Inside the studio of Takeshi Miyakawa during Greenpoint Open Studios 2018
Greenpoint Open Studios (GOS) took place this past weekend with 400+ local artists opening up their studios to the public. This free 3-day event kicked off with a launch party on Friday, June 1 at Java Studios. Then it was two days packed full of open studios to tour along with walking tours and special events throughout. Finally, the event concluded on Sunday, June 3 with a Wrap Party at Northern Territory.
This weekend gave the public a riveting opportunity to engage directly with the artists in their own element. To hear them talking about their pieces and sources of inspiration and getting a glimpse into the minds of the creators is an experience in itself that a gallery visit doesn’t offer. As you walk through the doors of each of their studios, you enter their world of creation and bear witness to the resulting paintings, sculptures, video installations, photographs, prints, ceramics, architectural designs, and more.
The studio of Zane York during Greenpoint Open Studios 2018
I had the chance to hear Zane York discuss some of his works during GOS. I learned his use of cats as a subject matter, in a way, allows the audience to project themselves and their emotions onto the cats. I also learned a bit about the genesis of his extraordinarily detailed painting five years in the making, Death Portrait of Kelly York (not actually dead)–his wife’s ‘undying’ passion for bee keeping despite her deathly bee sting allergy.