Create-It-Yourself Art Studio Opens

Thu., Oct. 17, 1996

Janice Podsada Staff writer

Art By Yourself, a 2-week-old business venture, is Andrew Baucom’s artistic alternative to what to do after work, after dinner, or on a Saturday afternoon.

Instead of going to a movie, or snacking on cake and coffee, you can paint your own cup, saucer and plate, he said.

Art By Yourself is located at 122 S. Monroe, a half-block south of The Spaghetti Factory. The studio is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Baucom, a Spokane native, has been a ceramics artist for the past 10 years. His studio is behind his new business.

Baucom sells his own wares, custom-designed tiles, to interior designers in the Northwest.

He started Art By Yourself after he saw similar businesses in Seattle.

“I believe there are 15 of them now in that area,” he said.

“There was a fellow in here on Saturday, hauled in by his wife and two kids,” Baucom said. “He said, ‘I’m going to pick out something cheap because I’m not artistic,’ so he picked out a tile. He wanted to do an airplane, so we did a trace of an airplane, using a carbon, and he was very pleased,” Baucom said.

Customers can choose from a variety of premade ceramic pieces, such as mugs, vases, plates, bowls, or even a bathroom sink.

Baucom provides the brushes and paints and the cleanup. Customers create their own designs or use the stencils from his large collection.

“It’s a relaxing activity, and you don’t necessarily need to be artistic,” he said. His studio can accommodate 15 people.

Once a customer paints a piece, Baucom glazes and fires it with a clear finish. The finished piece is ready in about five days.

All of the ceramic ware is safe to eat and drink from, as well as being dishwasher and microwave safe, he said.

Studio time is $2 an hour with paint and brushes provided. A mug is $6, a platter $11, and an espresso cup and saucer is $6. The cost of the glazing and firing is included.

Baucom had one customer come in last week who decorated plates for a bride-to-be. Another painted a picture of a dog on one of the pieces.

“The fellow came in to do an urn for the ashes of his dog,” he said.

, DataTimes

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