Studio By The Tracks

Studio By The Tracks is seeking a Studio Intern to work primarily in our Art Garden Program. The ideal candidate should show enthusiasm for the mission of the program: (1) to produce plants that can be used in artmaking and (2) to provide opportunities for connection with nature and hands-on learning experiences for both our youth and adult Studio Artists.

This year we are expanding our growing area and incorporating new lesson plans and opportunities for community engagement around the garden.

The ideal candidate will be willing to help out in the studio in any area as needed, but should expect the majority of their time to be used helping out in one of the following ways:
- Garden bed building
- Weeding
- Seeding
- Watering
- Composting
- Processing plant material into artmaking mediums
- Assisting in lesson plan development
- Assisting in class

The program offers a $250 stipend for 5 hours of work per week for 6 consecutive weeks, starting the week of May 2nd. The work schedule can be somewhat flexible within Studio hours (9am-4pm Monday-Thursday + 9am-12pm Friday). We are happy to work with your educational institution to meet any accreditation requirements. The intern will gain work experience in the following areas:
- Fundamentals of sustainable gardening
- Botanical art techniques (such as indigo dyeing, bundle dyeing, watercolor making)
- Art instruction
- Natural dyeing and botanical printing

To apply, please submit your resume and a cover letter explaining your interest and skills to [email protected].

Look at this awesome new piece by ! You can find it on our Web Store right now by going to studiobythetracks.org!

Color Storm by Austin Thrasher
16 x 20 in.
Acrylic paint, water-soluble wax crayon, oil pastel, and colored pencil on paper.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Like Austin himself, his work is open, observant, and full of energy. While he is always willing to explore new subjects and techniques, his tried-and-true favorites are action painting, trees, flowers, and hearts. Bright colors, dynamic brush strokes, and movement define his work.

We're loving this new piece by ! It's on the Web Store, along with so much more from other Studio Artists! Go to studiobythetracks.org to buy it now.

Pigs by Alan Poole
14 x 10.5 in.
Acrylic paint on found paper.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Alan’s artwork reflects his in-depth knowledge of the mechanical and the musical. Textured brush strokes and solid lines characterize his images of vintage cars, musicians, and musical instruments. He calls this trifecta 'cars, stars, and guitars.' He also plays the guitar himself and has been known to perform at SBTT events.

The next installment of our Sustainable Arts Workshop Series is coming up soon! Join us on Saturday, April 30th at 10 am for Mixed Media Botanical Oracle Making with Merrilee Challis.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:

In this workshop, Birmingham artist Merrilee Challis will guide us in creating our own deck of mixed media floral oracle cards using organic, botanical shapes as our inspiration. Each student will leave the class with their own unique artworks.

This workshop is suitable for participants of all ages. All materials will be provided.

The workshop has a limited capacity, so go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/botanical-oracle-making-with-merrilee-challis-tickets-314600798457 to register now!

This free community programming is made possible by generous grant funding from the Alabama Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Check out this brand new piece from ! You can find it and more on our Web Store right now by going to studiobythetracks.org.

Study in Geometry by Tynesha Carlton
13.5 x 16 x 0.75 in.
Acrylic paint on paper in black frame.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Tynesha follows her instinct, usually letting the materials take the lead. She works in any medium that suits her vision including clay, metal, fabric, and paint. When working three-dimensionally, her organic shapes might appear random but are actually carefully considered and a unique result of a very intentional process. Tynesha has grown tremendously during her time at SBTT and has even begun a degree in a creative field.

Become an SBTT Member today!

Our mission is to provide our artists with a social network and career path that enriches our artists’ lives and betters our community. If you believe in what we do, and want to become a part of that, we ask that you sign up to be member today. The stability of continued giving through our membership program gives us the ability to continue investing in our artists and our community.

Becoming a member doesn’t come without its perks, of course. Swipe to check out all of our levels of membership and the official perks that come along with it!

For more information, or to sign up today, go to https://studiobythetracks.org/support/membership/!

Today is World Autism Awareness Day!

