DOCUMENTING ARTISTS’ WORK

RECORDING THE FRAGMENTS OF EXISTENCE

A serious artist should have archives that explain the work and the self.

Photographs and films create a visual record of how a practice evolves - how decisions are made, how attention moves, how meaning accumulates over time. They allow artists to return, reflect, and build forward with clarity - not for nostalgia, but for structure.

For others, photographic archives can be a goldmine for understanding context that involves period, style, thinking, among others.
They reveal the human behind the art - how they lived, what inspired them, and the conditions under which they worked. It helps contextualize their creations.

The approach of this is always the story. What is important in this moment, what needs to be shown, and how can it be shown interestingly? The following images carry information, moment, and beauty.

WHY THIS WORK MATTERS

Documentation is often the only thing curators, writers, and grant panels will ever see of an artist's work.

A photograph (or film) of a studio, a process, an installation - these are not secondary materials. They are how the work is understood by people who were not in the room, and how it is evaluated by those who decide what gets shown, collected, and written about.

For other work such as installations, performances, collaborative projects, archival material often comes to represent the artwork itself within museum collections. The documentation does not describe the work; it becomes it.

An artist who maintains a visual archive demonstrates seriousness about their practice - that they treat their work with respect and act responsibly toward it. What is not photographed is, in time, not remembered.
The conditions under which the work was made, the space, the thinking, the moment - these disappear without a witness.

ARTIST DOCUMENTATION CASE STUDY

KENTON NELSON

An artist in a dark art studio or gallery, working on a painting of a woman with a paddle board and blue sky, surrounded by completed artworks, with art supplies in the foreground.

Artist Kenton Nelson, 2015.
This photograph, taken through a mirror, informs his mediums of painting. He just finished a small watercolor painting and in this picture, working on acrylic paintings.
The longboard was his nephew’s, Tyler Warren, a famous surfboard shaper and designer in Orange County.

The collection of these photographs, in black and white, was made into the first documentary short film: Kenton Nelson: American Painter.

Artist Kenton Nelson sitting in front of a large canvas painting in an art studio filled with books and art supplies, with paintings of people on the canvas and a bookshelf behind him.

Kenton Nelson pausing to gather his thoughts on his painting, photographed in his studio in Pasadena, California, July 15, 2016. Kenton is a very neat painter - his studio has no paint splatters, and he always dressed well even when painting.

An art gallery with a man sitting on a black and striped armchair, surrounded by various paintings and artworks, including a woman in a red jacket, two large portraits, and a colorful house.

Kenton Nelson, in 2016. Environmental Portrait in his studio garage. On the right side are his father’s items that he had kept, often becoming the objects in his paintings of idealized mundane items. The paintings around him are informing of aspects of his work: his early paintings about the houses in Pasadena, mosaic artwork from his painting, a summer beach-themed painting, and a painting of the Colorado Street Bridge that he painted for the Pasadena Heritage Society to be auctioned off to support the efforts of preserving historic items.

See more Environmental Portraits

Top view of grid of mosaic tiles being arranged into images for the Pasadena Playhouse Mosaic Mural

Artist Kenton Nelson grabbing a tile of mosaic glass during installation of the Pasadena Playhouse Mosaic Mural by Erwin Darmali

Kenton Nelson and his crew on scaffolding working on the pasadena playhouse mosaic mural on the side of a building under a blue sky.

Feet dangling on a scaffolding shot from below, on the right, a pair of hands are installing a tile on a large mosaic wall

A silhouette of Kenton Nelson wearing a hat on top of scaffolding with a ruler and pencil, marking on a blank wall photographed by Erwin Darmali

Kenton Nelson and his team in October 2016, during one of his largest mosaic mural installations commemorating the history of The Pasadena Playhouse.
This 5-day installation was documented in photographs and culminated in a short film: Pasadena Playhouse Mosaic Mural.

The documentation process started (sporadically) months before this installation.

