You’re a builder at heart, and you want your art to be built from effort, inspiration, and the work of your own two hands. Whether it be a chunk of marble, a hunk of wood, or a lump of clay, all you see is raw potential waiting to be shaped into a work of art that will stand the test of time.

There’s beauty all around you, and you want to be able to walk around your beauty. Flat, 2 dimensional pieces lack the depth you require when you’re bringing your vision to life, and all the color in the world can’t replace the weight and heft of feeling your pieces take shape in your bare hands.

Almost better than working with your bare hands is the opportunity to accumulate a whole bunch of nifty tools and apparatus for your sculpting studio.

If you work from home or rent a studio space with other, like-minded artists, you’ll have a toolbox to rival any mechanic's.

Here are some tricks to set up your own home studio with everything you need to get started.

Sculpting is a dirty business and often requires water for mixing materials or cleaning up after the creation process. Make sure you’ve got a utility sink that’s up to the job!

Let there be light!

Any artistic endeavor usually requires bright, even, natural light. If you don’t have a ceiling full of skylights and a penchant for creating during daylight hours, that can be a bit tricky. You can try stringing up some natural white light bulbs, or invest in a lighting kit to get you that high noon feel at midnight.

Keep your art cabinet stocked with everything you need, think you’ll need, or heard you might need. There’s nothing worse than reaching for a tool or some more clay and coming up empty-handed. Make use of utility shelves and storage drawers to keep your tools handy — and easy to find.

“I saw the angel in the marble and I carved until I set him free.” —Michelangelo

🎨Operation: Artistic Creation🎨

How to jump-start your creative process.

1. It all starts with an idea.

Anyone in an artistic field can tell you, the biggest obstacle to creating something new can be finding inspiration.

Luckily, there are websites galore dedicated to helping you find the art styles that inspire you, and Pinterest is only the tip of the Iceberg.

And, there are loads of art books and local art workshops that can help you build the skills that will eventually help your inspiration find it’s way from your brain, out into the studio.

Check out our Artist Workshop Schedule to see when we host our next sculpture workshop, complete with materials, tools, and expert guidance from your favorite local artisans. You’ll also be able to connect with other artists who are trying to find their signature expressions of beauty.

2. Get stocked.

While there are a bunch of natural resources for artists, not everyone wants to go for a hike to collect materials for their creative process.

Luckily, our store is stocked with everything you need to get your studio ready for inspiration to strike.

Come on down and peruse our aisles, or check out our online shop to see what we’ve got available.

We also source materials we don’t keep stocked, so if you have a vision that our shelves aren’t equipped to make a reality, ask one of our sales associates if there’s a way to order in what you need.

3. Nurture Community

It’s easy to get locked away in your studio, and when inspiration strikes, any distraction can be detrimental.

But when you aren’t in the throes of artistic chaos, it can be nice to have people to talk to about art, your process, and what you’ve been creating.

Artists, while often solitary, can thrive when immersed in a community that’s rich with ideas, support, and education.

We’ve got a great line-up of in-house Artist Collectives and Showcase Open Houses, where everyone in our community is welcome to come display their work and share their ideas and processes. Less formal than our Workshops, Open Houses are meant to create a forum for vision sharing and group inspiration.

Creativity Corner!

Hey there, lost in inspiration! Welcome to The Art Barn, a unique art store that’s more than just a retail space. I’m Siobhan Wheeler, potter, painter, and art supply hoarder — also the mind behind the Uptown Art Collective, an organization whose goal is to get artists out of their studios and into a communal creative space.

At The Art Barn, we want every artist to be able to find the tools and supplies they need to make their creative vision a reality — and the resources to grow their skills and community.

Artists that have joined our community have gone on to create great success in their art careers, and achieve personal fulfillment from their art practice.

We’ve been featured in “Muse” magazine and have been guests on such podcasts as “Fine Art Confessions” and “Art Market,” and have been awarded the Community Builder Award in our hometown of Vancouver, BC.

In the Studio

Check out these resources to unlock your vision!

Stay inspired and up to date on all the latest art trends and techniques. Follow The Art Barn on Instagram and we’ll share studio hacks, product recommendations, and the occasional process video.

