Art511
West Chelsea's High Line Open Studios street poster. Photo by Julianna Jara.

Your Brain is Your Bedroom – Stepping Into an Artist’s Mind

Have you ever thought about stepping into the mind of an artist? Well, that is what you can do at the High Line Chelsea Open Studios starting at 508 West 26th St, NYC during the Fall Art Preview. During this time, you have access to almost five floors of open doors waiting where minds are waiting to be explored.

After 15 years of exploration, the group has expanded to 70 artists in 12 different locations all throughout the Chelsea area. Walking into the 508 West Chelsea Building, you are greeted by a worker who will hand you the necessary information needed to navigate the art walk. As I was reminded of this experience that I went through in grade school, it felt good to get a fresh perspective on what the artists of New York City are up to today.

Stepping into the first room on the eighth floor in the building of 508, Judi Harvest introduced us to the maze that is her Beehive glass sculptures. Hanging from the ceiling of the studio, you get a closer look of these handmade beehives representing how fragile and critical bees are to human existence. Judy was taught the art of glass while in Milan, Italy – the medium of that region. From creating huge masterpieces, to even crafting pillows made out of glass, to also making pieces smaller than the palm of my hand, the delicacy of Judi’s work does not go unseen even in the corners of building 508.

As you hop from one room to the next, you feel the importance of community even after the world went into cold isolation from COVID-19. The embrace of connecting and talking to fellow artists not only online but in person is important to foster true connection. The language that Paul Michael Graves engraves into his canvases suggests just that. When first glancing at some of Paul Grave’s work, you can see the spatial aspect of the dashes and dots that is integral to the language that he is trying to convey. When I first looked at it, I thought he was creating a map of the city. Even though that was not his end goal, when people are able to connect over the various images they see through his language – that is more than enough for the impact that his art creates. Even the fridge was able to speak to me in ways that I didn’t think a fridge could speak to me before! One geometric cold sub? Coming right up! – The community that this artist is able to bring together and affect with a language spoken visually is astonishing. Even as you walk out of the studio, there is a gigantic wall made up of Grave’s creativity that will put you in awe.

Not only are we connected through the language that we speak, but through the subatomic particles that bind us together in ways that we cannot even see ourselves – until Jonathon Feldschuh visualized them onto circular canvases. Inspired by scientific theory, Feldschuh was able to convey the subatomic world from his perspective through lively acrylic paint. These splashes of color also come with the dancing of the light, making these circular pieces come alive. Not only do they come alive with the light, but they also rotate for some interactive fun. Visualizing this subatomic world is important for humans to further our understanding of it, and embrace the wonders of learning.

Floating from room to room to see the bedroom’s of the artist’s brain was enlightening. Supporting local artists brings their ideas outside of a box, whether in the studio or on screen, and can inspire a creatives own pieces. Art can be expressed through online portals and social media posts, but to get the raw feelings of how and why these pieces were created gives you the true depth of the art and artists behind them. Artists like Judi Harvest, Paul Graves, and Jonathon Feldschuh allow you to get a fresh perspective on the world we interact with through our ecosystems, language, and our very own particles. Who wouldn’t want a glimpse of the entire journey that goes on behind closed doors?

This blog post was made by Julianna Jara, the owner of Psychotica. This Alternate Art Reality is an innovative e-commerce shop that delivers uplifting, and motivational eco-friendly products that are anything but boring. We make our customers feel authentically themselves through the design they are proud to wear. The goal of the brand is to inspire and motivate people to go after their own dreams no matter how “crazy” they may seem! The brand promotes inclusivity and creativity while aiming to foster a community of like-minded individuals who aspire to be their authentic selves.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Submit Your Work

Learn more about how to be featured on our Top Ten List of Artists.