A Battery Point art studio is offering Tasmanians a chance to get creative without the hefty price tag or intimidation that often comes with the art world.
Mel Jones, a high school art teacher and trained art therapist, has opened Studio Selkie, tucked away at 15 Castray Esplanade behind a foyer and a fire door.
The concept is simple – pay a small fee and get access to a wide range of art supplies without having to buy your own.
“It’s basically like plonking a high school art room in town,” Jones said.
The most expensive daytime session tops out at $30 and those who bring their own materials can hire studio space for a half-day for $20.
Jones said she retrained in art therapy but did not want to open a private practice because of how much it costs people to attend sessions.
Instead, she wanted a space where anyone could access materials at a reasonable price and to create a community where artists could work around each other.
“A lot of people come in and they’ll be like, ‘Well, I don’t really know what to do or what to do, but I loved doing stuff when I was at school,'” she said.
Collage nights run every second Friday evening from 5:30pm to 8pm and Jones said they have been consistently packed.
Other people have begun approaching her to run workshops at the space, including a six-week creativity course and sessions on bookbinding and incense making.
Jones said she also recently helped emerging young artist Awela host her first watercolour workshop at the studio.
Jones said the biggest problem so far was the lack of street frontage and people not knowing the studio was there.
She said keeping prices low is important to her but means she needs people coming through the door to cover rent.
“I’m way more community-focused than money, but I also do need to, like, cover the bills,” she said.
The studio is open to anyone aged 14 and over on Wednesday to Friday from 10am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm.
