FORT SILL, Okla. (April 14, 2016) -- Inspire Fine Arts Studio opened in 2015 after years of dreaming by owner Emily Dunham. I learned about it when I needed an escape to do some political-science reading (somewhere my child could roam free and not bother me for 60 minutes). Dunham invited me to check out the studio.
The building is easy to miss on busy Gore Boulevard, but worth finding if you're looking for a place to be inspired. Just let Dunham know you're coming as she keeps the door locked as an added safety measure for those who may be taking private lessons inside.
Last year Dunham had the grand opening of the studio which provided private art and music lessons. In the months since then, the studio has expanded to include summer programs, group Mommy and Me music classes, serve as a recital hall, and provide adult drawing classes.
During my first trip to the studio, I focused mostly on the comfortable chairs near the coffee trying to get just an hour of unbothered reading while my little one ran around playing in the children's corner of the main room (it was successful). I also did a quick walk through the small shop in the store filled with handmade items for adults and children but mostly I did my reading. Later Dunham invited me to the adult drawing class to experience more of what the studio has to offer.
I arrived late (in perfect mommy fashion) and sat in the back of small room next to the crazy Navy guy, Tony Johnson (I swear he told me to write that). Instructor Beth Malin gave each student a piece of paper and let us know we were going to be drawing an eye.
I consider myself a crafty girl. I took an art class in high school and I've had at least one commissioned art piece so I think I'm pretty good. I'm not. That's what I learned in my class as my classmate to my right, Ratna Scherrer drew, what I'm pretty sure was, the perfect eye. It was amazing. Turns out she was an art major in college so her skills were just a few levels above mine. That made me feel better.
The class was fun. The people made it fun. Malin taught at a comfortable pace using a book and her own artistic skills to demonstrate how to accomplish various drawing methods. Dunham met Malin through a community group called Mothers of Preschoolers. Malin, who has a degree in graphic design said she enjoys teaching.
"We're just learning," said Malin to the class. "It doesn't have to perfect."
Whew. That's good to know!
As we gazed into each other's eyes (we used the person across from us as a model) we gazed a little bit into each other's lives. Jessica Holmes was attending the class (and made us all laugh with her self-deprecating jokes about having to draw her own lazy eye) after taking classes with some friends during a girls' night out.
"I heard about the studio in the fall but didn't come," said Holmes. "I thought it was time I did something for myself and do something creative."
Amid lots of erasing and even more laughter, I finally got crazy-Navy guy Johnson's eye drawn. I told everyone he had eyes like the white walkers in Game of Thrones. Pale ice blue. It was hard to color.
The adult art class began this spring and Dunham said the class falls under the studio's overall goal of reaching anyone who wants to learn about the arts.
"We have a lot going on for younger kids," said Dunham. "We want to have more teenagers and adults."
She hopes to encourage more youths and adults to enroll in events at the studio during the one-year anniversary event April 16 at the studio. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the studio will have an open house with live music, door prizes, food, a surprise craft project and raffles. The money from the raffles will go to summer program scholarships.
By the time I left I'd drawn an eye and a nose (albeit not the most beautiful of either) and had a great time laughing. I was inspired to pull out my own pastels at home (I told you I was sorta artsy) and see what I could come up with.
"We hope to achieve the name of the place," said Dunham. "We hope to inspire people to creativity, to make positive changes in their lives and the community around them. The arts are a really a good way to get into that."
For more information about the Inspire Fine Arts Studio or about classes offered, visit www.inspirefinearts.com.
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