Love a good art shindig? Subscribe to our Guest List and be the first to know about any in-house events and larger community gatherings. Never be the last to know, or the one who hears about it the day after it happened! We’re always hosting gallery shows, creator markets, and artist conventions, and we’d love to see you there!

Curious about specific products? Check out our blog, where we review all the latest art supplies and tools, and share our opinions on what’s a must-have, and what’s overrated.

Inspiration Station

Now that you've got some insight into what medium would best suit your artistic vision, check your inbox for your quiz results. You'll also get your custom curated Studio In-A-Box recommendations based on your answers.

Over the next week, I'll be sharing more tips and tricks to nurture inspiration and unlock creativity. Roll up your sleeves and let’s dig in!

🎨“Art is too important not to share.” — Romero Britto🎨

When you see something beautiful, your first instinct is to preserve it for all time, and your fingers itch to hold a paintbrush and capture the hues and vistas you see before you.

Color and brushstrokes are your way of sharing your vision with the world, and there isn’t a canvas too big for you to make your mark.

Blank canvas and bare walls are just an invitation to be filled with masterpieces of beautiful memories and shared emotions.

But there are so many types of paint out there, it’s hard to know where to invest your time and money.

Here’s a rundown of the different paint options available to help you choose what’s right for you.

Acrylic - a versatile polymer based paint that’s known for bright color, easy mixability, limited odor, and easy cleanup.

Even better, the pigmented paints can be mixed with all sorts of mediums to create different consistency, effect, and resulting finish. Really, the sky's the limit with Acrylic paints.

Oil - The paint of the classic artists, it’s come a long way since the greats were mixing their own hand-ground pigments with Linseed oil.

Still beloved for it’s blendability and slow drying time, oils can be a bit of a pain to clean up and there’s no mistaking the odor of the solvents and oils your studio will be saturated in.

Watercolor - A whimsical medium, watercolor forces you to depend on water to do a lot of the work. From reconstituting your pigments, to creating soft, dreamlike effects, the water is both playful and unforgiving.

Too much and you’ve got a soggy mess that runs all over the place. Not enough, and your colors won’t have the depth and movement that watercolor is renowned for.

Just enough, and you’ve got yourself a medium that knows how to be playful, and can be an inspiration all by itself.

You’ll find all varieties and the top brands of paints at The Art Barn, so come on by or check us out online. You can also try before you buy, by attending an Open House Evening, where you can meet other artists and explore the mediums available.

“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.”

— Pablo Picasso

🎨Operation: Artistic Creation🎨

How to jump-start your creative process.

1. It all starts with an idea.

Anyone in an artistic field can tell you, the biggest obstacle to creating something new can be finding inspiration.

Luckily, there are websites galore dedicated to helping you find the art styles that inspire you, and Pinterest is only the tip of the Iceberg.

And, there are loads of art books and local art workshops that can help you build the skills that will eventually help your inspiration find it’s way from your brain, out into the studio.

Check out our Artist Workshop Schedule to see when we host our next Painting workshop, complete with materials, tools, and expert guidance from your favorite local artisans. You’ll also be able to connect with other artists who are trying to find their signature expressions of beauty.

2. Get stocked.

While there are a bunch of natural resources for artists, not everyone wants to go for a hike to collect materials for their creative process.

Luckily, our store is stocked with everything you need to get your studio ready for inspiration to strike.

Come on down and peruse our aisles, or check out our online shop to see what we’ve got available.

We also source materials we don’t keep stocked, so if you have a vision that our shelves aren’t equipped to make a reality, ask one of our sales associates if there’s a way to order in what you need.

3. Nurture Community

It’s easy to get locked away in your studio, and when inspiration strikes, any distraction can be detrimental.

But when you aren’t in the throes of artistic chaos, it can be nice to have people to talk to about art, your process, and what you’ve been creating.

Artists, while often solitary, can thrive when immersed in a community that’s rich with ideas, support, and education.

We’ve got a great line-up of in-house Artist Collectives and Showcase Open Houses, where everyone in our community is welcome to come display their work and share their ideas and processes. Less formal than our Workshops, Open Houses are meant to create a forum for vision sharing and group inspiration.

