Inside the Studio

8 August 2026

There is something different about writing from the studio.

Most of what I share publicly is finished — or at least far enough along that I know where it is going. A finished drawing. An exhibition. A new project. A film.

But the reality of being an artist mostly happens somewhere in between.

It happens during the hours when a drawing still looks uncertain. In the decisions that nobody sees. In ideas written down and abandoned, changed, or slowly developed into something real.

That is what I want Studio Letters to be about.

A place where I can share a little more of what happens behind the finished work — drawings in progress, thoughts from the studio, exhibitions, new projects, and the questions that follow me through my artistic practice.

Recently, I have been thinking a lot about patience.

I am working on a portrait that has already taken many hours, and I am learning again that a drawing cannot be rushed simply because I want to see the finished result. Some areas come together quickly. Others need to be looked at for a long time before I understand what is actually happening.

Perhaps that is one of the things I love most about drawing.

It forces me to look.

Not just at details, but at relationships. Light against shadow. One shape against another. What needs to be described — and what can be left almost untouched.

Studio Letters will be occasional. I don't want to send something simply because another week has passed. I would rather write when there is something worth sharing.

So this is the beginning.

A small glimpse inside the studio.

Emmanuel