The Unwavering Vision: Nieves’s Journey from 1980s Industry to a 5,000 Sq Ft Dream Studio in Williamsburg

For artist Nieves Saah, her large studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is more than just a workspace...it is

the foundation of her life and her extensive body of colorful, imaginative oil paintings. Having arrived in New York to pursue her career after moving to the United States at age 22 and studying art in Baltimore and Washington, finding a suitable place to paint was immediately difficult, as many artists were competing for space.

Securing Space in the Industrial Era

Nieves’s journey to finding her ideal 5,000 square foot loft began in the 1980s. She started looking for a larger space through advertisements in the 'Village Voice'. She initially found a building and moved in with a roommate she secured after responding to an artist’s ad, though she lacked a private studio there.

It was through attending meetings for the loft board that she befriended other artists, eventually laying eyes on the space she now occupies, which she immediately recognized as "just what I need". Since 1986, after one of the four original artists living there moved away, Nieves secured the space. The rent for the loft, which was originally 7,000 square feet, was '$750 in 1986'.

In the 1980s, Williamsburg felt radically different. People from Manhattan often mistakenly viewed coming to Brooklyn as "going to the country", despite being only five minutes over the bridge. Nieves recalls that the area was intensely industrial. Downstairs, workers manufactured plastics for covering swimming pools. The smell, along with the perceived danger of melting plastic and the lacquer spray business across the street, caused some people to move out.

Building a Sanctuary Out of a Factory

The journey to convert the industrial space into a habitable studio was challenging and required immense effort from the artists. Before Nieves moved in, the entire second floor was empty, trashy, and had broken windows. The girls who came before her spent two years filling two huge containers outside with trash, undertaking the extensive work of building walls and installing electricity.

Adding to the difficulty was the legal status of the building. The lofts were zoned as 'commercial spaces', forcing artists to hide their beds whenever inspections occurred. Artists went to the board of estimates and fought the landlords, who eventually realized it would cost them a great deal of money to bring the totally "off code" buildings up to code. Many people moved out if they could not afford lawyers or the work required to fight for their residences.

The Evolution of the Art and the Artist

Nieves specializes in creating very large, colorful paintings using oil paint and spatulas. She was inspired to pursue monumental paintings after seeing a show by Anam Keir in Soho, where the galleries were located in the 1980s. Nvesa recounts that after making four stretchers, a friend suggested she put them together, leading her to create five triptychs, one of which measured 234 inches long.

While her paintings used to be darker and less defined, they have evolved, becoming progressively 'more and more intense' and brighter in color. When painting, Nieves finds herself completely absorbed, noting, "I’m really in another world once I get into it". She estimates she has made at least 600 paintings in her career.

Resilience and the Power of the Canvas

Nieves's commitment to her art was powerfully tested when she was diagnosed with two different types of lymphoma at age 59. She underwent six months of intense chemotherapy, and though her condition worsened, she eventually received a diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome.

Eleven years ago, she received a life-saving bone marrow transplant from a donor in Germany, resulting in her now having "100% German blood". While recovering and hospitalized, she couldn't manage large canvases, so she focused on creating small paintings, which she suggests may have been the catalyst for her colors becoming brighter.

Despite the challenges, painting remained central to her survival. She paints every day, using her work to get away from everything. Nieves emphasizes that being able to paint is the most important thing, stating her dedication to her studio: "I never wanted to give this up i need this space i need to come here and do my work and I hope it is well into my 90s if I make it there".

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Credits

This article references visual material from Joshua Charow’s filmed documentation of Nieves’s studio.