Artist Michelle Weinberg in Her Sharon Springs Studio

There is something special about stepping into an artist’s studio. It is where ideas live before the world ever sees them. Sketches, fragments, color experiments, unfinished pieces, stacks of materials—evidence of a mind at work.

That is exactly what an afternoon with Michelle Weinberg feels like.

Michelle is a painter whose work extends far beyond the canvas. Her practice includes painting, collage, sculpture, and projects for interiors, architecture, and public spaces. She received her BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York and her MFA from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, and her work has appeared in galleries, public commissions, and creative collaborations across the U.S. and internationally.

But what makes her Sharon Springs studio remarkable is not just the work—it’s the space itself.

Michelle purchased a church in the village and transformed it into a studio. What was once a quiet sacred space is now filled with color, canvases, tools, and the quiet rhythm of an artist at work. Light pours in through tall windows. Paintings lean against walls. Tables hold brushes, pigments, and experiments in progress.

It is a place where ideas take shape.

Michelle spends most of her time in New York City, but whenever she returns to Sharon Springs, it is a gift for those of us who live here. Our visits usually happen in the simplest way—porch time. A glass of wine, something small to nibble on, and long conversations that wander through art, life, travel, and whatever else the evening brings.

This time, instead of the porch, she opened the doors to her studio.

As a photographer, I am always drawn to creative spaces. Studios reveal so much about the artist. The tools they choose. The way materials are organized—or not. The moments of focus when someone leans over their work, lost in the process.

Photographing Michelle that afternoon felt less like a formal shoot and more like quietly witnessing her world.

Her dog wandered through the studio. Paint jars gathered in bright clusters. Large canvases rested on tables and walls. Some works were bold with color and geometry, others more subtle—layers of line and shape building slowly across the surface.

Watching an artist in their own space is a reminder that art does not arrive fully formed. It grows through hours of curiosity, patience, and experimentation.

Michelle’s studio holds all of that.

What I love most about photographing artists is that these sessions are never really about portraits. They are about atmosphere. Process. The environment that allows creativity to unfold.

An afternoon like this becomes a visual story.

A story of an artist.
A space transformed.
And the quiet privilege of being invited inside.

You can find Michelle on Instagram at @mwpinkblue and her website: michelleweinberg.com