The founders of a new art studio In South Pasadena want you to embrace your inner chaos.
Located at 1020 Mission St., SPLAT Action Art Studio is a new concept in the do-it-yourself art space, providing a place for artists of all skill levels to try out “action” art techniques such as splatter painting, acrylic pouring, pendulum painting and more.
This is no “wine-and-paint” experience where you dutifully mimic the instructor’s slow-paced movements on your own canvas. At SPLAT, when you enter the studio, you’re never quite sure exactly what you’ll make that day, say longtime friends and first-time business owners Juan Carlos Franco and Michael Chavez.
“I think that as adults, we often have trouble being satisfied in the creative process,” Chavez says. “We are conditioned to think, ‘There needs to be an end product, there needs to be an ideal state I’m working toward.’ But we are encouraging people to shift their focus to the fun and the experience of making art.”
SPLAT is an acronym for Splatter Painting Learning Art Therapy. “It’s the idea of art as self-care, as a type of therapy,” Franco says.
After a studio tour and overview of painting techniques, visiting artists pick their colors, find a painting station and unleash their inner creative for the next 60 minutes. Video monitors at each station offer technique instruction and inspiration if needed. A one-hour session starts at $55 and includes paints, canvas, tools and brushes, protective gear and a take-home box. The studio also offers group sessions for people who want to collaborate on a large-scale canvas.
“We want people to feel welcome to just come, have fun and do their thing. To know that they can come as they are and trust that that’s enough,” Chavez says.
For more places serving families in the greater Los Angeles area, check out our “New in Town” section on laparent.com.
