Artists' retreats

Barbara Banks’ home away from home

Openness — that is what local photographer Barbara Banks prefers when it comes to where she works, and also, where she lives. The photographer’s studio, located in Sarasota’s Rosemary District, is a spacious loft providing ample space for studio shooting and editing.

Banks describes her studio space as being versatile, modern and functional. Things such as the mid-century modern table against the wall get moved around depending on what she’s shooting or how she needs to use the space.

“People always come in and say they love the energy here. You want to have good energy where you work,” says Banks.

Banks’ studio is decorated with contemporary/mid-century modern flair, “Mid-century comfortable,” as she puts it, “The same as my house.”

The plywood chairs in Banks’ office are collectibles from mid-century modern designer Charles Eames and are just as comfortable as they are stylish. The modern table was a gift from a friend whose father owned a tractor-trailer company. The table is made from the wheel hub of a semi-truck.

“I like open. I like to be in all of it,” says Banks, who after living in many homes, came to realize that with walls and floor plans, so much space is not utilized. Although completely open, the loft has sections for specific areas of work, while still leaving the opportunity for movement and the occasional rearrangement when necessary.

The loft is entirely how it was when Banks purchased it five years ago, adding only rubber tile flooring on top of the original cement floors.

“Sound carries, that’s the only reason I decided to cover the floors,” she says. The only other change she would possibly make to the floors: paint the stairs red.

The walls in the studio are all exposed cinder blocks.

“I never added drywall, I liked how they looked. And they stay cool in the summer,” says Banks, “Everything is the way it is.”

Blinds were added to the windows to minimize reflective light on the computer monitors for editing purposes.

A dilemma many find with  open loft spaces is an inability to store and hide what you would otherwise not want to be out in the open. However, this has not been an issue for the photographer.

Banks, who is a stickler for neatness and functionality, stores all of her supplies and equipment in what would have been a laundry room if it had been sold as a home. “People have suggested curtains to hide it,” she says, “but I like the openness.”

Bill Kelley’s peaceful place to paint

Local artist Bill Kelley lives half of the year in Sarasota and the other half in Florence, Italy, and while he is here in Florida, he needs a peaceful space for painting. When the warehouse studio he had been renting sold, he sought a new place for work when he came across a studio loft downtown. 

“I had never seen a loft apartment in the 20 years I had been living in Sarasota,” says Kelley, who bought what is now his art studio in 2006.

The loft, located downtown in the Cityscapes Courthouse Centre building, reminds Kelley of his time living in Boston and in New York.

“It’s a very downtown place. There’s a whole different feel here,” he says.

Besides the colorful art displayed in Kelley’s studio, the loft is simple. The 20-foot ceiling, soaring windows and exposed air ducts give the studio that downtown warehouse, loft feel. To bring in more light, Kelley added ceiling studio lights, which he can adjust to accommodate the lighting needed for each project. 

The entire back wall of the loft is made up of windows, spanning from the floor to the ceiling, allowing a great amount of natural light into the space. The sliding glass doors not only help alleviate the smell of turpentine when open, but Kelley enjoys hearing the sounds of the city while working.

With the work that Kelley does, he needs a lot of open space, not only for stretching canvases, which can be as large as 7-by-15 feet, but also for perspective. The second floor allows Kelley to look at his work from multiple angles.

“I can move back or go upstairs. It helps with the perspective of composition,” he says.

The only modification Kelley might make in the future: installing absorbable hardwood floors. The studio currently has carpet, which provides the cushion Kelley needs when painting. “I’ll stand for 10 or 12 hours sometimes, I’ve got to be moving while I work,” he says.

“This is a very inspirational place to paint,” says Kelley. “The light, the space, the atmosphere, it’s peaceful.”