Creativity Corner!

Hey there, lost in inspiration! Welcome to The Art Barn, a unique art store that’s more than just a retail space. I’m Siobhan Wheeler, potter, painter, and art supply hoarder — also the mind behind the Uptown Art Collective, an organization whose goal is to get artists out of their studios and into a communal creative space.

At The Art Barn, we want every artist to be able to find the tools and supplies they need to make their creative vision a reality — and the resources to grow their skills and community.

Artists that have joined our community have gone on to create great success in their art careers, and achieve personal fulfillment from their art practice.

We’ve been featured in “Muse” magazine and have been guests on such podcasts as “Fine Art Confessions” and “Art Market,” and have been awarded the Community Builder Award in our hometown of Vancouver, BC.

In the Studio

Check out these resources to unlock your vision!

Stay inspired and up to date on all the latest art trends and techniques. Follow The Art Barn on Instagram and we’ll share studio hacks, product recommendations, and the occasional process video.

Love a good art shindig? Subscribe to our Guest List and be the first to know about any in-house events and larger community gatherings. Never be the last to know, or the one who hears about it the day after it happened! We’re always hosting gallery shows, creator markets, and artist conventions, and we’d love to see you there!

Curious about specific products? Check out our blog, where we review all the latest art supplies and tools, and share our opinions on what’s a must-have, and what’s overrated.

Inspiration Station

Now that you've got some insight into what medium would best suit your artistic vision, check your inbox for your quiz results. You'll also get your custom curated Studio In-A-Box recommendations based on your answers.

Over the next week, I'll be sharing more tips and tricks to nurture inspiration and unlock creativity. Roll up your sleeves and let’s dig in!

🎨“Art is too important not to share.” — Romero Britto🎨

For you, art is mediation and the expression of love and coziness that you get from a completed piece. Whether it’s knits, quilts, tapestries, or even fabric sculpture, you love the fluid structure and earthy feel of textiles.

Working in textile mediums is as much a meditative practice as it is an artistic pursuit.

You love to let yourself get lost in the process – spinning the thread that you’re going to later weave or stitch into something to wear or display – you love every step of it.

And the opportunities for color expression are endless when you get into the dyeing process!

Textile arts also lend themselves well to group collaboration, and have brought people together throughout history to create community and closeness through acts of creation.

From the quilting bees of old, to the sewing circles in ladies courts, and even the net repairing that happened dockside in fishing villages, people have let their hands do the work while they spill the latest tea since the beginning of time. And you are so here for it.

The idea of your art adorning your collectors brings a sense of purpose to your creation, and you love the thought of them finding comfort and self-expression when they wear a garment or decorate their home with your hand- woven, carefully stitched, lovingly crafted art.

Here are some tips to help you get started in the world of textile art...

Visit as many of the local farmer’s markets as possible and talk with the vendors there. Chances are good that they have access to a whole community of crafters and textile creators.

YouTube has a wide array of tutorials to get you started, from spinning and dyeing wool, to knitting and crochet, there’s a wide array of videos to inspire and instruct.

But if you need the hands-on kind of instruction you can only get from a real world class, look no further than your local art or yarn store. You’ll find plenty of knitting circles and quilting bees in your own town, just waiting for newcomers to join in the fun!

“A good life is like a weaving. Energy is created in the tension, the pull and tug are everything.” ― Joan Erikson

🎨Operation: Artistic Creation🎨

How to jump-start your creative process.

1. It all starts with an idea.

Anyone in an artistic field can tell you, the biggest obstacle to creating something new can be finding inspiration.

Luckily, there are websites galore dedicated to helping you find the art styles that inspire you, and Pinterest is only the tip of the Iceberg.

And, there are loads of art books and local art workshops that can help you build the skills that will eventually help your inspiration find it’s way from your brain, out into the studio.

Check out our Artist Workshop Schedule to see when we host our next sculpture workshop, complete with materials, tools, and expert guidance from your favorite local artisans. You’ll also be able to connect with other artists who are trying to find their signature expressions of beauty.

