Palette to Public Eye Crafting a Vibrant Art Space in Oakwood

After an unexpected bout with laryngitis and a bustling market presentation, I'm back with news so exhilarating, I risk losing my voice all over again just to share it with you! Join me as I recount the lively twists and turns of painting live before an engaged audience, and how that very event has catapulted my dream into action—a dream that involves the creation of a shop and studio space that's shaping up to be a beacon of creativity in Oakwood Square.

The outpouring of support for this venture has my heart swelling with gratitude, and I'm excited to take you along for every step of this journey, including the colorful missteps. We'll be talking about everything from the joys of contributing to the local Umbrella Alley to the nuts and bolts of setting up a gallery from scratch. And with a grand opening slated for the end of July, this update is brimming with the kind of infectious enthusiasm that you can't help but catch. So, come for the ginger and turmeric tea talk, but stay for the inspiration—it's an episode that promises to leave you, just like me, smiling ear to ear.

Today’s doodle from Elle Lovey is Umbrella, perfect since the alley opened today in Louisville, Ohio!!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Hi, sorry for the missed episode. Thank you for your grace and giving me a little bit of breathing room for everything I have going on. I want to dive back into the doodles. So today Elo Lovey's prompt for the 10th is Hi, everyone, sorry, it has been two weeks.

Speaker 1: 0:32

I had to skip a week because I had a presentation at a great market and I was so busy getting ready for that. Then had the market. I was going to record that weekend and I lost my voice. I got laryngitis. I had to paint live and it was beautiful out that day and so many great people stopped by and I talked so much about my new space. I lost my voice. So I have been kind of missing online and now I'm back and so, ironically, today's sketch from Elo Levy is Umbrella. So I'm a day late and in addition to the week late that I am, but that's what we're going to sketch today and Umbrella Alley here locally opened up the umbrellas and I'll share some pictures of that with you.

Speaker 1: 1:34

I still feel like my voice is still coming back. It's been a lot of ginger and turmeric tea and chai and honey, and I need to get more local honey because I'm out now. Yeah, I finally am able to talk to where you can understand me, and there has been so much that has happened. I had to jump on and just talk about it because I have secured my space for my shop, studio, make and take pop-up gallery in Oakwood Square and I am beyond thrilled. Put the security deposit down, paid the cams for a month and I am getting in there to work on it and I hope to be open by the end of July hopefully the middle of July, but end of July for sure. That's the goal and I am beyond grateful and thrilled and just cannot wait to be in there to share the space. I've had such a tremendous response from everyone helping me and encouraging me and supporting me and, yes, my Kickstarter is still going. I still have to get my sign. I still have so many things to find and refurbish for the inside, because I am working on everything from getting tables, chairs, cabinetry for materials, the materials themselves, inventory, setting up the meeting party space, just cleaning, painting my murals, everything, and I'm pretty much doing it from the ground up. My husband and I and everyone here, that is, and even my friends that are far away, planning to come and help. I'm just just bursts it's. I just can't thank you, thank you, thank you all so much enough.

Speaker 1: 3:41

This dream is coming true. Oh my gosh, I'm just so excited. Yes, so brutally is happening, and I am beyond excited to share every step, misstep, everything that I'm doing with you to encourage you to go for your dreams and make those a reality. That is what I'm doing, and I've never had a shop before, so this is all new to me. You are on the same learning curve as I am, if you've never done it, and I feel like it has been decades and decades in the making, because this has always been something I've wanted to do. And, yes, I am still working full time while I'm doing this, so bear with me as that still progresses, but not a problem. I just know so many people are so excited for it to be open, like during the day, and that is the plan eventually. Um, but yeah, it's, it's happening and, uh, we will grow and enjoy this together. So I just had to share that update. I had to thank everybody for everything, because, if you can't hear me smiling, I am smiling ear to ear and uh, umbrella, yeah, umbrella.

Speaker 1: 5:02

Alley was part of that. You know, I've got to work in that alley and love all the people that are involved with that project. It is tremendous what an asset in our community and just really excited to get to experience that. Anyone coming into town to help me with my location, I'll definitely take you over there so you can experience that beautiful alley and the shops by it. Oh, my gosh, jack and Wiley moved across the street so they are right beside the alley now and all the other like Joe's Coffee Shop is over there now and all the other like Joe's coffee shop is over there and just it's. They've got second Saturdays that they have their different markets and it's just really pretty. It's just such a cute little town and I'm really excited to do everything in the community along this art journey and I've had so many people reach out already wanting to book the room Bear with me that will be happening and teach, which I'm thrilled to offer that space to all kinds of activities, because I love learning and so I want to learn alongside the community members.

Speaker 1: 6:16

So I want to make sure to offer all kinds of opportunities to learn all kinds of creative endeavors. That is the goal and I can't wait to showcase the artists in our community. Really, just, I'll have all of the sign up sheets and ways to sign up and ways to schedule stuff going, probably by the end of June, just so I know exactly like how many spots I have and how much space I have and how many classes to have. You know, bear with me, it is all coming, trust me. I think about it 24-7. And I just am very excited. And I just am very excited, such a sigh of relief to have that part, that hurdle that just take that leap. You know, just do it, just try, try my hardest, that's all I can do. So, yeah, I wanted to share that update and tell you to stay tuned on this exciting journey and also remind you that the plain little art shack which is my little art swap spot out front of my house will be moving to that new location. So it will be more in the public eye and that again will always be a free place to swap a piece of art and share your art with other people. So I'm really hoping that that gets out in the community and people enjoy that too. So again, a little bit of umbrella sketch in here, little doodles here.

Speaker 1: 7:52

Have fun this Memorial Day weekend and don't forget to pause and honor the reason why we are off of school and going into summer and work. You know the sacrifices that were made for Memorial Day, but, yes, please just keep me in. Your positive thoughts and encouraging words are always, always appreciated. I am rounding out the last two days of my 100-day project and they have been all kinds of two-word phrases that have really kept me going and I hope you have enjoyed those too. So lots going on and lots of updates coming, and I can't wait to share artists on the podcast with you that are going to be exhibiting in the gallery. That's going to be part of the new changes in the program and, yeah, I am just really ready to get this out in the world and share all of the amazing things that we're going to do. So quick, quick, quick update. So have a wonderful weekend. Thank you again, and I will talk to you next week with another update and I will share pics. So follow me on social media. Take care Bye.