I’ve often remarked to my husband (any anyone else who wants to talk with me about some of my favorite subjects: plants, shops, branding and merchandising) that Terrain is my Disneyland. The shop which is part of the Urbn umbrella that also runs Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Free People has my number.

Everything about the space is merchandised impeccably and branded in that subliminal organic, natural, high end way that sets if apart from a lot of other retail out there. The plants are also very well maintained. It is also, like any of the stores under the Urbn umbrella brands, very of the moment. It is aspirational and inspirational to mere mortals like myself who, with currently a team of one, do all the photographing, blogging, lease management, event coordination, upfitting, product purchasing, shipping, designing, email responding and so on and on and on (though a few years ago I did manage a team of 8 at Gather – even then something of this scale felt unfathomable).

Regardless, it is inspiring to see what those teams of thousands do when they are focused exclusively on color ways, on finding the most perfect product, on creating custom display fixtures and so forth, into their space.

We have family that lives near their nursery/store in Pennsylvania so we always take a detour to stop in every time we are in the vicinity. As with many things these pictures don’t really do it justice. It’s really about the in store experience and really needs to be walked in person to appreciate it in full.

The outside grounds are like any other plant nursery and filled with trees, shrubs and other large plants and outdoor decor and seating. Inside is where the magic really happens. It is as you would expect from walking into any Anthropologie store only change the palette to muted greens, the subject matter to plants and related ephemera versus clothing.

Here air plants are merchandised in front of a large display wall of moss. Though it is a fine line between this and say The Rainforest Cafe, somehow it works, and though very very heavy-handed, manages not to feel that way.

What stores do you think really nail what they do across the board?

iphone photos by Michelle Smith for Gather Goods Co

Now that I’ve shared other inspiring painting spaces are you all ready to see where Sarah Jane Tart, the artist & instructor of the upcoming Floral Painting Class at Gather on Saturday March 16th creates her work? Recently, I visited Sarah Jane at her home studio in Durham to take photos of her and her space and learn more about her. I just loved the area she has dedicated to her craft and that it is set up for her to be reminded to create something every day because of it’s location adjacent to her living room.

Sarah Jane works full-time as a graphic designer and her husband is a nurse. They share their home with their adorable golden retriever puppy.

How gorgeous is this wooden easel? Sarah Jane said her husband bought it for her and it made her feel like an “official” painter. Her workspace is setup off of her living room and kitchen in a little alcove with great light that used to be the dining room.

In addition to the easel positioned in front of a big window, Sarah Jane has a desk area that she has set up against the far wall that she shares with her husband. Here she keeps her planners, printer, fresh cut flowers (she recently splurged on a flower subscription service) and other inspiring art by other artists.

The painting you see here is the first she ever created in her floral series and was inspired by her wedding bouquet, though she’s been painting all her life and flowers have long been an inspiration for her.

I’m excited for Sarah Jane to teach us her process at the upcoming Painting Florals class at Gather on Saturday March 16th where you will walk away with your own finished piece inspired by a floral arrangement still life. Will I see you there? You can register here.

All photos taken by me, Michelle Smith for Gather Goods Co.

Now that I’ve thought about all the tools and process of painting, I’m daydreaming about painting studios ahead of the Floral Painting class at Gather on Saturday March 16th. I am always fascinated by how other artists set up their work space. Painters tend to have specific things in their spaces: a window with good light, an easel or wall where you can tack your paintings in progress, space to hang your inspiration or other art in process, flat files and storage for your canvas and of course your paints and brushes close by.

Some artists prefer a more serene, calm space with lots of blank walls and others like to be surrounded by little vignettes of collected items and inspiration. I find that most artists are collectors and magpies at heart and like to “see” their treasures around them, including their supplies since they are very visually driven people.

I love the idea of a tucked away backyard studio space where you can get as messy as you like and keep your home and art separate. That is a one-day goal for myself, hopefully with a dog underfoot just like here but really any space with great light and lots of wall space to hang things on will do.

Do you dream about one day having a space where you can paint and create? What does it look like? Do you already have one? I’d love to see.

Will you be joining me at the Floral Painting Class at Gather with instructor Sarah Jane Tart on Saturday March 16th? You can register here.

