Featured Artist Friday - Kest Schwartzman
I met Kest a few months back on a Metalsmith forum on Facebook. She has a fabulous imagination and comes up with some extremely detailed and fantastical masks. I love her studio space. She keeps is so organized. I am always amazed by organized people.
Artist name: Kest Schwartzman
Location: Nashville, TN
Website: www.VagabondJewelry.com
Blog: http://thebookofimaginarybeings.blogspot.com/
Do you have a dedicated studio/artistic space?
Yup!
Where is it located?
On my property
Is it a large or small space?
Larger than my house- still not huge, though. It is one story with a loft storage space, just a bit larger than a two car garage.
What medium(s) do you work in? Do you have a separate area for each?
Just metal. I do have a separate space for photographing the metalwork.
What one word would you use to describe your studio?
AWESOME.
What do you think is the best feature of your studio?
A two car garage door that opens to the west. I'm at the top of the hill, and we're placed such that I see the sun set over the Nashville skyline every evening. Also, birdfeeders. It's really all about that door, though; it's almost as though I'm working outside, and outside is pretty much always where I want to be.
What would you change if you could?
honestly? I would change that it is in Nashville.
Describe the usual state of your work table?
The left half is always occupied by things I really want to get to. The right half I work in, so it's generally fairly neat. The bench tray is more or less always full of my most commonly used tools. the whole thing is covered in a thin (sometime thick) layer of dust.
Does your work table face out into the room or toward the wall?
toward to wall. I'm right next to the door, though, so to my right is a maple tree.
Do you have any studio mascots (pets, mannequin whatever)?
Hamlet, the dog. He's not very well behaved, so he's not really allowed in the studio, but during the summer it is inevitable.
Do you listen to music in your studio? What kind?
I listen to Chopin, sometimes Bartok or Mozart, and a whole lot of This American Life. the real trick is to get something enjoyable but ignorable- if I don't have anything playing, I listen to birdcalls, and if I hear someone I don't know, I get distracted from my work till I figure out who it is. Thus, familiarity is key in studio music, for me.
Do you display your own work in your studio? Other artists' work?
Nope! My studio is not intended for anyone other than me, and it is emphatically not open to the public (my partner jokes that the only thing I could do to make my studio better would be to dig a moat). I do have some old photos from the library of congress's archives up. They make me smile.
Artist name: Kest Schwartzman
Location: Nashville, TN
Website: www.VagabondJewelry.com
Blog: http://thebookofimaginarybeings.blogspot.com/
Do you have a dedicated studio/artistic space?
Yup!
Where is it located?
On my property
Is it a large or small space?
Larger than my house- still not huge, though. It is one story with a loft storage space, just a bit larger than a two car garage.
What medium(s) do you work in? Do you have a separate area for each?
Just metal. I do have a separate space for photographing the metalwork.
What one word would you use to describe your studio?
AWESOME.
What do you think is the best feature of your studio?
A two car garage door that opens to the west. I'm at the top of the hill, and we're placed such that I see the sun set over the Nashville skyline every evening. Also, birdfeeders. It's really all about that door, though; it's almost as though I'm working outside, and outside is pretty much always where I want to be.
What would you change if you could?
honestly? I would change that it is in Nashville.
Describe the usual state of your work table?
The left half is always occupied by things I really want to get to. The right half I work in, so it's generally fairly neat. The bench tray is more or less always full of my most commonly used tools. the whole thing is covered in a thin (sometime thick) layer of dust.
Does your work table face out into the room or toward the wall?
toward to wall. I'm right next to the door, though, so to my right is a maple tree.
Do you have any studio mascots (pets, mannequin whatever)?
Hamlet, the dog. He's not very well behaved, so he's not really allowed in the studio, but during the summer it is inevitable.
I listen to Chopin, sometimes Bartok or Mozart, and a whole lot of This American Life. the real trick is to get something enjoyable but ignorable- if I don't have anything playing, I listen to birdcalls, and if I hear someone I don't know, I get distracted from my work till I figure out who it is. Thus, familiarity is key in studio music, for me.
Do you display your own work in your studio? Other artists' work?
Nope! My studio is not intended for anyone other than me, and it is emphatically not open to the public (my partner jokes that the only thing I could do to make my studio better would be to dig a moat). I do have some old photos from the library of congress's archives up. They make me smile.
Thank you so much Kest!
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If you would like to be a featured artist, just shoot me an email at : Melissa@kcjewelbox.com and I will send you the questions and information.
Like what you read here? Why not subscribe to the blog and you won't miss a post. Just enter your email address in the box that says subscribe in the upper right corner.You will be notified at that email address every time a new blog entry is made. Please spread the word.
*************************
If you would like to be a featured artist, just shoot me an email at : Melissa@kcjewelbox.com and I will send you the questions and information.
Like what you read here? Why not subscribe to the blog and you won't miss a post. Just enter your email address in the box that says subscribe in the upper right corner.You will be notified at that email address every time a new blog entry is made. Please spread the word.
Posted by Melissa Muir at February 2, 2012 10:04 PM 
Categories: Featured Artist Friday
Tags: Featured Artist Friday Kest Schwartzman Mask Metalsmith Forging
Categories: Featured Artist Friday
Tags: Featured Artist Friday Kest Schwartzman Mask Metalsmith Forging
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