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Poor Yorick Studios opens its doors

Oct 31, 2016 02:10PM ● By Orlando Rodriguez

Elise Zoller

By Orlando Rodriguez | [email protected]


South Salt Lake, Utah - Poor Yorick, one of the largest art studios in the area with more than 50 artists, hosted a fall open house Sept. 24. Visitors had the chance to meet artists in their creative space, as well as purchase artwork. The studio is at 129 W. Crystal Ave. 

Artist Elise Zoller showcased her East Coast oriented paintings of homes as well as commissioned portraits.

“From the mind to the page, it’s instantaneous. I’ll see a home and I know it’s a painting,” Zoller said. She will often see the finished product and add warmer or cooler tones to it and play with shadows.

Apart from painting, she is also a writer, and some of the artwork inspired by her novels, “The Tale of Oramus” and “Jane”, is in her workspace. She recently finished an exhibit at Salt Lake Community College in which she elaborated on the creative process behind her books’ artwork. Her commissioned portraits start off with a rough sketch. This process harkens back to her classical training, which she explains is heavily focused on the sketching before moving onto painting. 

A mixture of classical Renaissance style and modern aesthetic comes from artist Steve Duncan, who works with pen and ink in his workspace at Poor Yorick.  He attended the Lyme Academy in Connecticut. His work encompasses portraits, landscapes, all while applying classical techniques.

“I’ll starting making lines and ideas just fall out of my pen,” Duncan explained. “I want to provide a narrative about humanity, by mixing the modern versus the classical.”

Some of the ink he utilizes is handmade, with the brown tones coming from walnut ink he learned to make. His work earned him a nomination for City Weekly’s Artsy Award in 2013.

Andrew Rice is an artist who trained in Utah and has rented his studio for a few years. The bulk of his work involves printmaking techniques such as intaglio, woodcuts and oil stick drawings. His self-described “ramshackle of a space” includes past work as well as some work from current and future exhibits.

“I work mostly in 2D media, and now what’s called collagraph, a sort of collage-like process,” Rice explained.

This technique was seen in his latest exhibit titled, “Redefining Structures” displayed at the Salt Lake City Public Library. He continues to prepare for future shows around the valley.

The packed opening night had the artists at Poor Yorick excited for future events. The studio will prepare for a spring edition of its open studio, and the artists hope for a big turnout as well.