Studios III is a triple treat for art buyers, offering the cultural richness of a gallery, the congenial sounds of customers mingling with artists at work and the browsers-welcome-here ambiance of a small shop.
To meet the demand for affordable, original art, owners Lori D’Amico and Toni Ory have assembled the works of 50 artists under one roof.
The three-studio art store, at the northwest corner of Washington and Jefferson Streets in downtown Naperville, is staffed entirely by artists.
“That way we can work (on art projects) when we aren’t waiting on customers,” said D’Amico, an illustrator who specializes in architectural renderings for builders, commissioned house portraits and mixed-media paintings.
Having a working artists’ studio on-site provides a common ground for customer and artist collaboration.
“People will bring in pieces of their wallpaper and swatches of upholstery fabric and say, `Make something!’ ” said watercolorist Ory, a former interior designer who also makes a line of jewelry using semi-precious stones.
“It’s stimulating for us to have people walk in, ask questions and talk to us,” said full-time portrait artist Bobbi Smith.
“It’s like being a performer on stage; we get audience feedback,” said D’Amico.
Prices start at $5 for a handpainted note card. Ceramic bowls and trays are $8 to $40. Hand-dyed dried floral arrangements by D’Amico’s sister Kay Mills are $15 to $85. An intriguing assortment of accessories, including jewelry, decorated belts and delicately painted silk scarves and ties, range from $15 to $35. Watercolor, mixed media and oil paintings range from $25 to $1,200.
Although merchandise is priced to make one-of-a-kind art accessible to casual collectors, there is no compromise on authenticity, said Ory.
“Each piece we sell is an original, which means it has not been mass produced. It has been designed and individually created by the artist.”
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Studios III, 135 S. Washington St., Naperville, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Call 708-717-7978.
