About the Project

Taos - finished 2006
California - in progress 2008
New York/Hamptons - 2009

The Studio Tour, shows panoramic photographs of regional, and nationally known artists in their studios, created by Lucas Cichon and hand-colored by Kathie Cichon. The idea is simple; photograph as many different artists doing different styles of work and view the inner sanctum of there work environment.

Throughout the year, from the East Coast to the West Coast, artists open their studios in loosely organized studio tours. This is the time when normally reclusive creative types throw open the doors to their studios and invite the public to view not only their year long work but also their usually quite intimate spaces of their inner sanctums. Few places seem to be as mystical as the artist’s personal studio. The art experience stirs our soul and feeds our senses with imagination. The avid collector, beginning novice and the budding artiste circle their calendars and wait all year for the chance to snoop, peek and poke into the private area that allow the creative spirit to soar. The lure of the bohemian lifestyle, together with the romance of the pursuit of a dream inspires even the barren minds to believe they might one day follow their bliss.

The provenance is part of the art experience. Summoning our minds to invoke “a place” where our favorite artwork was created, we typically have romantic visions of artists working in controlled chaos, wild-haired, indigo stained fingers- captivating studios smelling of turpentine, or amongst sweet-smelling pristine landscapes, perhaps the nightclubs of Paris. We get pleasure from the belief of the uniqueness of artists at work, in their workspaces. So, was my feeling before starting this project. Every artist has a story to tell and many can talk about their work for hours, so given the slightest opportunity to visit and photograph an artist at work added an new dimension to this series.

The project of photographing artists in their studios accidentally presented itself, during a tour of the E.I. Couse house and studio in Taos, New Mexico. The complex remains much as it was when E.I. Couse died in 1936, with one exception, a small chapel attached to the house. This chapel has for years been consistently used as an artist studio, first by Joseph H. Sharp and currently by Elizabeth Couse (E.I. Couse’s granddaughter).

Entering the small chapel, I was overwhelmed with paintings, easels, frames, folding chairs, and even a fake 4-foot high goat. The old adobe chapel comes alive, every Tuesday morning, for a small group of dedicated artists who gather together to sketch and paint a figure model. I had a spur of the moment, fleeting thought of photographing this scene, this amazing space, and these creative people, in this fantastic natural light. A few months later the arrangements were made. Now I had a problem - the problem was how do I photograph the studio so the viewer could get a feeling of being there?

Panoramic photographs have been made from the early days of photography and examples of panoramic photographs appear in the late 1800’s. The concept of panoramic images goes back at least to painter 1792 when painter Robert Barker produced of Edinburgh in the panoramic style. Later of course, the cyclorama was popular. With the advent of digital technology we are seeing the interest in panoramic images expand.

At the Couse house, I photographed three rooms in the panoramic style, Elizabeth Couse’s studio, E.I. Couse’s studio, and Kibby Couse’s workshop. Little did I know then that a new project was born. The photographs were printed and one was hand-colored by my wife Kathie Cichon who is a fine art photographer and hand-colorist. Soon other local and visiting artists saw the images. They loved carefully looking over the bits and pieces of another’s workspace. They were fascinated As they looked at the studio of other artists they too were conjuring up romantic ideas about the spaces, their pets and views from the windows. Looking at how other artists work fascinated them. Something occurred me They were fascinated!! Not merely by the standard photograph of the artist in a corner of the studio, no, by the entire studio. Warts and all.

The artists have allowed me to photograph them without the ability to pick the angle. There is no angle hidden. This is their space, how they like to work, surrounded by their creature comforts - their animal companions, their worn and well tended tools of their trades. . Many are successful enough to have any space they want and this is it. Some studios seem downright primitive; others have everything an artist could want. Inspiration transforms even the humblest adobe into first-class accommodations as they reflect the personalities, interests and experiences of their artesian inhibitors.

Over time I hope to photograph hundreds of artists in their workspaces and afew departed as well. I have learnt there is a syncopated romance between the artist and their special places. Artists don’t fall into the traditional categories of painters, sculptures, photographers, etc.. Artists are visionaries. They are dreamers. They hear the world differently and have no choice but to follow the voice. Committing the vision to paper evoked an inner excitement as we developed the photographs into fascinating panoramas of these workplaces jammed packed with life, pets, plants, books and art clutter.