One of the questions Joe Fig asked artists when he interviewed them for his new book, Inside the Artist’s Studio, was if they would “describe a typical day, being as specific as possible.” Sculptor Tony Oursler is up by 7 a.m., eats breakfast, works out, makes a list of things he needs to do, answers his emails, and then makes a plan for the rest of the day. Tom Friedman, also a sculptor, begins his day with coffee in bed and gives his golden retriever Jemmy a belly rub. Multimedia artist Roxy Paine used to be a night owl, but these days he gets up early. “Kids do not let you sleep past seven o’clock, so if you stay up late, it means you’re going to be getting very little sleep, and that gets tiring,” Paine told Fig.
What Inside the Artist’s Studio reveals about the artists themselves—their childhood, education, domestic life, and career—is refreshingly candid and down-to-earth. But it isn’t just the interviews that make this an intriguing book, and it isn’t just the photographs that, rather than depicting the artists at work, are focused more on the interiors of their studios. Rather, it’s Fig’s creative responses to each studio visit—catalysts for his own artistic practice. Fig determines whether a meeting will result in a painting of a studio or a to-scale miniature, depicting in minute detail a scene that’s almost indistinguishable from the photographs on which they’re based. “It’s very daunting to a studio visit,” he told Pasatiempo. “I always feel, if you were to go in cold, you have to look at the work and think of something smart to say. In a way I lucked out with this list of questions I have, especially this go-around.”
