4

Working with Kay meant an understanding of sharing space. Not only was there shared equipment amongst the artists in the building, but the space she worked in daily was shared with her husband Greg Pizzoli, a Uarts alum and former educator, and their dog Eleanor. I talked with her about this. A certain element of working in a shared studio building is amazing because of the shared resources, but sometimes people do not keep things as clean or upkept as another would expect (Kay kept a spare power washer for reclaiming screens in the studio for this reason exactly). She expressed that sharing the studio with Greg is not very difficult since the nature of their work is rather different, and they go into individual mode mostly during their work hours. Greg and Kay are both full time artists and they stressed the importance of scheduling work time and factoring in that sometimes all of that time won't be the most productive or all spent on work- and that's okay. Generally they keep to their respective sides of the room while they're working, with a small conversation or consult on a piece every few hours. They (and I, during my time there) would take a break and share lunchtime together with their dog.

Eleanor was a lovely addition to the work time, and Kay and Greg told me about how much they love being able to have her at work with them everyday. Eleanor is the sweetest little dog that they both love so much and have had since she was just a pup (She's still young but I don't remember exactly how old). Ellie was hysterically frightened of some house flies on multiple occasions during my fellowship and Kay and Greg were absolutely her fierce defenders. Seeing them take (sometimes a hilarious amount of) their time to slay their dear pup's antagonizer was really funny and sweet.

Two separate times Kay & Greg were armed and dangerous to defend Ellie

Kay has shared her space with interns and fellows since 2010 and has found a way to incorporate other individuals and their stories in her work for years. The connection that Kay has with using her artistic voice to build bridges between people is something I really admire and hope to find in my work in my own way. While I am not used to sharing very much as an artist, I am interested in seeing how trying to imbibe some shared experience in and around my work changes what I create.