Last month I attended the first screening of Muralmorphosis, the short animated film documenting the mural project of the same name curated by Sean Stoops (and organized by the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program) at 2nd and Race Streets during the 2009 Fringe Festival last September.
![Artists at Work: 'Muralmorphosis' and 'Inside the Painter’s Studio' 1 'Muralmorphosis' by Eve Biddle and Scott Frankel, September, 2009](https://www.theartblog.org/wp-content/uploaded/muralmorphosis-11-300x195.jpg)
![Artists at Work: 'Muralmorphosis' and 'Inside the Painter’s Studio' 2 'Muralmorphosis' by Bonnie Brenda Scott (with assistance),September, 2009](https://www.theartblog.org/wp-content/uploaded/muralmorphosis-2-300x156.jpg)
The screening was at basekamp and while I was searching for the correct doorway I ran into three students from the Asian Arts Initiative (below) who were also looking for the event.
![Artists at Work: 'Muralmorphosis' and 'Inside the Painter’s Studio' 3 Sean Stoops at the film viewing, December 12, 2009, basecamp](https://www.theartblog.org/wp-content/uploaded/DSCN2704-202x300.jpg)
![Artists at Work: 'Muralmorphosis' and 'Inside the Painter’s Studio' 4 Linda Saroeun, Suny Uy and Ratha Chea at film screening](https://www.theartblog.org/wp-content/uploaded/DSCN27001-300x214.jpg)
The mural (which I missed, I’m afraid) was painted by Eve Biddle, Joshua Frankel, Bonnie Brenda Scott and Mauro Zamora, and rather than collaborate on developing and executing one design the artists painted over one another’s work so the mural evolved over the two weeks of the festival.
![Artists at Work: 'Muralmorphosis' and 'Inside the Painter’s Studio' 5 'Muralmorphosis' by Eve Biddle, Joshua Frankel, Bonnie Brenda Scott and Mauro Zamora](https://www.theartblog.org/wp-content/uploaded/muralmorphosis-3-300x116.jpg)
![Artists at Work: 'Muralmorphosis' and 'Inside the Painter’s Studio' 6 'Muralmorphosis' by Eve Biddle, Joshua Frankel, Bonnie Brenda Scott and Mauro Zamora](https://www.theartblog.org/wp-content/uploaded/muralmorphosis-4-300x106.jpg)
The film is incredibly witty, lively and fun; quite the opposite of the proverbial watching paint dry. It was edited by Frankel and directed by Stoops with a score composed from the music of Planet Y with Charles Cohen and Yanni Papadopoulos. Sean told me he’s entering it in upcoming film festivals, so watch for it! It’s as good as any film on art that I’ve seen.
![Artists at Work: 'Muralmorphosis' and 'Inside the Painter’s Studio' 7 Hiro Sakaguchi and Anne Camfield at film screening](https://www.theartblog.org/wp-content/uploaded/DSCN2702-300x217.jpg)
Joe Fig ‘Inside the Painter’s Studio’
I was sent a copy of Inside the Painter’s Studio (ISBN 978-1-56898-852-8), which I’ve been dipping into slowly. It’s a perfect book to read short bits of at a time – hence when your reading time must be grabbed between other responsibilities. Fig is an artist who’s created a series of miniature representations of other artist’s studios in obsessive detail, down to the last, squeezed tube of paint. I saw an exhibition of his amazing work at the Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach some years ago. Most of the constructions are 8 or 9.5 inches high, although the largest reach 4 feet.
![Artists at Work: 'Muralmorphosis' and 'Inside the Painter’s Studio' 9 Chuck Close in his New York City studio, all photos © Joe Fig](https://www.theartblog.org/wp-content/uploaded/Chuck-Close-300x199.jpg)
![Artists at Work: 'Muralmorphosis' and 'Inside the Painter’s Studio' 10 April Gornick’s New York City studio](https://www.theartblog.org/wp-content/uploaded/April-Gornicks-Studio1-300x200.jpg)
In researching the project he had many conversations with the artists and at some point realized that they were worth recording. The 24 artists range from the renowned to the little-known and cover three generations. Fig developed a series of questions, mostly about the studio itself and the artist’s working habits, so that he asked more or less the same information of everyone. And each of the interviews is accompanied by numerous pictures of the studio and preceded by Fig’s miniature version.
![Artists at Work: 'Muralmorphosis' and 'Inside the Painter’s Studio' 11 Ryan McGuinness in his New York City studio](https://www.theartblog.org/wp-content/uploaded/Ryan-McGuiness-Studio-300x213.jpg)
![Artists at Work: 'Muralmorphosis' and 'Inside the Painter’s Studio' 12 detail of Joan Snyder’s Brooklyn studio](https://www.theartblog.org/wp-content/uploaded/Joan-Snyders-Studio-300x199.jpg)
It’s a wonderful book for artists and for anyone who’s a voyeur of other people’s work spaces. For art historians, collectors or other art lovers it has the same appeal as paintings that show studio spaces: it brings us closer to the artists and hints at their working habits. Some studios resemble industrial spaces while others have a domestic feel. One artist lines up paint tubes like toy soldiers and another assembles chaotic arrays. We get to see the photos, post cards and ephemera that artists tack to their bulletin boards. It’s a secondhand intimacy, but seductive nonetheless.
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