WANTED: A CLEAN, WELL LIGHTED PLACE

They need rooms of their own to sculpt and paint. But how do you find such places with today's Manhattan rents? A look at the state of an industry legend: the New York artist studio.

- Katya Kazakina

When arctic air grips New York City, artist Karyn Lyons bundles up and rests her feet on a heater as she paints nostalgic scenes of teenage longing in her unheated studio on West 137th Street. Lyons, who is in her forties, has been working in the 450-square-foot ground-floor space for six years. It has what she needs: ample wall space, a slop sink, and privacy. The setup would be perfect were it not for the lack of a creative community nearby. But she figures that's a small price to pay for having a studio in one of the most vibrant cities in the world. "I wouldn't be happy working anywhere else," says Lyons, who shows with Turn Gallery. "It is worth the cramped studios, the occasional rat, and the lack of heat."

From West Harlem to Ridgewood, from the South Bronx to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, artists set up studios wherever they can find a good deal. There's no longer one area with dirt cheap rents and huge spaces-like Soho in the early 1970s or Williamsburg in the late '90s. Some flock to studio buildings in Brooklyn because they have built-in community and amenities. Others venture farther afield, into isolated industrial areas in Queens and the Bronx. Some are leaving the city altogether, settling in upstate New York or rural Connecticut. "It's like a game of survival," says Michael Nevin, owner of the Journal Gallery.