2. Get stocked.

While there are a bunch of natural resources for artists, not everyone wants to go for a hike to collect materials for their creative process.

Luckily, our store is stocked with everything you need to get your studio ready for inspiration to strike.

Come on down and peruse our aisles, or check out our online shop to see what we’ve got available.

We also source materials we don’t keep stocked, so if you have a vision that our shelves aren’t equipped to make a reality, ask one of our sales associates if there’s a way to order in what you need.

3. Nurture Community

It’s easy to get locked away in your studio, and when inspiration strikes, any distraction can be detrimental.

But when you aren’t in the throes of artistic chaos, it can be nice to have people to talk to about art, your process, and what you’ve been creating.

Artists, while often solitary, can thrive when immersed in a community that’s rich with ideas, support, and education.

We’ve got a great line-up of in-house Artist Collectives and Showcase Open Houses, where everyone in our community is welcome to come display their work and share their ideas and processes. Less formal than our Workshops, Open Houses are meant to create a forum for vision sharing and group inspiration.

Creativity Corner!

Hey there, lost in inspiration! Welcome to The Art Barn, a unique art store that’s more than just a retail space. I’m Siobhan Wheeler, potter, painter, and art supply hoarder — also the mind behind the Uptown Art Collective, an organization whose goal is to get artists out of their studios and into a communal creative space.

At The Art Barn, we want every artist to be able to find the tools and supplies they need to make their creative vision a reality — and the resources to grow their skills and community.

Artists that have joined our community have gone on to create great success in their art careers, and achieve personal fulfillment from their art practice.

We’ve been featured in “Muse” magazine and have been guests on such podcasts as “Fine Art Confessions” and “Art Market,” and have been awarded the Community Builder Award in our hometown of Vancouver, BC.

In the Studio

Check out these resources to unlock your vision!

Stay inspired and up to date on all the latest art trends and techniques. Follow The Art Barn on Instagram and we’ll share studio hacks, product recommendations, and the occasional process video.

Love a good art shindig? Subscribe to our Guest List and be the first to know about any in-house events and larger community gatherings. Never be the last to know, or the one who hears about it the day after it happened! We’re always hosting gallery shows, creator markets, and artist conventions, and we’d love to see you there!

Curious about specific products? Check out our blog, where we review all the latest art supplies and tools, and share our opinions on what’s a must-have, and what’s overrated.

Inspiration Station

Now that you've got some insight into what medium would best suit your artistic vision, check your inbox for your quiz results. You'll also get your custom curated Studio In-A-Box recommendations based on your answers.

Over the next week, I'll be sharing more tips and tricks to nurture inspiration and unlock creativity. Roll up your sleeves and let’s dig in!

🎨“Art is too important not to share.” — Romero Britto🎨

Your cup overfloweth with artistic expression and you've never seen a stage you couldn't be friends with. Slam poetry, living statues, modern dance, they're all fascinating art forms to you and you'd love to explore each and every one of them.

When it comes to your creative process, you're wasted in solitude. Your art begs to be unleashed upon an audience, shocked into life, creating action, reaction, and often inspiring change.

You can appreciate the works of your classical painter and sculptor peers, but their process is too passive for a dynamic artist like yourself.

Throw paint at a canvas -- 30 feet up in the air, over a tank filled with sharks with freaking laser beams on their heads. Why? Octopus are endangered in the Great Barrier Reef. Bam! 500k hits on YouTube and the octopus now have a GoFundMe that's really taking off.

Or, sit in complete silence for 3 minutes across a table from a stranger, staring at them intently the whole time. Then repeat with a hundred more strangers, back to back. Express soul gazing with people you’ll never see again.

You need the interaction with the audience – the wonder, the amazement, the profoundly quiet internal revelations.

Even if you don't want to scale up to global viral sensation, you still want to create provocative performance pieces that capture the attention of your audience, and now, with social media, it's never been easier to make contact with new people - so you can shock and inspire them with your performance art.

Here are some tips for the aspiring performance artist…

Don’t wait for your spotlight. Unlike theatre actors, singers, and other types of art entertainers, performance artists find their stage within their environment.

