Welcome to the 320th edition of A View From the Easel, a series that explores the environments where artists create. This week, we hear from artists who find solace in spaces filled with yarn and use their own bodies as creative mediums.
Natacha Voliakovsky, based in Washington Heights, Manhattan, reflects on her studio where she has worked for a year. Her days vary greatly depending on her current projects, ranging from editing performance photos and working on drawings to rehearsing in different studios or engaging in medical discussions via Zoom. Her studio is a sanctuary where she can think and create in silence, but also a place for collaboration when friends and colleagues visit.
Traci Johnson, who has been working in her Brooklyn studio for six years, shares her daily routine, which starts with a late arrival and an iced coffee. She focuses on one piece at a time to maintain clarity in her work, often singing to her tapestries to imbue them with energy. Her studio, lined with pink faux fur, is a reflection of her immersive installations, providing a space for healing and creativity.
Both artists express a deep connection to their studios and the surrounding environments. Voliakovsky finds tranquility in a nearby cemetery, while Johnson enjoys the vibrant community and art scene surrounding her space in Arts Gowanus. Their studios are places of personal and artistic growth, though each artist has their own desires for change, such as Voliakovsky wishing her studio could travel with her and Johnson longing for sunlight through windows.
In terms of favorite materials, Voliakovsky uses her body as a canvas, while Johnson’s medium of choice is yarn. Their preferred local museums include MoMA PS1 for Voliakovsky and MoMA, The Met, and the Whitney for Johnson.
