We visited two out of Tomáš Němec's three studios, both located in Prague. Remarkably, one of the studios emerged organically within his apartment, gradually spreading across most of the rooms. It's no wonder that painting has become an integral part of his life. Enjoy this studio visit!

I visited your two studios in Prague. One is in Žižkov and the other in Smíchov, which is right at your home. The third one is in the village in Vranová. Do you have differentiated what you paint where?

Yes, I have it somewhat divided. The one in Smíchov is also my apartment, so I paint "apartment formats" there, usually up to 150 cm, and I also often paint with live models there. In Žižkov, I work on all topics and usually paint larger formats. And in Vranová, "at my mom's place," I can additionally paint in our gardens en plein air and be more in the countryside. I like to switch between the city and the village because then I appreciate more what each place offers me.

In both studios I visited, there are countless brushes and colors scattered on the floor. It's kind of a very aesthetic and organized chaos. How did it come about?

It arises quite naturally from my needs and habits I have while working.

At your home in Smíchov, I realized how painting is a big part of your life. If all the paintings, brushes, and colors were removed from the apartment, there would be only a few personal items and lots of flowers left. How much of your time do you devote to painting?

I don't know how many percent. If I counted the time I spend thinking about it or preparing materials, for an artist who reflects his life in his work, it's 100%. Pure painting time might be just a few hours a day.

The garden you paint in Vranová, where you have your studio, do you prepare it somehow in spring? Do you think over winter what to plant there?

Our garden is quite small but dense. I prefer perennials - trees, bushes, roses, peonies..., so there's not much planting to do. We've already planted everything, and now I can finally just paint and occasionally prune for light. I prefer perennials because I can come back to one painting even in five years if I don't finish it in one spring or summer, like with a portrait of a person.

I miss the garden you have the most in Prague. But then we said that the second level are domestic animals. You said you don't want a dog because having a dog is lame. What animal would you like? And if you started painting it, would it be in the garden in Vranov or on the couch in Smíchov?

Yes, I don't want a dog! Everyone has a dog and a cat, and it's a shame. Of course, they are beautiful animals just like any other, but I love animal diversity. I would like a goat, a cow, a fox, a marten, a polecat, a kuna, a weasel, a goose, a roe deer, a swan, an owl, a crow, a magpie, a squirrel... any beautiful animal except a dog. And because I would want them to be happy, not in an apartment. I would like to have some house with land where I could leave a piece of real nature. No unnecessary lawnmowers and cutting down mature trees.

In your work, you draw a lot from art history and its interpretations. Are there any contemporary artists who inspire you?

Yes, that's true, I like to confront my ideas with the iconography of art history, but of course, I also love contemporary artists. Among painters, some contemporary ones that inspire me are some of my former classmates. Among younger ones than me, currently it's, for example, Petr Gruber, but I could list more.

We talked about you watching a lot of art documentaries. Are there any that are on your mind now that you would recommend?

Francis Bacon - A Brush with Violence (2017). And then "Edith Piaf Up Close (2013)" or "Can't Do It Without Love".

Are you working on something new now?

Always. I always have too many paintings in progress; sometimes I turn back to something even after a year or longer. I fill everything with unfinished paintings, as you saw. It's maybe my bad habit.