Karyn Mannix Builds a Working Art Studio
Just as an artist working in assemblage would craft a three-dimensional project with objects that take up space and achieve a specific goal, so did Karyn Mannix build her working art studio from scratch.
With a rainbow of kid-size smocks hung on one wall, a couple of shelves of art books lining another, photographs from her latest exhibition hung on every wall space in between, and bookcases stuffed with practically every kind of art material imaginable, the Mannix Studio of Art is exactly what one might expect. And, like the variety of imagery that greets visitors, including a series of sophisticated paintings leaning up against a window that depict the legs of sexy ladies and a friendly yellow sun painted on the adjacent glass pane, the studio has proved versatile. Ms. Mannix not only offers classes in various media and techniques but also curates shows and offers a few local artists’ and artisans’ works for sale.
Her East Hampton Village studio on Gingerbread Lane is the latest venture for Ms. Mannix, an artist herself, longtime art teacher, art dealer, and former gallery owner. She has imagined a center from which a community of artists and art enthusiasts can grow, from the ages of “6 to 96.”
“I wanted to bring studio arts back into East Hampton,” she said. “I thought it was the perfect fit, right in the village. We live in the arts community, and this was where abstract art was practically born.”
On a recent Saturday morning, a two-hour session for children started with an assignment: Create a self-portrait in the style of Frida Kahlo, complete with her distinctive eyebrow, colorful jewelry, and flowers in her hair. That was followed by freestyle drawing and clay sculpture, in which the kids crafted fish with shiny buttons for scales.
“This is not like a camp setup where you get kids to paste pompoms to paper plates,” Ms. Mannix said. “We teach watercolor, the golden ratio, composition and balance, life drawing and figure drawing, oil painting, and portrait drawing.”
Her adult classes, which have some students as young as 14, are inspired by a wide spectrum of artists, ranging from Michelangelo to Banksy. Ms. Mannix, who has degrees in fashion design and Postmodern art theory and criticism, and a certificate in appraisals, always includes some art history along with instruction in technique. That’s to develop a general sense of art appreciation in her students, she said.
The studio, which opened in March, has not been without its share of challenges. Early on, the East Hampton Village Design Review Board directed her to remove a metal kinetic sculpture she’d installed outside the studio, and she took it down. Getting the word out has not been easy, she said, but the classes have started to pick up now.
Outside experts, including Lenny Stucker, an award-winning photographer, are often brought in to help teach; Ms. Mannix believes it’s important to learn from more than one person. She has plans for a ladies’ night, featuring a good-looking (clothed) male model, and one day, perhaps, an artist-in-residence.
But the children’s classes are where this former art director at the Children’s Museum of the East End and teacher at the Child Development Center of the Hamptons is having her greatest success to date. From the mouths of the babes themselves, the classes are nothing like what they do in art class at school.
“It’s really fun,” said Danielle Barr, 7, of New York City, who previously attended classes at the Golden Eagle. “I get more time to do things and you do more fun stuff.”
Remington Eliasek, also a 7-year-old from the city, agreed. “I really love doing this. It’s more advanced,” she said.
Children, Ms. Mannix observed, are much more expressive and willing to take chances with their art than her adult students. The grownups, she said, smiling, labor over every pencil line or brush stroke.
When she transformed the Mannix Studio of Art into a gallery during Memorial Day weekend for a show called the Golden Age of Rock ’n’ Roll, featuring photos of iconic musicians, Ms. Mannix changed the atmosphere entirely. She cleared out the tables and shelves to focus on the photographs, which remain on view through July. August will feature a different show, and, come October, a partnership with the Hamptons International Film Festival will bring a juried exhibition titled “What Becomes a Legend Most: Icons and Idols of the Silver Screen.” The latter show is currently accepting submissions; more information can be found at karynmannixcontemporary.com.
“I decided this studio was another good outlet for the arts,” Ms. Mannix said — “another good outlet for me, and for East Hampton.”