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“I also have a mini trampoline that I’ve always had in my studio, it’s a reminder to stay playful.”
Welcome to the 356th installment of A View From the Easel, a series in which artists reflect on their workspace. This week, Lara Saget hauls rocks into her studio and brings glass to life.
Want to take part? Check out our submission guidelines and share a bit about your studio with us through this form! All mediums and workspaces are welcome, including your home studio.
How long have you been working in this space?
Working in this studio since 2018. Working in a studio since 2013.
Preparing for the studio is equally important to my studio time. I start my day with meditation and exercise. I usually arrive at the studio by late morning and have multiple projects going on at the same time. I have multiple stations in my studio. I have my painting section, my glass section, my rock room and the miscellaneous area for wild cards including large inflatable trees etc. I listen to music most of the time. I used to listen to a lot of podcasts, but lately I listen to satsang or spiritual instruction mp3s given by my spiritual teacher; I am currently getting my masters of Divinity at the Center For Religion and Advanced Spiritual Studies. I listen to satsangs often while I am painting, not when I am lifting heavy machinery or rocks. For the physically hard jobs, I listen to pump up music.
My space is integral to my work. I love working large scale and having light and space make my work possible. I remember not having a studio. I was in my 20s and I didn’t yet understand the dangers of materials. I’m ashamed to say that I literally mixed parts A and B of resin in my bedroom, but that was almost 20 years ago. I can’t put in words how grateful I am to be a working artist in New York with a studio and proper PPE. I also have a wonderful freight elevator that can carry thousands of pounds, which is important because some of my rocks, stones, and glass need that weight capacity. The space makes my work possible.
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
My studio is filled with artists. It is really refreshing to interact with them on a daily basis. I have been in New York for many years, almost 20. I feel incredibly grateful for the art community I have fostered. I love working in glass because it is collaborative. Glass requires multiple artists to work simultaneously. Through working large scale in glass, I have had the opportunity to work with incredibly skilled glass artists. Additionally, I love working in many mediums including stone, glass, metal to name a few. Each time I begin working with something new, I get to learn with an artist who is dedicated to that material. I have met the most incredible artists through new material explorations. These artists have become longtime friends as the years go by.
I love my studio! I moved to it in 2018 right out of grad school at NYU. I moved in with five classmates. We built out the space and constructed walls, storage, a gallery, a kitchen, we built everything. Slowly, over the last eight years, people left and I took over their spaces, now I have about two-thirds of the space. I have built out my own room for my rocks, stones, and ancient relics that I later include in my work. To have a rock room is my childhood dream come true! I have loved rocks since I was a small kid and to have a space to collect everything is quite literally a dream made reality. In short, I love my rock room most. I also have a mini trampoline that I’ve always had in my studio, it’s a reminder to stay playful.
I wish it were bigger, the classic New York story. But I’m grateful for the size it is now.
The Met. I love ancient Egyptian and Hellenistic sculpture. I love wandering the halls right when they open and close.
What is your favorite art material to work with?
My favorite art material is glass. It is an amorphous solid or liquid depending how you think about it. I love that state change is inherent in its composition. It’s alive in a sense.