NAS Studio Sessions: Week Two

Keep us updated with all of your work and home studios

Photos, videos and Instagram Stories have been pouring in to our #NASStudioSessions Instagram hashtag, and we’ve been loving each and every one of them. There have been many of you who overcame barriers using creative solutions – check some of them out below!

Studio features of the week

NAS Drawing Lecturer Jude Rae shares the steps she puts in place to stay motivated while working in her studio.

“Establish a working routine – we all know our bodies like it but I’ve got a feeling our intuition does too. Within that routine, include variation. You may feel a bit flat about something but if you break off from it ­– like stretch a canvas or have time to yourself – thing can look different. I often see something that had completely eluded me as little as 30 minutes before.

Try to keep social media to a minimum. I’ve noticed my recent increased indulgence really interferes with my concentration and judgement.”

— Jude Rae

Artist and NAS alumna Nicole Kelly is taking advantage of her current situation and is encouraging us to do the same.

“We are living through such uncertainty and for many of us, unprecedented in our lives. I think it is entirely normal and appropriate to feel lost. In the face of such instability and collective anxiety, there is nothing more stable and grounding than turning inwards, to practice and to the work we are compelled to make.

Facing work seems to be an emotionally and spiritually sane response, a making sense of in and through materials. In the struggle of making a work, there is a stability where your mind can adjust, stilled to only the next move in paint.

I find the domestic interior, to where we are now confined, a fascinating stage for the silent theatrics of human identity. It houses our anxieties, fears, hopes and the raw, honest, frustrated dualistic selves. Let this pandemic change how we think, see and represent the world.”

— Nicole Kelly

Face first

The past few weeks we have been seeing a lot of portraiture created – whether it’s of friends, family, or artist self-portraits. Being at home was no issue however, with one student facilitating a portraiture sitting through Zoom.

Images: @ellewickenstudio, @skillzbykat, @erinmacnaught, @jackthorn__, @thepieddepyper, @ivory_sketching, @emmaleen_diaz

New methods and materials

Some of you have been experimenting with new and unique methods and materials to incorporate into your practice, and getting wonderful results! From converting the bathroom into a darkroom to harvesting your own squid ink to draw with – check it out below.

Images: @cailynforrest, @clementinebelleart, @skillzbykat, @miartsky, @scottelkartwork, @teacuprose, @lanaproart

Studio updates

Whether it’s indoors or outdoors, in your bedroom or by the road, these home studios knows no boundaries!

Images: @crying_room_illustrations, @lukekennedystudio, @nicola_higgins, @nina_radonja, @yalan_chen_canberra_artist, @clementinebelleart, @carmelbyrneart

Want to find out more?

Thank you to our amazing community who shared their studio spaces with us this week. Keep your eyes peeled on our page as we feature weekly updates to keep you inspired. Follow #NASStudioSessions on Instagram to stay up-to-date with our latest posts.