A camera, a soapbox, a poorly lit corner in a cozy café ― any space that’s available, virtual or real world, is a place where you can express, share, and engage with the people you want to impact with your message.

Consider taking your art to the streets, and engage with your audience on their level. Or open a discussion with your virtual audience, through Insta stories and Facebook groups. Anywhere you can feed your artistic inspiration.

You can always stop by The Art Barn on Open House Evenings and check out the various performers. Slam Poetry will be hosted in The Knook, our tiny coffee bar and reading lounge, and art demonstrations will happen throughout the studio space. Follow us on Instagram as we go Live during any impromptu performances.

"I'm like a circus standing on two legs."

- Nuno Roque

🎨Operation: Artistic Creation🎨

How to jump-start your creative process.

1. It all starts with an idea.

Anyone in an artistic field can tell you, the biggest obstacle to creating something new can be finding inspiration.

Luckily, there are websites galore dedicated to helping you find the art styles that inspire you, and Pinterest is only the tip of the Iceberg.

And, there are loads of art books and local art workshops that can help you build the skills that will eventually help your inspiration find it’s way from your brain, out into the studio.

Check out our Artist Workshop Schedule to see when we host our next Mic Drop, our version of open mic night, where we invite people to share their performance art and encourage mentorship. You’ll also be able to connect with other artists who are trying to find their signature expressions of beauty.

2. Get stocked.

While there are a bunch of natural resources for artists, not everyone wants to go for a hike to collect materials for their creative process.

Luckily, our store is stocked with everything you need to get your studio ready for inspiration to strike.

Come on down and peruse our aisles, or check out our online shop to see what we’ve got available.

We also source materials we don’t keep stocked, so if you have a vision that our shelves aren’t equipped to make a reality, ask one of our sales associates if there’s a way to order in what you need.

3. Nurture Community

It’s easy to get locked away in your studio, and when inspiration strikes, any distraction can be detrimental.

But when you aren’t in the throes of artistic chaos, it can be nice to have people to talk to about art, your process, and what you’ve been creating.

Artists, while often solitary, can thrive when immersed in a community that’s rich with ideas, support, and education.

We’ve got a great line-up of in-house Artist Collectives and Showcase Open Houses, where everyone in our community is welcome to come display their work and share their ideas and processes. Less formal than our Workshops, Open Houses are meant to create a forum for vision sharing and group inspiration.

Creativity Corner!

Hey there, lost in inspiration! Welcome to The Art Barn, a unique art store that’s more than just a retail space. I’m Siobhan Wheeler, potter, painter, and art supply hoarder — also the mind behind the Uptown Art Collective, an organization whose goal is to get artists out of their studios and into a communal creative space.

At The Art Barn, we want every artist to be able to find the tools and supplies they need to make their creative vision a reality — and the resources to grow their skills and community.

Artists that have joined our community have gone on to create great success in their art careers, and achieve personal fulfillment from their art practice.

We’ve been featured in “Muse” magazine and have been guests on such podcasts as “Fine Art Confessions” and “Art Market,” and have been awarded the Community Builder Award in our hometown of Vancouver, BC.

In the Studio

Check out these resources to unlock your vision!

Stay inspired and up to date on all the latest art trends and techniques. Follow The Art Barn on Instagram and we’ll share studio hacks, product recommendations, and the occasional process video.

Love a good art shindig? Subscribe to our Guest List and be the first to know about any in-house events and larger community gatherings. Never be the last to know, or the one who hears about it the day after it happened! We’re always hosting gallery shows, creator markets, and artist conventions, and we’d love to see you there!

Curious about specific products? Check out our blog, where we review all the latest art supplies and tools, and share our opinions on what’s a must-have, and what’s overrated.

Inspiration Station

Now that you've got some insight into what medium would best suit your artistic vision, check your inbox for your quiz results. You'll also get your custom curated Studio In-A-Box recommendations based on your answers.

Over the next week, I'll be sharing more tips and tricks to nurture inspiration and unlock creativity. Roll up your sleeves and let’s dig in!

🎨“Art is too important not to share.” — Romero Britto🎨