This was a full-circle moment - the first time I met Kenton was during his mosaic mural installation in a different part of the town. Read the story in my journal entry of that encounter.

Kenton Nelson sitting at his work bench, working on a project in a room with vintage decor and framed artwork on the wall.

In 2017, Kenton started making Curations, a memorabilia box containing nostalgic items. The mock drawing and design for the Pasadena Playhouse Mosaic Mural were still on the wall behind him in the next picture.

Artist Kenton Nelson working in a workshop or craft room filled with tools, storage cabinets, and various supplies.

New ideas for stories came within that year - stories that inform the artist’s way that do not require the use of a voice narration. One and two-minute films were made, each telling a very specific story:

A rough sketch superimposed over a painting of a woman in a bikini on the beach reading a book, the top of the sketch says woman in a very delicate "float"

Haunting Ideas, 2017

Fleeting ideas needed to be captured on the go, wherever he is. His archives of scribbles on paper napkins, restaurant paper placemats, bills, and plane itinerary placed in the eventual painted artworks.

bottom view of a man's hand with a paint brush tracing a line on a canvas

Craft, 2017

Already an accomplished painter at the age of 60, he still goes to drawing classes and continues to pursue perfection in his craft. I see it in the way he paints. The beauty of the practice, realized through the strokes of the brush.

People viewing colorful artwork by Kenton Nelson at Peter Mendenhall gallery, with paintings depicting women in fashionable outfits.

Kenton’s exhibition, Water, 2018.
The two-day exhibition opening was documented in photographs and as a short film: Water Exhibition.

Cover of a documentary titled "Working on Art" featuring American artist Kenton Nelson, with small images of artwork underneath.

Person drawing a design for a chair on a transparent surface, with a sketch of the chair in progress and small images of fashion dresses to the right.

A windmill sculpture with rusted blades and a clock face, set outdoors among trees with green leaves, alongside four photographs of a house, plants, a mural, and a person holding an apple.

Two men working in a room and one man polishing a surface near water under a dark sky.

In 2018, we collaborated to make a book called Documentary: Working On Art, which contains images of him working on paintings, curations, and the mosaic mural. This book compiles the documentary photography from the last 4 years.

In the following years, the documentation focuses on stories in the form of short films:

iconic painting of a man diving from a board as a woman looks on, with the words kenton nelson in the middle

Reimagination, 2019

The stories that Kenton paints throughout his life were used to tell his story, specifically about the changing times that made him choose to start painting at the age of 40.

top of the fence with lettering "hobohemia" surrounded by greenery

Morton Court, 2019

Upon entering the road on which Kenton’s Pasadena studio is located, you feel you are entering a different time. This documentation is about the serene and well-kept historic place with 100-year-plus-old cottages, preserved.

Kenton Nelson Water film artwork, two of kenton nelsons beach painting, one is reading and the other holding a blanket

Kenton Nelson: Water, 2020, released 2023

A visual documentary without commentary, diving into the past that informs Kenton’s biggest influences in his work, including the California light, his great-uncle, Mexican Muralist Roberto Montenegro, his childhood, and his parents.

A superimposed image of a real life kenton nelson walking and a detail of his painting that mimicked each other

Water Movement 1, 2021

An instrumental music video by the composer and marimba musician Michael Charles Smith, inspired by the works of Kenton Nelson, shown online as part of the Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra's online Marimba Concerto on March 26, 2021.

Artist Kenton Nelson and Master Printer Pascal Giraudon working together in a press print studio surrounded by prints and printing tools in the background

Moulin du Gue, 2024

Kenton working on a project with Master Printer Pascal Giraudon. This one meeting was so full of great fun stories about art and the more philosophical perspectives of life. Currently not yet released.

These photographs and films have been used in many different forms and uses:

Personal archive,
Documentation of a series of work,
Content for website and social media,
Promotion of new work,
Visual storytelling tool for interviews such as in newspapers or magazines, online or printed,
Exhibition catalogs,
Exhibition openings (for films),
Self-published books, and many more.

