope you are willing to share your motto, creed or resolution here. Do you think they are important guides?" --Creative Influences"This just in: `Inside the Painter's Studio' by Joe Fig a book of photos and interviews with painters, very east coast centric but full of interesting and useful information about studios, work habits and creativity." --Bruce's Musings"Artist Joe Fig digs deep into the painter's creative process as he describes the daily routines of 24 painters using text, photographs, and miniature models. So what do Chuck Close, Mary Heilmann, Ryan McGinness, Dana Schutz, Fred Tomaselli, and more all have in common? They work incessantly, and follow rigorous daily routines."  --Graphicji"...It blows my mind how incredibly crafted these little dioramas are! Every tiny paint tube, paint splatter, dirty palette, and rag is recreated at a tiny scale- even some of the artists at work. Joe visited these painters, Fred Tomaselli, Amy Sillman, Chuck Close, Ryan McGinness, to see their studios firsthand for reference. He also interviewed each of the artists about their work and their studio. He asked them questions like `When you are contemplating your work do you sit or stand? ` or `How far along are you on this painting'. I love reading the personal honest answers from the artists. These interviews, pictures of his dioramas, and photos of the real space are all collected in this interesting book which you get right here." --Book By Its Cover"An art gallery is the end result of not just painting but physical displays and a painter's daily routine. Artist Joe Fig explores the working life of the professional artist in a presentation tat collections over twenty artist interviews and visual documentation of their studios. It was originally intended to serve as research material but provides a powerful resource for painters who want to know how art is achieved, from coming up with titles to collaborative efforts. Any artist's library needs this."  --The Midwest Book Review"Joe Fig is a miniatures master." --PRINT MAGAZINE blog "The Daily Heller"