Aran’s Blog

Get a glimpse inside Aran’s mind in her new blog! Learn all about Aran and her journey as an artist and what it’s really like behind the scenes at your favorite local art studio 💜

“Our mission is to enrich people’s lives with the opportunity to create art in a safe, accepting environment that demonstrates a profitable business model providing jobs and personal growth.”

– Aran’s Art Studio Mission Statement

One look at some of the stunning glass fusing pieces we have hanging at Aran’s Art Studio, and you know how amazing glass can be at capturing your memories, creativity, and self-expression. 

It’s easy to think creating something that beautiful may be a little too hard but you want to know the big secret about glass fusing?

Anyone can do it! Even if you’ve never done it before. 

Glass fusing is a fun and easy way to create beautiful decorations, ornaments, sun-catchers, platters, and a whole lot more. 

Here are three easy ways to do glass fusing the next time you come into the studio.

Stringers, Noodles, & Blobs
One of the things that makes glass fusing so expressive is the variety of textures you can use to make your creation really POP! Stringers (long and thin glass pieces), noodles (long and flat glass pieces), and blobs (pebble shaped glass of different colors) are three textured glass implements that can add depth and expression to your piece. Simply add a drop of glue to your base and apply. We have these in a bunch of shapes, sizes, and colors. Use them to create whatever you like from squares and triangles to full on abstract art! 

Handprints
Trace your handprint on a flat piece of glass and decide whether you want a solid color as a background (pictured) or just your handprint. We have plenty of chunks and colors to choose from (we recommend red for how boldly it shows up!) You can even do two or more with the right size glass. Our standard sizes are 3 inch to 12 inch squares, but we can cut to custom sizes, too. How about a family handprint platter?

Self Portraits 
We love these funky projects! Draw your eyes, nose, and mouth on a piece of glass and fill in with glass pieces of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Our main studio mix has them all. These are a great way to express yourself and will get attention wherever you hang it. Make your own Picasso!

Come in any time – no appointment is needed! Let us know if you want to try one of these projects out. We’ll help you every step of the way.

We love pottery. Plates, mugs, tiles. So much fun!

We’re all about helping you discover your inner artist at Aran’s, (that’s our motto after all) and there’s nothing cooler than seeing one of our guests discover a new technique that opens new levels of creativity, fun, and expression. 

That’s what we live for!

In this email, you’ll learn 3 cool and easy pottery painting techniques you can use on the very next piece you create.

Silkscreen
Silkscreens are an easy way to integrate more complex pictures and designs onto your plates and mugs. It’s easy adding leaves, horses, and other beautiful shapes. A silkscreen is kind of like a stencil. Just place it on your piece, pick your color and using your fingers, spread it over the screen. Once you lift the screen (slowly and carefully, of course) you’ll see your eye-popping design! 

Tape
Tape can give you sharp, geometrically interesting designs that’ll be sure to grab attention. Simply apply some painters tape wherever you don’t want to paint and get to work. (Pro tip: Don’t wipe the piece down!) Be sure to let the paint dry before you pull the tape up to keep those lines crisp!

Paint Chips
These can add some cool textures to an otherwise flat piece and are great for tiles! Paint your piece with three coats of glaze. Be sure to let the first 2 dry before adding the next one. Right after painting the third coat, while it’s still wet, sprinkle paint chips all over. Different size chips add more interesting textures. 

If you want to try any of these techniques, come on in and let us know. We’ll walk you through it step-by-step and the best part is that anyone can do it, whether you have experience or not!

We all have an artist inside us. Let us help you discover it!

September 4, 2021 

The other day in our studio a little girl was painting. I’ll be completely honest, I wasn’t having my best day. Not many of us have had our best days lately, but I don’t need to go into all that. I was wrapped up in my own, not so positive, thoughts.

Anyway, she was working hard and she looked up at me. I’m sure I didn’t look very good at that moment, and she just said, “You know, this is my safe place.”

I almost lost it. 

