Welcome to the 322nd edition of A View From the Easel, a series where artists share insights about their creative spaces. This week, artists talk about starting their day with sunrise painting sessions and ending it with sunset embroidery. If you’d like to participate, review our submission guidelines and share details about your studio with us through this form. We welcome all mediums and types of workspaces, including home studios.
Arleene Correa Valencia, based in Napa, California, has been working in her current studio for a year and a half. Her day starts at 5am with coffee alongside her husband, followed by a gym session. By 11am, she’s immersed in her studio work, often accompanied by the music of Carin Leon or Joan Sebastian. Her diverse projects include drawing, painting, and embroidery, alongside large-scale scrolls that challenge her physically due to her herniated discs. Despite the physical strain, she finds solace in her peaceful studio environment, surrounded by vineyards and wildlife.
Arleene mentions the absence of a local art community, but highlights her friendship with local winemakers. She cherishes the sense of safety her studio provides and wishes for more people to share the serene views of the vineyards with her. Her favorite local museum is the Hess Collection, which holds a special place in her heart, offering her first experience with significant art pieces like those by Andy Goldsworthy.
In Pupukea, Hawaii, Sasha Lynn Roberts has been working in her studio for two years. Her space is both indoor and outdoor, which allows flexibility in her creative process. Indoors, she enjoys a relaxed atmosphere, while outdoors she sets up as if for a picnic, painting in the company of local wildlife. This tranquil setting deeply influences her nature-inspired art. Sasha also engages with the community by teaching art to local children and fostering a vibrant art scene through events like Curated Art Merge in Honolulu.
Sasha appreciates the openness of her studio, which contrasts with the confined spaces she experienced in New York City. However, she wishes for a more practical setup with a workbench to support her woodworking pursuits. Her favorite local museum is the Downtown Art Center in Honolulu, known for showcasing local artists’ work alongside well-curated exhibits. Sasha enjoys working with wood, relishing the unique ways it interacts with paint over time.