OTHER SELECTED ARTIST DOCUMENTATION

DAVID BUCKINGHAM

A man with a welding mask holding a cigarette sitting down in the artistic metal shop

detail shot of an art piece in the shape of a rifle in colorful old metal

David Buckingham works exclusively in found metal — scrap machinery, old road signs, weathered agricultural equipment sourced initially from the California desert. Nothing is repainted. Every color and surface texture in his sculptures is original to the material as found. His studio in Downtown Los Angeles was itself part of the story: the raw material, the work in progress, and the finished pieces all occupying the same space, as if he was reworking his past into a new beautiful form.

Man carrying a sign on the side of the road as traffic is stopped

David Buckingham sits in the corner of his chaotic studio surrounded with artpieces and welding equipment

giant metal sculpture resembling a tribal character in multi color metal pieces

miscellaneous colorful metal artworks and paper clippings on a white wall on top of a wooden workbench with tools and metal pieces

cutting metal with a torch as sparks run through an opening

David Buckingham grinding a large metal artwork in his studio

RAY TURNER

Artist's studio with portraits on the wall, a workspace with an artist painting a large portrait, and various art supplies and furniture.

Ray Turner's Population series - hundreds of oil-on-glass portrait paintings, each 12 by 12 inches - was already years in progress when this documentation was made in 2013 at his studio in Pasadena, California. At this point in the work, Turner was painting figures as a way of thinking through humanity as a theme, building the series portrait by portrait across communities in the United States.

Ray uses a lot of paint in his work, so much that the floor is covered with sticky paint, making suction noises whenever someone walks on it.

An artist in a studio, walking past partially finished portrait paintings of people on easels and the wall, with paint splatters on the floor and canvases.

Person looking at his paintings of human faces, with multiple framed face images in the background.

A hand holding a palette knife scrapes thick oil paint from an artist's palette, with mixed paint colors and a paintbrush in the scene.

An artist working on a large canvas in his studio, which is filled with art supplies, wooden cabinets, and paintings.

A man in a striped shirt painting a detailed picture on a large canvas inside a room.

ANTON ISMAEL

Anton Ismael is a Jakarta-based visual artist. These photographs were made on March 30, 2016, during the filming of a music video for Kelompok Penerbang Roket, which Anton directed, followed by a documentation of Anton’s Photography Session with Agnes Mo.

He has taught photography for over two decades through his “Kelas Pagi” aka morning class - for free - and has birthed many successful creatives in different fields of study.

The final product is a 10-minute documentary short film on his ideas and philosophy: The People’s Teacher

A black and white photo of a woman with blonde hair in glamorous makeup and jewelry, posing on a sofa with her leg raised, holding a vintage telephone receiver. The image is taken from the perspective of a photographer or videographer, with equipment in the foreground.

A black and white photo of people socializing indoors at a restaurant or café. There are several women and men, some seated at tables and others standing, engaging in conversation. A woman with blond hair is talking to a man, and a woman in a patterned dress and hat is smiling near the door. The background features a large mountain painting on the wall, wooden doors, and a small sign that says 'STAFF ONLY.'

Black and white photo of a man with a hat and beard looking down, and a woman with long hair playing drums in a dimly lit studio or stage with a backdrop and a light source creating shadows.

A person operating a camera at night with bright lights and bokeh effects in the background.

A speaker standing in front of an audience, giving a presentation. There is a projection on the wall showing a person's face, a whiteboard with a drawing, and audio speakers on either side.

Black and white photo of two people in a room with large windows. One woman is standing, partially undressed, at a desk, and a young man is sitting on the floor, looking at something.

CECIL MARIANI

A woman working on fabric at a wooden table in an art studio, with a dog sitting on the tiled floor nearby, surrounded by shelves and tables with various sculptures and pottery.

A woman is sitting at a table in a room decorated with various framed artwork and figurines, looking into her bag with art supplies around her.

