Peachey is ‘Jill’ of all trades
Trending
BELLEVILLE -- Tambra Peachey paints the town in new hues with her business, Tambra Art Studio. Hailing from McVeytown, Peachey is an artist, sign painter, graphics and logo designer.
She is a "Jill" of all trades, finding her niche in advertising, picture framing, doing sign and vehicle painting, as well as other commissioned art. After living in Tulsa, Okla. for several years following college, Peachey planted her roots in Pennsylvania once again.
After settling back home, she was afforded the opportunity to turn a dream she loved into her occupation, teaching art at Belleville Mennonite School. She has been employed at the school for more than 30 years. Despite her affinity for teaching her students, she knew she wanted to expand that same love of art to others.
So, she opened a physical location for her art studio, renting space at 4461 East Main St., Belleville. Her mission is to deliver enjoyable and informative classes for students, ranging from kindergarteners to seniors in high school. She welcomes novices to the art world and provides them the opportunity to let their creativity shine to create their own masterpieces.
"I love teaching art and have often thought about offering art classes to homeschooled students. That dream became a reality in October when the building in Belleville became available, thanks to my friends Jim and Faith Treaster," Peachey said.
She credits her son for bringing the business to life with new signage, making her studio easy to find for newcomers. "I recently had my sign installed; now, people can find me! My son, Nick Peachey, of Blue Mountain Metalworks, made the sign and I painted it to match my logo."
So what's on the menu at the art studio? The better question is, what's not on the menu!
"I am currently teaching a three-month Fall Session to homeschool students. Classes meet every other week, six classes in three months. I offer Thursday or Friday classes and the sessions are split into four age groups: K-2nd, 3rd-5th, 6th-8th, 9th-12th. My studio is small and class size is limited. I recently started taking registration for my Winter Sessions, which will happen in January, February and March."
Peachey is eager for the countless imaginative learning experiences that Tambra Art Studio extends to homeschooled students to release their inner artist. "Homeschool art classes offer a great variety of experience in different media. I like the students to learn about different artists, different art styles and to experiment with different kinds of art tools. Last week, we created clay Christmas trees, snowmen, and ornaments. I'm very excited to be able to offer pottery because that is one of my favorite things to work with."
But that's not all that Peachey has up her sleeve to offer future Picassos.
"The next phase in my studio is to offer workshops during evenings and weekends. My 'You're the Artist' workshops offer a small, more intimate class size. These classes will be simple projects that adults and children can do in an hour or two. I'm trying to do different things, not the usual painted canvas party."
In the fall, the students created a pumpkin arrangement during a class led by Joshua Kanagy, a local gardener and one of Peachey's past art students. Previous classes also included creating coasters with alcohol ink and painting wine bottles.
For the month of December, the following classes have already been scheduled:
•Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. -- Watercolor Christmas Cards
•Saturday, Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. -- Macrame Ornaments
For those who wish to express their creative talent further and share it with friends, she offers private "You're the Artist" workshops for birthday parties, celebrations, friends' get-togethers, and more. In December, she offered workshops at $100 for up to six people!
Peachey dreams big and anticipates new, exciting endeavors for Tambra Art Studio, especially in the next year. "I hope to start art classes in 2024, which will focus on one kind of art. I love to do calligraphy, so I plan to do some calligraphy classes -- both brush calligraphy and copperplate calligraphy. I will also offer hand-building pottery classes and maybe some watercolor painting. I am still brainstorming what these classes will look like."
No matter what the future holds for Tambra Art Studio, Peachey champions novices and old-timers alike that life is but a blank canvas -- and every person is an original artist.
To connect with Peachey and view Tambra Art Studio workshop schedules, check out Facebook and Instagram. The studio is open by appointment or class only. To inquire about scheduling private parties, contact Peachey through social media, by calling (717) 437-0871, or by email at tambraartstudio@gmail.com.