Visiting Artist Ivy Case’s Creative Home Studio
Ivy Case’s work revolves around curiosity, which has unintentionally become the guiding principle of her life. She reflects on how the best adventures she’s experienced have come from following her intuition, even when her life path hasn’t resembled anyone else’s. In her ideal world, she imagines having 50 lives running simultaneously, yet still feels like she would miss out on learning everything because so many different forms of creativity captivate her.
In both dance and painting, Ivy is drawn to the expressive quality behind how a shape is created, often becoming wholly absorbed in the process. For her, making art is about letting go of the need for perfection and allowing intuition to take over. She describes her work as a way of reaching into another realm slightly different from ours, which she calls “the in-between.” Her art reflects her mind’s existence and “somewhere else.”
Ivy hopes that her work speaks to the creative part of the viewer’s heart and resonates as something beautiful. Though she admits she doesn’t fully understand what drives her to create, she believes everyone longs to reconnect with the wonder and magic they once felt so strongly as children.
In this week’s studio visit interview, artist Ivy Case gives us a glimpse into her creative process and what life is like in her studio. She talks about how curiosity and intuition have guided her work, leading her to explore themes of creativity, the mystical, and the space she calls “the in-between.” Ivy shares how she starts her day with tea or coffee, sets the right mood with music or podcasts, and finds inspiration from dreams, symbolism, and artists like Frida Kahlo and Carl Jung. Accompanied by her two dogs, Frida and Georgette, Ivy’s studio smells like ginger tea and charcoal setting spray, and she recently upgraded to a brighter room with better lighting, making it her ideal creative space.
1. Ivy Case, describe your typical studio day and creative process.
Sure! A typical day in the studio usually starts with a cup of coffee or Earl Grey tea. I ALWAYS (well, usually) clean up my space the afternoon before so that everything feels fresh and peaceful when I start a session. If I’m feeling disconnected, I’ll doodle on some scrap pieces of paper prior or meditate until I feel centered and calm. I like to listen to a podcast or music to set the mood for the space, and from there, I try to give myself at least 2 hours’ worth of work time before breaking or moving on to other work. If lucky, I may get a blissful 5 – 6 hour stretch on less busy work days. I’ll also work on multiple paintings simultaneously to keep the flow state moving and reduce the possibility of artist block. When creating a new work, I like to start loose and fast with paint and combine collages on the canvas from sources I’ve collected over the years. I also use reference material from Pinterest – I’ve found so much fantastic source imagery via that site throughout my career!
2. What is the primary inspiration behind your current body of work?
My biggest inspiration behind my current work is exploring the realm of the Mystical. I often record my dreams and like to pull their symbolism into my paintings. While I would not consider myself a surrealist artist, I am hugely inspired by figures like Frida Kahlo, Dolly, and Carl Jung. I believe they all led prolific lives and left behind incredible work that explores the mysteries of the subconscious through symbolism and synchronicities.
3. What is your favourite memory or incident from your studio?
My favorite recent incident regarding my studio was moving it from the basement into a spare room upstairs. This particular room has much better lighting and way more wall space. It feels like a breath of fresh air every time I enter!
4. Do you have any studio assistants, or do any visitors like pets or kids often accompany you?
Haha, not yet. As my Art Business grows, I would love to have an assistant eventually, but for now, it’s a one-man show. My husband is kind enough to assist me with art markets, photograph my work, and aid me in whatever insane ideas pop into my head. My two dogs, Frida and Georgette, are excellent companions during the day while I work on projects.
5. How would you describe a dream studio for yourself?
My dream studio would be a space with big windows, ample wall space, and view of the something breathtaking and serene (ie, the Ocean,, a vast, rolling meadow, a mountan-scape). I’d have a long, wooden kitchen table set up beneath my more miniature easels and a little shelving unit stacked on top with all my paints and brushes. Lots of artwork from other artists and quotes hanging from pushpins and the rafters for inspiration. Add in a surround system for music, and voila!
6. What does your studio smell of right now?
My studio currently smells of charcoal setting spray and ginger tea.
7. If you could set up your studio anywhere in the world, where would it be?
This is a tricky question to answer! If I were to pick TODAY, I would say in Rhodes, Greece, on top of a hillside, overlooking the city and the ocean.
8. Can you discuss any ongoing projects or plans for your work?
Certainly! My biggest goal is to make my art business more financially viable. I’m working on growing my client base through my website and Instagram, as well as through in-person art markets. I am also working on becoming a muralist so that I can start diving into more significant projects that are out of my comfort zone! Eventually, I would also like to begin offering in-person art workshops where I can confidently teach other artists how to paint the visions in their heads.
9. How do you organize your space?
I like to keep my space organized by cleaning it regularly and getting rid of old works that I haven’t touched in a long time or that aren’t working out despite my mini attempts at fixing them. I find a correlation between how tidy my space is and how anxious I feel. I set up multiple easels at once to work on two to three paintings at a time. This keeps my mind fresh and also helps eliminate artist’s block.
10. What is your favourite corner in the studio?
My favorite corner is the painting corner, of course.
Ivy Case’s studio is warm, cozy, peaceful, and inspiring. It’s organized, calm, and set up to keep creativity flowing. Visit our website to explore other artists’ virtual studio spaces. To get featured on our website, don’t forget to apply for this month’s call for art.
