In this episode of Process Over Product, artists Trevor Wade Thomas and Kelsey Kopp discuss the process of inventory and documentation in the studio.

Following the recent flood in Trevor’s studio, he shares the experience of cataloging and assessing the work, materials, and objects that make up a studio practice. What began as a necessary response to disruption becomes a broader conversation about why documenting work matters.

Together they explore how maintaining an inventory can support the practical side of an artist’s life—from understanding the scope of one’s work and managing a studio more clearly, to improving organization, tracking, and communication with galleries and collectors. The conversation also considers how the act of reviewing past work can shape artistic direction and reveal patterns in a body of work that may not be obvious while making it.

This episode looks at inventory not simply as administration, but as a reflective process that can bring clarity to both the business and creative sides of a studio practice.

Kelsey Kopp is a landscape painter whose work is rooted in observation, repetition, and sustained engagement with place. Her practice emphasizes process as a way of understanding time, light, and perception rather than arriving at a fixed image.

Find Kelsey on instagram @kelsey_kopp_art

Trevor Wade Thomas is a painter and educator working primarily from observation. His practice centers on drawing, material process, and the relationship between labor, memory, and making. He is the founder of Oil and Earth Studio YouTube Channel, where he explores craft, teaching, and long-form artistic inquiry.

You can find Trevor online at www.trevorwadethomas.com , on YouTube at www.youtube.com/oilandearthstudio , or on Instagram @twtfineart