Indonesian artist, designer, and educator Cecil Mariani, 2026 (with Penny, her Corgi)

“I initially wanted to make a teapot for my mom. I truly wanted to make a proper one, but it ended up being weird,” her pottery mentor told her to continue doing her teapots the way they organically came out.
What started as an activity during the COVID shutdown turned into a new medium for her to express herself through pottery - specifically teapots. These teapots are in line with her other artistic works, such as Herons On The 12th House (her series of digitally created images printed using traditional gum oil technique), which dives into her roots and cultural traditions; the shapes of the limbs on the teapots resemble the shapes of her paintings.

Photographed at Studio Kollekan.
Follow Cecil on Instagram: @cecilmariani

Close-up of two hands working on a pottery project, one hand shaping clay and the other hand supporting, black and white photo.

Person working with clay on a wooden table, surrounded by newspapers, sculpting tools, and a plastic bag with more clay.

A woman with glasses is shaping or sculpting a large object, possibly clay or dough, on a table in a workshop or studio. She has dark hair and is focused on her work.

Person working on a clay sculpture, shaping a small figure with their hands, surrounded by clay tools on a wooden surface.

Close-up of a sculpture in progress, featuring a human hand with fingers splayed, on a table with crumpled newspaper and tools visible, in black and white.

A woman with dark hair and glasses is eating from a bowl using a fork. The scene is in black and white.

CLASUTTA

Artist painting a colorful abstract piece on a large canvas with pink, red, and green hues.

A woman with dark hair, glasses, and a black sleeveless shirt is painting abstract art with bright colors on a large canvas. Behind her is a colorful painting on the wall and a window letting in natural light.

Indonesian artist Clasutta, 2026

In the weeks before her first solo exhibition with Whitestone Gallery in Singapore, I photographed her in her studio in Jakarta, which at the time was already filled with about 60 paintings that she had prepared for almost a year. The wall filled with notes, seemingly random puzzle pieces of drawings and thoughts unveiled her process in the formation of her series of paintings.

A woman with short dark hair wearing a black sleeveless top and gray jeans stands on a white desk, drawing on a wall with colorful art supplies. The room has a yellow bookshelf filled with books and toys, and various artworks and notes are taped on the wall and window.

A wall decorated with colorful illustrations, sketches, sticky notes, and artwork, with a desk below holding various art supplies, books, and decorative items.

Person sitting on the floor painting colorful abstract artwork in a room with a large window. Three large, vibrant paintings are visible around the person, and a small table with art supplies is nearby.

An artist painting a colorful abstract artwork with red, blue, and pink hues on a large canvas.

Equally interesting to me was the part of packaging the paintings to ship for the exhibition. What does the studio look like? I envisioned a shipwreck of a studio. All her personal things and furniture became secondary, pushed to the corners and sides. Papers and paintings took over the studio. Tiptoeing was essential.

I wasn’t off.

A person standing on a cluttered floor surrounded by crumpled paper, with books, painting supplies, and art materials in a room with large windows and wooden furniture.

An artist arranges colorful paintings in a studio filled with natural light, abstract artworks on the walls and easels.

Person's hands with colorful rings and bracelets, cutting paper on a table with vibrant artwork in the background.

An artist with short black hair and glasses arranging paintings in a brightly colored art studio. Various paintings and art supplies surround her, with a cluttered workspace including shelves with paint bottles and brushes.

A 60-second exhibition teaser reel was created for Whitestone Gallery, aligning the story of the exhibition theme to the visuals taken of her working. Follow Clasutta on Instagram.

ARTIST DOCUMENTARY SERVICE

Every body of work has a moment when it becomes visible to the world - through an exhibition, a commission, a publication, or simply the passing of time.
What exists in photographs determines how it is seen, understood, and remembered.

If you are an artist who takes your practice seriously, this work is for you.

Event-based and yearly commissioning are available.
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