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Many of us on the East Coast of the U.S. are having a snow/ice day (welcome or unwelcome) today. But program artist Clara has an antidote for that… thoughts of Africa… coming soon here on the blog!

Because of the inclement weather today, the studio is closed and we are unable to welcome Clara back on what would have been her first day in the studio since an extended vacation, including a visit with her grandmother AND a trip to Africa.

We’re going to wait for Clara to share her own words with you, including her rundown about her amazing trip. In the meantime, we wanted to share some works in-progress by Clara that showcase her delicate and energetic line work, some featuring her favorite African animal, the elephant, along with other favorite subjects: houses, flowers, people, and pets.

Make Studio artists are counting down each day until our ninth anniversary celebration by sharing something that puts them on cloud nine. To help us celebrate, join them here on the blog all month through February 22nd, and in-person on February 23rd at Cloud 9!

Nadine is another low residency Make Studio program artist. She has been consulting with our staff (especially Studio Manager, Stefan B.) off-and-on for just about a year now.

She hasn’t been able to make it to a gallery event… yet… but we recommend that you try to meet her when she does make an appearance! When you do, you may learn much more about her inventive approach to art-making, which she’s been cultivating for a long time prior to finding a platform, via Make Studio, to market her art.

Nadine is very expressive in her application of materials and techniques. She frequently creates work with acrylic paint, but also uses a wide variety of mixed media. Nadine likes to be both frugal and unconventional with her materials use, and she is able to make the materials she uses go a very long way towards her creative ends.

Nadine’s brother, who she has a close relationship with, facilitates her coming in to the studio all the way from Laurel, MD. According to Nadine, her brother has said regarding his willingness to bring her all the way to Baltimore: “It’s time, it’s her turn now,” to do what she loves.

Nadine has had to overcome some challenges in addition to arranging transportation in order to get to the studio regularly, but she is not deterred from chasing her dream. 

See these new paintings in-person at Cloud 9!

See these new paintings in-person at Cloud 9!

In addition to being exceptionally creative and resilient, Nadine is very courteous:

“My mom always said it doesn’t cost anything to be polite.”

…In addition to introducing everyone to Nadine, just a few days out now from the opening of Cloud 9  we wanted to share that we’re proudly one of BmoreArt’s Picks of the Week! Even more reason to come out and see Nadine’s new paintings as well as over 60 other new artworks in our gallery on Saturday afternoon!

Make Studio artists are counting down each day until our ninth anniversary celebration by sharing something that puts them on cloud nine. To help us celebrate, join them here on the blog all month through February 22nd, and in-person on February 23rd at Cloud 9!

It’s fairly obvious what puts Greg on cloud nine… painting!

Low residency program artist Greg, who periodically comes to the studio to consult on finishing approaches and to curate which of his many paintings he’d like to show and sell with Make Studio, spends virtually all of his free time making beautiful works inspired by modernism.

If you’ve been lucky enough to meet Greg, like us you know that he’s possibly the nicest person in the whole world (perhaps he’s the niceness version of “The Most Interesting Man in the World”, and he’s also pretty interesting, too)!

We wish we had the opportunity to spend more time with him in the studio, but Greg works hard all week in a full-time position at Harmony Bakery, just around the corner from the studio. You can say a quick “hello” to Greg there every day, and also see a rotating selection of his recent paintings on Harmony’s walls while purchasing a delicious and healthy meal or snack.

Greg on break at work. (h/t to Harmony for this image.)

Greg with a young fan at work. (h/t to Harmony for this image.)

Over the years, Greg had shown and sold his work in many venues, including at the Arc of Baltimore’s Art in the Round event in which his works always are auctioned off at a high price (generously helping to support the Arc’s programs).

We’re proud that Greg has chosen to consult and show his art with Make Studio for several years now, and look forward to continuing our fruitful collaboration!

Make Studio artists are counting down each day until our ninth anniversary celebration by sharing something that puts them on cloud nine. To help us celebrate, join them here on the blog all month through February 22nd, and in-person on February 23rd at Cloud 9!

“Action and adventure, that’s me!”

In a nutshell, that sums up what puts Janel on cloud nine!

Although Janel is a low residency artist at Make Studio (working in the studio just about once a month), she produces a wide range of artwork. Hand-crafted dolls, drawings, and paintings inspired by anime as well as Jane’s favorite films and shows comprise most of her creative output. Anime such as Inuyasha and Glitter Force feature prominently.

Janel’s favorite dolls she’s made include Harley Quinn, Batman, and Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas.

“I have been an artist making dolls for as long as I can remember”.

With each doll, Janel starts by drawing out the features and form of the character onto fabric, creating a patent. She then cuts out the pattern, begins to sow the doll together, adds stuffing, and then sews on and/or paints on all the doll’s clothes. Finally, she adds finishing touches such as hair and accessories.

Janel is currently working on a painting that includes the castle from Jim Henson’s Dark Crystal. 

Make Studio artists are counting down each day until our ninth anniversary celebration by sharing something that puts them on cloud nine. To help us celebrate, join them here on the blog all month through February 22nd, and in-person on February 23rd at Cloud 9!

Gemma had an experience this past fall that made her feel like she was on cloud nine:

Last year in September, me and my brother Graeme went to Love Your Brain (LYB) in Jefferson, Maine. The LYB retreats started after a famous snowboarder, Kevin Pierce, had a traumatic brain injury.

(Learn more about Kevin Pierce’s experience and brain injury here.)

Kevin Pierce is also a big idol of mine. I got to meet him at the retreat. When I was at the LYB retreat it felt really good for me to be meeting other people that I could relate to about my own traumatic brain injury.