That is everything I ever wanted to hear in my studio.

When you own a business, things can be difficult even during the best of times. There’s always something to do, fires to put out, bills to pay. At times it can feel like there’s a sack of bricks on your shoulders. You do it, though, because you want to bring something special to the world. Something that you know, deep down, can help people. When that happens, everything becomes worth it. 

When that happens over and over again it becomes more than just a business. 

What we have experienced over this time has been extremely hard on all of us. Now, more than ever, we need art. We need places for people to feel safe enough to just let go and be themselves and know it’s OK. Even if just for a little while. 

Just in the last week at Aran’s I’ve seen people young, old, straight, gay, trans, black, white, and a lot more, all here and feeling like they have a place where they could leave the stress of the world outside our Dutch door and just exist and express for a while.

Giving people a place where they can do that is a responsibility I don’t take lightly and even during some of the worst times of the past 18 months, remembering what we do here at Aran’s Art Studio always brings me a sense of calm and joy. Even if that doesn’t last too long. 

 I want to let you know that I’ll be blogging at least twice a month and I’d love to know what you’d like me to write about. 

 It’s all on the table, but all I can tell you is that whatever I write about, it will reflect who we are as a studio and as people.

Thank you,

Aran

October 26th, 2021

Hello everyone! Welcome to my 2^nd blog! 

So, the other day I was looking at our Yelp reviews. Fun, huh? Well, not so much sometimes. I’ll be completely honest in saying that while the vast majority of our reviews are good (we have an overall 4 out of 5-star rating) there are a few that just aren’t. 

I realized after reading a couple of those that I need to address them. 

First, I want to thank everyone who takes the time to write a review about us, whether good or bad. The good reviews let us know what people value about our store and the bad ones let us know, in no uncertain terms, what we can improve on. This is incredibly valuable for us and it’s how we’ve stayed in business for over 20 years. 

I just want to let you all know that if ANYTHING at Aran’s Art Studio is less than acceptable, please let us know. We’ll do everything we can to remedy the situation. 

If you don’t absolutely LOVE your finished piece…if you don’t feel you got great service from us…

We WILL fix it. 

If I am in one of my not-so-delightful moods (yes…I know I can be…well…not so delightful at times) PLEASE do me a favor and tell me to snap the heck out of it! 

I really don’t mean anything by it. Like all of us, it’s just hard for me to get out of my own way sometimes. I truly treasure everyone who comes into my studio to get away from the craziness of the outside world. We’ll always strive to be an antidote to that craziness, not a cause of it. 

That brings me to my granddaughter, Sophie. 

She’s 3 and was in here last week painting a horse. After we fired it, I sat down and looked at it. 

I looked at it for a long time. 

If you just see it in passing, you’d probably think it wasn’t very good. At least in the way we, as grown-ups, look at things. 

The painting was messy.

The colors were mixed up in no particular order. 

Most horses aren’t blue or green.

But it was beautiful. How could that be? 

I’ve been doing art for…oh…about 60 years and I still hesitate to call myself an “artist”. 

I remember when I was a little girl painting a picture of a horse in a field and having an adult tell me, “The sky isn’t red, you know. Neither is grass.” And I remember feeling like whatever “artist” I had in me was sucked out and thrown away at that moment. 

That’s a horrible feeling to give a child. As I looked at Sophie’s blue and green horse, I realized that, yes, she can’t paint like me. I’m 64 years young. But I can’t paint like her, either. 

I’ve seen children cry when their parents try to “fix” their artwork. I know they’re trying to help, but I believe with all my heart that there is no right or wrong way to paint and it should be left up to each one of us, children especially, to explore their own creative selves.

It is my true belief that everyone in the world is an artist. Whether you get up in the morning and dress beautifully, or you come in here and do an acrylic pour or paint pottery, or something else entirely, you are an artist.

Our motto is “Discover Your Inner Artist” and I truly believe that your inner artist truly exists, and we can help you find it at Aran’s Art Studio. 

Thank you,

Aran