An atelier in the middle of a forest to which the artist has one step from a wooded plot surrounded by singing birds. BLACKWOOD from the Montreal studio BOOM TOWN is a dream come true for the talented artist Steven Spazuk, who creates atypical paintings with fire. His long-term workshop was just an attic room of his house in Léry, on the shores of Lake Saint-Louis, from which he wanted to free himself. Steven and his wife were captivated by a property in Franklin, on Blackwood Street, which is the edge of America’s borders in the middle of peace-breathing nature. The architects built this atelieron the plot of the garden, „since the use of “artist studios” was prohibited for accessory buildings in that municipality, it was out of the question for the artist to carry out his creations on the sly in a garage“ writes architects. Almost the entire cladding of the facade of the atelier is made of burnt wood, which makes it a little different from the main house, which is always a pleasant change for Steven, despite the fact that he works very close to home. „As fire is at the heart of the artist’s working method, burnt wood cladding was required to cover the main volume of the studio.“
Many different windows in the glass workshop bring a lot of natural light into the indoor environment, where Steven’s paintings can stand out even better. The architects describe the interior of the workshop as a “the play of black and white contrasts”. We think that we can justifiably envy the artist the magical space for his new works in an absolutely minimalist atmosphere. „The position of the openings is designed to let natural lighting judiciously illuminate the studio and allow the artist to relate to nature both within his new place of creation and at its doorstep.“
Artist: Steven Spazuk
Surface (building area): 74 m2 (800 sq.ft.)
Architect: BOOM-TOWN
Photographer: RAPHAËL THIBODEAU
