Not all visual artists maintain a studio practice; however, for those who do, their studio can play an integral role in what and how the artist creates. Often, completed works are removed from the location of production and placed into a gallery, museum or other white-walled institution for exhibition. While these artworks exemplify the highlights of an artist's career, they also provide a glossed over representation that may not fully capture the depth of an artistic practice. The Studio Diaries was conceived as an attempt to give insight and recognition to the undermined aspects of the art-making process. The focus here is not on the final product, but rather the process of creating and the perpetual work-in-progress.               

The creation of The Studio Diaries coincides with the relocation of my studio to Inglewood, CA in 2012. Through self-shot photographs, half-coherent scribblings, and collections of random things I observe throughout my day, this site will serve to visually show people what drives my artistic endeavors and to reveal and credit an aspect of art-making that is often disguised behind a more marketable, final product. It will feature the innards of my thoughts, inspirations, motivations, and problem-solving strategies. Not everything featured on The Studio Diaries will make it onto my personal art website; therefore, I created this complimentary place to explore the deep holes and multiple facets that make up my broad artistic practice.

                                                                                                                                                                                    -melise mestayer