It felt great that every night for a week that after eating dinner, me, my brother, and the other people we met would meet to do meditation before going to bed.

Make Studio artists are counting down each day until our ninth anniversary celebration by sharing something that puts them on cloud nine. To help us celebrate, join them here on the blog all month through February 22nd, and in-person on February 23rd at Cloud 9!

Laura’s subject matter for her art covers a wide range, but it includes some of her cloud nine worthy faves.

Favorite parts of making art: painting, coloring, and “drawing on the window”.  

Favorite places to visit: the aquarium, art museums, and the doctor’s office.

Favorite foods: cookies, pizza, and “waffles!”

She also likes animals, especially dogs. Dog characters of her own invention are featured in her comic-style works, and she’s also created more expressive animal portraits. She favors her painting of puppies because “of their wet noses”.

Favorite music: contemporary jazz (which she fills the studio with while working).

Favorite season: winter “[when] I play in the snow” (and she also likes to create art about polar bears).

Make Studio artists are counting down each day until our ninth anniversary celebration by sharing something that puts them on cloud nine. To help us celebrate, join them here on the blog all month through February 22nd, and in-person on February 23rd at Cloud 9!

A newer Make Studio artist, Will excels at collage-based compositions but also dabbles in other forms of art making. He likes to create anything that “presents a good final product”, often making something and then going back to it and making corrections.

But, lest you think he’s too much of a perfectionist, when choosing subject matter, Will “goes with the flow” without a specific plan in mind.

Things that put him on cloud nine include watching Netflix in his spare time (especially “How to Get Away With Murder”), browsing the internet (“I’m an iPad person”), spending time with dogs, and enjoying almost any food “as long as there’s lots of it and it doesn’t look or tastes weird . . . “[I don’t] do sweets.”  

With hopes of earning a degree in the not too distant future, he’s currently working on completing general college studies.

Make Studio artists are counting down each day until our ninth anniversary celebration by sharing something that puts them on cloud nine. To help us celebrate, join them here on the blog all month through February 22nd, and in-person on February 23rd at Cloud 9!

Cloud 9 will be Iragi’s first anniversary celebration with Make Studio, as he began working as an artist here in summer of 2018.

“It will be fun to celebrate. . . to celebrate about making masterpieces.”

When not at the studio, Iragi works four days a week at Shoppers as a courtesy clerk, and he is currently learning and practicing cake decoration there, too. He recently met local TV legend Marty Bass while on the job!

Iragi also plays the piano, and said he has specific music he plays for different times of the year, which keeps him on cloud nine. From January to November, he plays his “favorite songs”, but throughout late fall through Christmas Day, he plays “all holiday music”.

“Christmas music [and music in general] is in my heart, and helps me to do art and tell it.”

Much of Iragi’s art features his favorite shows and games, such as Power Rangers, Scooby-Doo, and Disney characters, but recently he’s working on more expressive pieces featuring landscapes, portraits, and abstractions. 

Make Studio artists are counting down each day until our ninth anniversary celebration by sharing something that puts them on cloud nine. To help us celebrate, join them here on the blog all month through February 22nd, and in-person on February 23rd at Cloud 9!

Cartoons, fashion, and cats put Julian “Jules” Hinmon on cloud nine.  

“Cats are great emotional support animals.”

Recent favorite animated features of Jules include Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse and the upcoming How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.  

Jules features both cartoon characters and cats frequently in his artwork, including the cardboard “cut-outs” that he’s known for.

Cartoons and cats also come together in Jules’ “pet projects” — pun intended! His art series “Who We Are” and “Kitten Around” feature anthropomorphic animals that “combine personality features of both their animal and human selves”.

You can also find Jules’ characters in comic form online (“Kitten Around” and “Who We Are”).

Jules says he wears his influences (for example, Rocko’s Modern Life) on his sleeve, but wants to make a show that is its “own beast” – an accidental, and very welcome, pun!

Make Studio artists are counting down each day until our ninth anniversary celebration by sharing something that puts them on cloud nine. To help us celebrate, join them here on the blog all month through February 22nd, and in-person on February 23rd at Cloud 9!

Attending studio events, and other festivities, tends to put Kareem on cloud nine.

As a sneak peek of his contributions to Make Studio’s upcoming 9th anniversary exhibition, here Kareem shares the recently completed tribute piece to A Star is Born, his newest favorite movie. He shared some thoughts about his cinematic experience:

• He liked it so much that he saw it twice upon its release in October, both times at Hampden’s CineBistro.
• The previews before the film lasts  over thirty minutes long! So, he enjoyed some food while waiting for the feature to begin.
• Seeing a preview for Mary Poppins Returns (reviewed here by Gary) inspired Kareem to later see that movie, too.

• Kareem really enjoyed the plot, in which Jack, a country singer played by Bradley Cooper, meets a waitress named Ally, played by Lady Gaga. “Ally becomes a great singer and they fall in love by the end.”
• He felt that the leads’ on-screen chemistry was “great!”
• Kareem’s favorite songs in the movie were “Shallow” and “I’ll Never Love You Again.” Kareem thinks Lady Gaga, overall, is the better singer and Bradley Cooper is the better actor.
• Kareem also likes to read movie reviews, and agrees with the critics who gave this movie 4 or 5 stars out of 5. He’s excited for the movie to be released on Blu-Ray so he can continue enjoying it.

Make Studio artists are counting down each day until our ninth anniversary celebration by sharing something that puts them on cloud nine. To help us celebrate, join them here on the blog all month through February 22nd, and in-person on February 23rd at Cloud 9!