A Dream come true

“With God, all things are possible.” -

—Matthew 19:26

Welcome to my Dream Studio: The Watering Can Art Studio!

As far as I can remember, I have always had some form of art in my hands. From crayons to markers to paint, I was always drawing or painting in my childhood. And no matter what I did during school and into my adulthood, my sketchbook or paintbook was close at hand documenting the moments of my life through some form of art medium.

That included my composition book that was filled with sketches and ideas of how my dream art studio would look like in the future. It was so surreal when I pulled it out to refer to it when I was designing the Studio I have before me today. White washed brick walls and garden string lights adorning the high ceilings. Painted canvases of all sizes hung on the walls to give people inspiration on painting their own canvases. My collections of world globes and vintage thermoses displayed about the studio reminds me that I’ve traveled to many places that have inspired me in some form and am still thirsty for new mediums of art.

People often ask me, “ why the name? A watering can with a hosta plant in it? The paint brushes, understandable, but what do the other two things have to do with art?”

Well, they don’t have anything to do with art, they have to do with me. I’ve been in love with watering cans for so long and I collect them too! I love how there are many different shapes and sizes but they all have the same function: storing water that nourishes plants and is essential for them to grow. And my love for hosta plants started when I got my own house as a young adult. I started out with only 4 little plants and now our garden is home to over 100 species of hostas! I always knew the name of my studio, so much so that when email began, I chose the name of my email address as “thewateringcan@XXX.com, to remind me of my dream and to keep on striving to make it a reality. The watering can is symbolic of the studio. The water it holds is symbolic of my love for art and the hosta plant is symbolic of my community. The Watering Can Art Studio is a place where my love for art can be shared with my creative community to help nourish their inner artist soul. A place where families and friends can gather to unplug from the world and leave it behind for a few hours to create things together and talk, laugh, drink, snack, sit a spell and stay awhile and visit with each other while creating memorable keepsakes for that moment in time.

I’ve been dreaming about owning my own art studio since I was in my early teens. The dream of creating a space where I can share my love of art with my community became a reality in 2019! The purchase of a paint-your-own-pottery studio was just the launch pad of what is now a multi-medium art studio filled with so many types of mediums to choose from! Some of the mediums we offer are acrylics on canvas, glaze on bisque, clay hand building, pottery wheel throwing, paper arts, fabric arts, textile arts, wood kits, scrapbooking, card making and bible journaling, just to name a few. The sky is the limit! If you can imagine it, I will do my best to make it a reality for you!

I won’t sugar coat the fact that it has been a true struggle to open a new business during the past two years. But with God on our side, we have survived the covid wave and are hoping to have the best year ever! Being chosen as the Best New Business 2020-2021 from our community through the Mid-Ohio Valley Chamber of Commerce was a true testament that hard work does pay off if you have faith in the dream that the Lord has planned for you! I believe that He did not bring my dream to fruition just to close it down in 2 years, so I have faith that it will flourish. Art is such an important part of our lives. Our world would be so boring without it. Our human souls need that time to just unwind and simply be CREATIVE and when one feels the need to be, I hope they find their way to the The Watering Can Art Studio. :)

MJ is, first and foremost, a child of God. She credits her success because of her faith in Him and all that He has created. She is most thankful for her role as the mother of three beautiful, smart and loving adult children. They are her most precious creations and gifts from God. But this dream could not be possible without her darling husband, Larry. He was the mastermind of building her dream studio and making her sketches from her composition book pages come to life. He always tells her when she has an idea, “draw it up, and we can build it.” “We”, really meaning “he”! The love and support of all 5 of them means the world to her and the Studio would not be possible without them. <3