Color Me Warhol

Friends of mine recently opened every artist’s dream studio. It’s in the center of a quaint New England town – on “The Green” no less. Jay, artist and part owner, takes two steps off the studio’s porch and three cars drive by; each driver honks their horn and waves, and Jay’s boyish smile reciprocates the greeting. While waiting in line at the local coffee house, no less than 10 people ask him how his day is going.

Back at the studio, Sharon, artist and other part owner, is busy splitting her attention between the three toe-headed girls painting ceramic unicorns as part of the Village Center for the Arts “Open Studio”, in which passersby can pop in to paint, draw, use one of three pottery wheels or glue random shapes of wood to a piece of paper: anything goes.

The space was built in the 1800’s as a Masonic Temple and has since been used as a hardware store, an antiques shop, and now the VCA. The first floor is split up into an art supplies store and general studio. The floor of the supplies section could keep an antique advertisements enthusiast busy for hours. Sharon and Jayson spent hours filtering through old magazines to create the decoupaged canvas that greets you as you step through the front door. Ten coats of polyurethane later, it almost seems blasphemous to set your dirty sneakers on the work of art.

The 2nd floor is a musty open space with 30-foot high cathedral ceilings, the paint pealing off in large swaths. The acoustics beg for the space to be used as a funky underground jazz club on the weekends, but it will take years and tens of thousands of dollars to renovate it into something habitable.

Wanting to be a part of the magic that surrounds the partners, an air of part-mischievous-debauchery but mostly-incredibly-skilled-artistry, I offered my assistance in setting up shop. Yesterday I gardened for the first time in my life. On Saturday I’ll spend half of the day helping 9-year-old girls paint ceramics. Spending time with Sharon and Jayson infects me with a love for life, and that is exactly what their art imitates.