Daily Loaf

When customers pop into Central Art Supply Company to stock up on paintbrushes and pastels, co-owner Pat Jennings can’t help but be curious. Earlier this year, after an abundance of shoppers confessed to him that they were headed to workshops elsewhere (like North Carolina or New Mexico), curiosity gave way to inspiration — and the Artista Project was born.

The workshop, demo and lecture series invites artists into Central Art Supply Company’s 1,000-sq.-foot studio, three doors down from the store, for a wide range of how-tos themed by artistic medium as well as professional development issues like copyright. (When I pointed out to Jennings that the appeal of escaping to Vermont for a lithography seminar in the dead of August transcended the allure of merely taking an art class, he countered that “holding a watercolor workshop with some rock star [instructor] here in February is equally compelling.”)

Upcoming August and September offerings include a two-day fabric dyeing and painting workshop taught by fiber artist Celia Buchanan; relief printing with Bleu Acier owner and printmaker Erika Schneider; and a one-day session focused on pop art (with lessons in stenciling, lettering, drip painting and distressing surfaces) with artist Andrea Pawlisz. Rates range from around $400 for an intensive, five-day workshop to $10 for a sponsored product demo by manufacturers including Arches (sexy paper) and Gamblin (oil paints). (Folks who attend such demos typically walk away with some swag.)

Also in August, Jennings and co-owner Claudia Strano Jennings plan to invite a team of graffiti writers to create a mural on the side of their new location, a building that formerly housed a BBQ joint, at 2429 Central Ave. Keep an eye peeled for the results. For more information about Central Art Supply Company, call 727-898-8300 or go to centralartsupplyco.com.

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