Stayin sane/studio: Community in Art

Hey guys, I'm a little late on the staying sane and studio conversation, so I figured I'd contribute a bit of a hybrid. Part of staying sane, for me, is the having a sense of community. This blog is one form, going to openings is another. I've never fit the hermetic stereotype of an artist, I need some social outlet to function, along with long nights spent hunched over drawings and paintings.

Apparently I'm not the only one. A perk of living in NYC is meeting many many artists. Working for Richard Solomon for a couple years allowed me to meet some of the highest echelon of those artists. One year, Greg Manchess offhandedly invited me to a weeklong retreat in the Berkshires. I saw a week off of working for Richard so figured it was a good deal. I was correct. I just returned from my 4th year going up to this barn and working next to amazing artists including Dan Dos Santos, Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Justin Gerard, Lars Grant-West, Dave and Tony Palumbo, David Seeley and a handful of others throughout the years. I feel like a shameless namedropper, but they are awesomely talented and extremely friendly people I am very fortunate to have met, let alone have painted next to.

Anyway, this was my studio last week. I wish I could show some of the work being created there, but 98% of it was under nondisclosure terms....

We even had a mascot in the barn, Dilly...I was first to arrive, so I set up my simple workspace.
Now I re-acclimate to my digs in Queens, freshly inspired and ready to create. I don't know if I'm any saner, but I'm happy as hell.
-Scott