The Studio Project: Matthew G. Beall

I am an American living in Germany. My studio is on the second floor of my apartment building. I got this space, which I turned into a studio, about five years ago. Neighbors told me they were moving, so I immediately jumped on it. I needed more room because I simply outgrew the very small space I had been using for years. You can never have enough space, right? Yet, the more space you have, the more stuff you seem to collect. It’s a catch-22 for me. I happen to be the biggest collector of Matthew G. Beall paintings.

I am very happy to have this studio, and it does really work well for me. I have plenty of room to do what I need to do. It’s truly a lot better than what I had before, though I somehow had made that tiny space work. There is one big drawback for me, however: the low ceiling. I guess I was a bit spoiled after my second residency in 2011 at Vyt ^[1], where I was in the big studio. That is a studio I dream about. High ceilings. Wonderful light. A space made for painting. Anyhow, low ceilings confine.

The best thing about my studio is that it’s spacious. I also like that I have a bit of a view of the neighborhood from my windows. And I have direct access through a door from my apartment just like those doors in hotels with connecting rooms. The worst part, as I mentioned, is the low ceiling. It really does bug me.

I work when I feel I have something to get out of me. Sometimes it’s a lot and sometimes it’s not. So, I can be in there for hours on end when that creative juice is flowing. Since, like most artists, I have a full time job, but take three-day weekends, I usually work on those three days. I tend to work in the afternoon and evening, but this isn’t a strict practice. In a nutshell, I work when I am pulled to do so.

For inspiration, I usually go to the Ulmer Museum ^[2]. I also take walks along the Danube River or through the city. I usually see something that gets me fired up. I also go online and check out art sites and blogs. Pretty much anything can inspire me, so, it’s not necessarily the physical place I have to go to. Here in Ulm, in addition to the Ulmer Museum, we have the Kunsthalle Weishaupt. There are a couple of small galleries as well as a couple of art associations which put on exhibitions.

Matthew G. Beall maintains websites for his paintings [site ^[3]] and his photography [site ^[4]]. He participated in the League Residency at Vyt ^[1].