Studio Sunday: Tomory Dodge
Happy Sunday! It’s a great day to check out the studio of painter Tomory Dodge. Dodge works primarily in abstraction, creating forms with heavy, thick brush marks that suggest the forms of windblown detritus and other objects and scenarios seen from afar. There is a great sense of movement in all of Dodge’s works. The artist was born in Denver, Colorado and now lives and works in Los Angeles.
Dodge’s studio looks like a pretty fun place to be. I don’t see any windows in the space, and the garage door in the top image suggests that it might open up into an outdoor space or an alley during the warmer months. The remainder of the studio looks to be an interesting combination of warehouse and unkempt loft. The paintings in this part of the studio are quite large, and probably more the type of paintings that Dodge is well known for.
In the bottom photo it’s clear that Dodge’s studio isn’t always used for a strictly studious painting practice. The drum kit, painted in bright colours that seem to reference artists like Bridget Riley, is super inviting and creates an interesting, party atmosphere. I wonder if Dodge is also interested in music or sees it as a part of his practice. The overall look of the studio remind me a bit of Wallace Whitney’s studio space, which was once a nightclub.
I also enjoy all the small frames that are visible on the shelf behind the drum kit. I can’t quite tell if these are canvas stretchers or frames for screen printing. Either way, there are a lot of them – it would be very interesting to be able to see the designs on them. Though the artist is known as mostly a strict painter, perhaps he branches out now and then.
