My name is Franz Ignatius Walsh. Melusine gave me these questions used by Joe Fig in Inside the Painter’s Studio. (Fig, 2009.) She has asked me to answer them because she is writing about life in this studio. I’m always glad to be of assistance.
The Painter’s Studio: An Artist’s Questionnaire by Joe Fig.
When did you consider yourself a professional artist, and when were you able to dedicate yourself full-time to that pursuit?
I’m not a professional artist. You probably could call me a professional artist’s assistant. I dabble in making my own stuff on the side.
How long have you been in this studio?
I came here late last August. R. asked me to answer some emails for her and then I just stuck around. I could see she needed some help now and then, and I didn’t have anywhere else to go.
Did you have a plan for the layout of your studio or did it develop organically?
Oh, no. That’s not my job. The artist decides those things. I might move things around a bit to make things more convenient for R. and for Petra ‘cause she uses the space too. But I don’t make any big changes without asking first. I haven’t made any significant contribution to the space other than helping R. clear out the space a bit in the Fall. That was good because it helped her make space for me and Petra. I guess you could say in that way it did develop organically. I also suggested R. hang canvases on the front of the shelves, storage rack, and flat file so she could look at them while they dried or between working on them and something else. It helps to keep the work visible and in the back of the mind. She’s been here a long time and I can’t believe she never did that before. She always just kept it in the greenhouse half on the easel or walls; and then packed it away as soon as she was done working on it. I never worked for anyone who did that before. It’s good to keep the work in the line of sight a while so you can see it at different angles, from different perspectives and in different light.
Has the studio location influenced your work?
I like being here in Providence. And the basement studio, a studio in a home, suits me well now. I’ve lived and worked in other places and it always felt temporary. That was fine then, but this is good for me now. Also, R. and Petra are laid back in the studio. Not all artists are. I can understand that. Making art can create a lot of tension that needs to find release. I tended to be in studios where that release could take the form of hostility and be really negative. Sometimes the way to deal with that tension is to withdraw and then the space, the atmosphere gets real cold, freezing cold. I’ve been in studios like that too. Here it isn’t like either of those. Everyone is focused on her work, but not withdrawn. It is warm. Maybe because it is partially underground it feels so ‘grounded’ in here Ha!
I also like having the greenhouse. It is such a nice space to work in. The openness that results from the high ceiling and the glass wall make me feel free and protected all at once. I don’t like being in there when it is cold, dark or rainy. In bad weather, on the days I can work, I go into the basement where it is warm and cozy. But sunny days, those are fantastic in the greenhouse. And when it's warm, if the cat or nobody else is around it’s nice to lay on the futon and stare at the wall, even if nothing is on it. But sometimes R. leaves paintings on it, that’s when I start to think what I’d do next to the painting.
Please describe a typical day, being as specific as possible. For example: What time do you get up? When do you come to the studio? Do you have specific clothing you change into?
I get up and start shuffling around the studio shortly after 8 AM. R. arrives at 8:30 most days when she isn’t working elsewhere, and I make sure things are where they should be. I don’t work on my own stuff as much as R. and Petra do, so usually I just hang out on the shelf, waiting until they ask me to do something. They’re pretty self-sufficient so I have a light load as an assistant. After doing this so long that is a good thing. I don’t like to read as much as Petra does, but I really like watching others. So I don’t mind just watching the others do their thing. When it goes on for too long, when I haven’t worked on my stuff for a while, then I get antsy. Sometimes R. has me answer emails or write some stuff for her. That’s fun, and it’s not the type of work I’m use to doing in the studio. I admit I’m not a computer guy, so beyond typing up a simple email or Word doc I don’t do much at that machine. I don’t do social media, although Melusine tried to get me set up with an account, and I don’t do much surfing. Sometimes, if I remember something I’ve seen or heard before, a long time ago, I try to find it on YouTube. That’s a great invention, a walk down memory lane for a guy like me. But it can be a real pitfall too. I never look at it when I’m doing my own work. I always wear the same clothing. An old pair of camo-print, drawstring, jogging-cargo pants, a t-shirt - I got two, one short sleeve with a cute puppy on it, and one long sleeve with an anchor on it - and when it is cold I throw an old, long sleeve flannel button up on top. I always wear my ball cap. It’s one of those leftover habits from my youth in the midwest. My current cap is red and in white letters it says ‘Romeo y Julieta’. I love that play. Mr. Shakespeare understood life and the romantic tragedy it is. On my feet I got a pair of slippers, nubuck pleather and synthetic sheepskin lining. I should get more comfortable shoes cause when I’m on my feet working on a larger canvas my back starts to hurt. I think it’s the slippers. Maybe R. can pick me up something better. I guess I should ask.
Do you listen to music, the radio, or TV when you work? If so what, and does it affect your work?
