Studio Sunday: Richard Tuttle
Richard Tuttle is an American artist who is well known for his part in the post-minimalist art style. He uses a lot of common materials in his works, such as clay, Styrofoam, rope and bits of fabric and other detritus. His works are notably smaller than those of many of his contemporaries.
Tuttle’s studio, due to the nature of his work, does not require a lot of open space, but instead it takes well to having several work tables with shelves and cupboard for storage of his often found-materials. In the above photo, Tuttle is seen working on some of his clay-tile works, he has boards for working on the clay, and probably a sink or other water source somewhere in the studio for more this type of specialized work. While Tuttle’s works may appear haphazard or quickly thrown together, the artist is in fact known for his attention to detail and careful planning process. His studio would also probably be filled with preliminary sketches, as well as space and materials for brainstorming and gathering inspiration.
It might be hard to believe now, but when Tuttle was first starting out in his artistic career, his work was met with a lot of opposition from artists and critics alike. One of his first big solo shows was in 1975 at the Whitney Museum of American Art – a show that was panned by many well-respected critics of the time. Yet, in 2005, the Whitney held a retrospective show of Tuttle’s work that was very well received throughout the art community – proving that patience and dedication to your artwork can certainly pay off in the long run!
