Boondocks Babylon

Well I suppose it is officially a “legitimate” art space when a sign is proudly displayed outside one’s studio. 

Such is the case here in Bisbee at 8 Shearer Ave. My landlord Mark , an affable fellow and a friend , subtly suggested I hang a sign, adding to the curious collection of shop signs ornamenting his arcade of shops- there is to note, a sign in the shape of a waffle (waffle shop)and another in a pair of scissors (hairdresser)- my humble handpainted sign seems modest indeed.

Modest it may be, but a sigal was in order, and for my design I chose a wyvern.

It is a two sided sign and I think Master Wyvern looks very handsome – since having the sign hung I’ve caught several passerby furtively snapping photos of it, which is of course very flattering .

I’ve had many studios, many of them documented here in this journal, but this is by far the grandest, both in scale and luxury. It is part of a row of shopfronts, first decade of the  20th century and meant to satisfy  that  era’s standards: high ceilings, a wide expanse of plate glass, overall generous in proportion. It felt palatial upon my first visit.

Frankly I felt unworthy of such a place. But worthy or not, I’ve settled in, settled in quite nicely.

I love studios, most especially of the 19th century when artists were celebrities and their studio shrines of art worthy of pilgrimage . The exemplar of such an art studio was the vast and wondrous studio of Hans Makart.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Makart

In his day he was a most influential of artists, not only were his vast canvases awe inspiring but his expansive personality dominated his society, designing and crafting bombastic public displays from architectural ornaments, to parades, to gay masquerades- all in a nod to the romantic past. So influential was his art and taste that a new phrase was coined makartstil (https:/https://www.kettererkunst.com/dict/makart-stil.php )and if you were to be fashionable you’d better jump on board his heavily swagged, tassled, floral bedecked barge.

Early on in my life I certainly jumped onboard, as a boy his famous studio, captured in a period postcard,dazszled me and  frankly influenced my life, if nothing else, I wanted to LIVE like an artist, or at least live like Mr. Makart.

In my modest way, I have , and in this studio, I’ve been able to capture at least a whisper of his grand spirit.

While not nearly as spectacular , for good old Hans was indeed spectacular, there is an echo of his influence:

If not as damask strewn, I  have nonetheless created for myself a space of inspiration, of quiet, and most especially a place of retreat from the harshness of our increasingly ugly age. I am very grateful for that privilege- my very generous David is to thank for that.

Some details, perhaps boring to most, but I love to pore over interior images, examining each and every element:

This space has proven fertile ground, I’ve finished a painting ( a recent post), begun a few more- near completed another , been creating I think some decent drawings I will post after Easter and once again have picked up the printmaking blade. I will post that relief print later as well. I am fortunate in this studio for it has a very nice and very dry basement which provides a great space for printmaking , fiber work and storage:

If I find this place a delight, so do the monsters Mr. Puck and Miss Pansy, they’ve taken to the Bisbee studio very well, zooming about, fussing and snarling , a great defense against the window snoopers- alas, they aren’t very fearsome , eliciting only coos of endearment.

The makartstil influence is personally so powerful that I have had a life long desire to create what in Makart’s day were floral displays (some have called them abominations)  called Makartbouquets.

Most likely you’ve seen them in period photographs, towering displays of dried pampas grasses, artificial  and dried flowers, gilded bits and pieces, all very “artistic”, now disparaged but I’ve long had an affection for such excesses , I’ve written of Makartbouquets before:

Hans Makart, the Makartbouquet, and Makartstil.

In this studio, the Makartbouquets are beginning to blossom, in this case in very nifty plastic flowers- I have an obsession for the artificial flowers of the 60’s and 70’s, those stinky plastic-y confections that fool no-one . Here on proud display some lovely orange chrysanthemums , appropriately orientalist – in a midcentury housewife sort of way .

Note , that lovely Japanese obi so artfully draped camouflages one of the mishaps of this move from Chicago to Bisbee, my much prized china cabinet, with graceful curved glass , was shattered enroute (so much for hiring “professionals”, I could have broken it myself). As of yet I have been unable to find a glazier skilled in replacing curves glass, let alone finding glass replacement. For now, in true Makarstil, I’ve my own orientalist corner. 

If interested in Hans Makart and his once near universal influence, this academic essay is detailed, thorough and enlightening :

Hans Makart’s Technicolor Dream House: Decoration and Subjectivity in Nineteenth-Century Vienna

I will be heading to my Makartstil/Grecoart studio shortly, I am expecting a collector and friend later today, from Chicago, dear folks who I am eager to see.