R. has a Spotify subscription so I listen to some of the daily mixes. I like older rock from the 60s, but also a lot of pop music. Burt Bacharach songs are great to sing along to when you’re painting. Like Mr. Shakespeare there is romance and tragedy all wrapped up into a single package.
What kind of paints do you use?
I just use whatever the others leave for me. I’ve never bought my own material. R. painted a lot with fluid acrylic paints [Lukas brand] a few years ago and has let me use them. She has also given me some old, previously painted canvases and the cardboard backs of paper pads and other leftovers. I’m not so much a scavenger as the one who lives off the scraps.
How long have you had your painting table, and how did you decide how to set it up?
I wouldn’t say I have a painting table. The paints and supplies have their shelves in the basement. I mix together what I need and take it to wherever I happen to be working on that day. In the winter I worked on one of the old kitchen tables pulled closer to the workbench/table where I had set up my paints. In the warmer weather I’ve been working in the greenhouse. For the larger canvases I use a couple of aluminum sawhorses to lay the canvas I’m working on flat. But then I also hang it on the wall to work on it vertically. I never have worked on the easel. When I’m in the greenhouse I set up my supplies on the old sewing machine table to the right of the wall next to the door. It’s as good of a place as any. Besides, the other tables are setup for R. and her oil paints.
Do you have any special devices or tools that are unique to your creative process?
I really like using an old blue hair dryer to move the paint around and speed up the drying process. This allows me to make a painting in a really short time. It combines chance and control. I love blowing and seeing how the paint responds. Adding the heat and air causes the pigment and binder to separate from the water and when the layers aren’t completely dry cracking and reticulation occurs, revealing the paint and colors underneath.
I also use silicone cooking utensils to mix and apply paint. They’re more flexible than most palette knives and I noticed someone got the idea and has begun marketing them in the art stores to painters. ButI buy mine at the dollar stores and close-out shops where they are a lot less expensive. I got a silicone basting brush that is like painting with a brush with ¼ inch bristles! It is a real blast and paints brush strokes that look like they’ve been enlarged by some weird photo process.
Are there specific items here that have significant meaning to you?
Not really. I’ve always traveled light in life. Everything that has ever meant anything to me I carry in my head. This has allowed me to occupy and move between very small spaces at a moment's notice. It’s kept me flexible.
Do you work on one project at a time or several?
I only work on one thing that is my own. Blue paintings. But I help out anywhere I’m needed, so you could say I work on one project at a time and I work on several projects at a time.
When you are contemplating your work, where and how do you sit or stand?
Like I said earlier, I got R. to hang the work we all are working on in the space, even though there isn’t really much ‘wall’ space. So I have the blue paintings I’ve been working on mostly visible at all times. Even when I’m just watching the others I can see my paintings and think about them too. What the next one my be.I do this sitting, standing, on the shelf, on the futon, in a corner. I make myself fit in wherever it is least intrusive.
How often do you clean your studio, and does it affect your work?
It’s my job to make sure the place is kept in order for all of us. So I keep it picked up, throw out the trash, empty the water, clean the brushes. I don’t like cleaning the floors. That’s a hassle. I admit my method of working with the fluid paint has caused a lot of big, blue puddles on the greenhouse floor. But the floor was in pretty bad shape to begin with. I should take care and clean it up, or at least throw down a plastic tarp before I start working, but I don’t. Maybe I’ll clean and paint the floor while R. is gone this summer. The basement floor could use a good scrub and paint too. The cat pukes everywhere and if I don’t catch it stains are left. I wouldn’t say any of this affects my own work, but I’m sure R. and Petra appreciate a clean workspace. Although from hearing both describe previous living and work spaces this one now is a palace!
How do you come up with titles?
Easy, I don’t give titles. All the paintings are just Franzi’s Blues. I should have a numbering system, or some other way of subdividing and identifying the paintings. But I don’t.
Do you have assistants?
Nope, I am my own assistant. But by sharing their space and materials with me R. and Petra are a big help.
Did you ever work for another artist, and if so, did that have any effect on the way you work?
I started working for artists when I was in my early 20s. I’d dropped out of art school and was just making my way through life. I’ve worked for so many artist through the years. The biggest effect has been what I learned by watching how they worked, how they each dealt with the tension in the space. Like I said earlier it can be hostile or cold. I knew neither was for me. I wanted a warm, happy medium. Of course I learned a lot about handling the materials along the way too. I don’t use all of my knowledge in my own practice but pass along what I learned from one artist to another I might be working for. I try to do this in subtle ways, just slip it in so they don’t always know where it came from. I guess that is pretty subversive of me!
Do you have a motto or creed that as an artist you live by?
I like what it says on my short sleeve t-shirt because it sums up how I get by and make art: “Excuse me, are you going to eat that?”.
What advice would you give a young artist that is just starting out?
Figure out where the tension in the studio is coming from and then find the best way for you and the art you’re making to deal with it. If you’re better with hostility then ok, if your better with coldness, ok. Just figure out what you need and then do it.