My studio spaces have had many incarnations over the years. I’ve worked in a closet under the stairs, our front-room, the kid’s room when she moved out for college and finally my own studio space, which I named “Pot Luck” (the irony, I know). My thinking on this was, whatever I or anyone else brought to the studio could become fuel for creating, but also because the prior tenant was selling marijuana out of the space before it was legalized. He ended up getting into trouble, becoming a squatter and was eventually evicted. Luckily, during this time, I met the owner of the studio and we became friends.
When he put it up for sale my wife who announced, “We are going to acquire that space for your studio.” The timing wasn’t great. March 2020 and the pandemic had just hit, not exactly the best time to make risky moves. However, it’s turned out to be a sanctuary for me, providing a disconnect from home.
Having my own space has been a blessing, allowing me to work in different ways, taking my work to another level. My dream studio might be something like de Kooning’s in the Hamptons, but for now, as long as good music is playing and my brushes are wet, I’m set. Wait… a bathroom would be nice, so I don’t have to keep holding it… —Robert Pokorny
This article was originally published in our Summer 2023 Quarterly
Robert Pokorny’s solo show, Inside Out, at Steve Turner in Los Angeles was on view through May 27, 2023
