In this exclusive series, photographer Voula Monoholias goes behind the curtain to see where and how creatives live.
This week, Cory Blackburn (Engineer and Owner, Toronto West Sound) and Linda Martinello (Artist and Art Instructor) invite her into their workspace that serves as both a visual and audio studio.
How do you make your space work as a visual space and a music space?
Cory:Making the space work as both a visual and audio studio has been easy for us because we feel the two art forms are closely related. For example when it comes to recording sessions, the musicians find the in-progress work on the walls to be immediately stimulating and engaging. It sets the tone to a very relaxed and creative environment, often leading into interesting conversations pieces.
Walk us through a typical day of working in the studio
Cory: Arrive, make coffee. Check emails and social media networks. Have more coffee. Then we discuss our individual plans for the day. We normally get to work around 10am. After working through the morning and early afternoon we take our first break to have breakfast, usually around 2:00pm. We watch the news online and brew more coffee. After this we go back to work until late evening. Depending on what projects are on the go and what deadlines need to be met, we often work 10-12 hour workdays.
What do you do when you’re not painting or making music?
Linda: Be with friends and family. Sometimes you need to completely remove yourself and take your mind off the studio – get outside. Also about once a month we take the four-hour drive north to Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula to visit Cory’s parents. They have 25 acres of bush that is a lot of fun to hike or go through with ATVs.
Favorite neighborhood restaurant and/or watering hole?
We don’t get out much. We do however love our neighborhood — the Junction Triangle. It’s really transforming into something special. This area is also prominently Portuguese so we do take advantage of being across the street from a number of Portuguese Churrasqueiras for takeout. When we’re celebrating a sale or the end of a music project, we get cleaned up and head over to the amazing Ursa restaurant on Queen St. West.
Biggest sources of inspiration
Linda: Sources of inspiration come from travel, particularly to places of significant cultural and ancient history. My work is equally indebted to the long trajectory of landscape art as it is to the fictitious and real histories of places that have inspired it. Series of drawings and paintings that I create point at how ideologically formed, subjective narratives are made into ‘truths’. Connecting the personal with the public is my way of playing with history and its paradoxes.
Books you’ve read that have changed your life or had an impact on your craft
Linda: I recently completed an MFA and over the past two years I read many books that made an impact of my craft. However what made the most powerful impact on me was my time spent in New York City last summer, working with artist Denyse Thomasos. I went there to do an internship through the University of Waterloo, part of the MFA program curriculum. That summer Denyse changed and altered my outlook, my work, and my life. I returned to finish my final year of grad school and we remained in close contact. Over the following months, leading up to my graduating thesis solo exhibition this past spring, Denyse continually pushed and challenged my thinking. She was tough and really knew how to make you think. She became a mentor and a very close friend. In the end, my thesis work ‘Four Corner Gateway’ became my best work. I have her to thank.
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Voula Monoholias is a contributing photographer for Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter @voulavous.
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