Images: Rustic painting retreat, Collection of artist tools & inspiration, paintbrushes in glass vessels, paint tube display, backyard art cabin, tall windows in artist studio, plant filled painting space

I’m feeling inspired by all things painterly due to an upcoming Floral Painting class at Gather on March 16th. Participants will learn to make their own floral masterpiece taught by Durham, NC based graphic designer/painter Sarah Jane Tart at our downtown Cary, NC studio and classroom space. Students will paint from a fresh bouquet still life. Very fun. If you’d like to join, you can register here.

Whenever I begin a painting or any piece of graphic art I first start by assembling inspiration either digitally or on a physical pinboard. I then start to see what patterns are emerging. Here I see lots of earthy muted shades of salmon, terracotta, sage greens, rust, charcoal, creams and gray blues. As far as graphics I see repeated rectangular and circular shapes stacked together in an organic fashion. Identifying these commonalities helps to give you a visual template to refer to in the back of your head of imagery that resonates with you and styles to experiment with and incorporate into your piece.

While not specifically floral per say, elements from the above can still be worked into your own art in subtle ways creating texture and layers. My own art process and process in general involves lots of layers built upon one another. I am currently working with encaustic painting techniques just as a personal creative release and I’m enjoying it a lot.

I love how messy that painting is. It is a chance to work with your hands and get them dirty and to step away from all the screens we are so often focused on. It is a good excuse to just experiment and not have set expectations or results in mind as far as output. When I’m painting I certainly get paint all over my hands, surfaces, feet you name it so it’s always good to have an apron on hand to protect your clothes.

Having the tools that you need on hand is definitely helpful when the urge to create strikes. As you get better at your craft you can invest in higher quality brushes and paints but I am a firm believer that you should start with what you have and learn as much as you can, then when your skills improve and you meet the tools at your level you will be amazed at how symbiotic it becomes. This recently happened when I upgraded my camera which I have been using for years and years to a much more professional level one, I was blown away at how much my skills that have been growing over time gelled with the technology. I’m glad I’ve worked my way up, it was such a treat to reward myself with the “next level” of tool instead of just having it straight out of the gate.

As far as taking care of your painting tools, the most important thing is washing out your brushes after every use so they don’t harden and become permanently unusable. You should store your brushes bristle side up as well and you can even make (or buy) brush rolls that store nicely when you amass a large collection or need a portable solution.

As far as paints to buy, again, start with what you can and as far as colors you really only need a basic palette of red, yellow, blue, black and white and from there every color can be mixed, this way you are really creating the colors you need and want versus having to buy a specific shade. My painting teacher in college drilled that into as, as well as how to make our own canvases (super easy) and that the paint should be the consistency of tomato soup so it is easy to spread on the canvas. As far as painting on canvas you also want to make sure it is primed with gesso first so that the paint “takes” evenly.

Are you a painter, a dabbler? Do you prefer oils or acrylics or watercolor? Something else? Do you want to learn or just have a pretty floral painting to hang on your wall? Will you be joining us for the Painting Florals Class at Gather on Saturday March 16th? If so, you’ll need to register here.

This Thursday at Gather we’re hosting an embroidery class with Allie Paige of Humble North Hamilton. She’s going to teach students a variety of stitches and they’ll walk away with a finished piece inspired by the state of North Carolina and its state flower the dogwood. I’ve rounded up some work from other inspiring embroidery & fiber artists below.

How beautiful is this tone on tone piece on a translucent fabric background by Ontario based artist Sarah Godfrey? I love that the textures in this piece are what make the impact versus bright color. You can follow her on Instagram here.

Lisa Smirnova’s work is vibrant and painterly. This embroidered peach rendering feels very retro and modern to me because of the colors (and subject matter) that are very of the moment but have a decidedly 60’s feel at the same time evocative of avocado kitchen counters, salmon colored appliances and wax fruit in bowls.

This piece by Amelia Dennigan reminds me of fireworks and ocean corral and just how similar the shapes in nature are, whether they come in the form of pyrotechnics or underwater plant life.

Here, Thea Haines a textile design instructor at Sheridan College, shows us different embroidery stitched on naturally dyed fabric swatches resulting in a cohesive collection.

How cool are the textures in this piece-in-progress by local Raleigh based embroidery artist Elena Caron?

More work by Lisa Spirnova, this time her work is an avant-garde apparel piece on a deep navy waffle textured fabric that allows the corrals and pink threads to really pop.

A Scandinavian-inspired botanical silhouette looks just right on a pink circular background on this art by Claire Crider.

A patchwork coat embellished further by Lisa Spirnova.