Providing studio space, materials, and guidance to adult artists with autism is at the heart of what we do. We respect neuro-diversity and different life experiences, abilities, and forms of personal and creative expression. We seek to create an environment that is inclusive and respectful to all.

Our artists receive 60% of the sale of their artwork which we hope provides them with not only income but also a metric to show that their contribution to the art world holds recognized value. This is also one way we seek to incorporate our artists and their work into the local, regional, and national art community.

April is World Autism Awareness Month, and we are so excited to share more about our artists, artworks, resources, and more all month long!

It’s Women’s History Month, and Studio Artist Michael Hall has drawn portraits of women that inspire him!

The last portrait that we’d like to share is of Amanda Gorman, a poet and activist! Gorman was the first person to be named the National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017. Her writing discusses issues of oppression, feminism, race, and more. In 2020, she was made the youngest inaugural poet in US history.

We’re excited to continue sharing Michael Hall’s Women’s History Month portraits all month long! Stay tuned for more!

The Studio will be closed 3/28-4/1 for Spring Break!

All Web Store orders placed during this time will not be fulfilled until we return on 4/4.

Right now our Kid’s Classes are helping us get the Art Garden ready for Spring!

They've been making ceramic snails and mushrooms to put in the garden beds, and are also busy decorating a brand new bee box that we’ll be adding to the garden soon!

We can’t wait for all of the great things we have in store for the Art Garden this year, and we’re so glad to have the Children’s Program helping us to get it ready!

We launched our Art Garden Program in early 2021, and we are proud to report a beautiful and bountiful first year!

Our artists have truly enjoyed creating with the botanical mediums we have grown together in the Art Garden. We’ve used hand-made botanical dyes, inks, and pigments using many different plants from our garden plus some scavenged foliage from neighbors. These materials have been used to create beautiful works of art. We have also used these materials to make merchandise like banadas? Kitchen towels and more, now for sell in the Studio Store. We’ve had an incredible time interacting and experimenting with the natural world in our art-making!

Over the past year, we have also created two thriving community programs centered around the Art Garden — our monthly Sustainable Arts Workshop Series and our K-12 Field Trip Program! In our workshop seri3s we have created foraged vine baskets, hand-sewn quilt squares using found materials, made our own paper from fibers foraged from the Art Garden, and so much more. We’ve also hosted multiple free field trips for local K-12 classes, which include a garden tour and art activity for all participants. We’re excited to announce that we still have a few openings in our field trip schedule through this September, so please reach out if you know of a class that would be interested in joining us!

This year, we have plans to expand our Art Garden. We are currently in the process of cleaning up last year's beds, amending our soil, and adding in some new growing areas. Our first round of seedlings are growing indoors at the Studio right now, and we'll be ready to transplant them outside in the next couple weeks. We can't wait to share everything that we create with materials from the Art Garden throughout this next growing season!

Our artists are hard at work on something BIG! We have some exciting things to share soon, so stay tuned for more...

Check out this great piece from ! Go to studiobythetracks.org to find it on the Web Store right now, along with so much more from other Studio Artists!

Rainy Day by Austin Thrasher
12 x 8 x 1.75 in.
Acrylic and pastel on wood canvas.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Like Austin himself, his work is open, observant, and full of energy. While he is always willing to explore new subjects and techniques, his tried-and-true favorites are action painting, trees, flowers, and hearts. Bright colors, dynamic brush strokes, and movement define his work.

It’s Women’s History Month, and Studio Artist Michael Hall has drawn portraits of women that inspire him!

The next portrait we’d like to share is of Viola Davis! Davis is an actress that has won many awards including an Academy Award, Emmy, and two Tonys—she was the first Black woman to achieve this “Triple Crown of Acting”. She has been named one of Time’s Most Influential people, as well as one of the greatest actors of the 21st century by the New York Times. Davis has also been recognized for her advocacy of human rights and activism for equal rights for women and women of color.

We’re excited to continue sharing Michael Hall’s Women’s History Month portraits all month long! Stay tuned for more!

We're so excited to be hosting Abadir's during our Studio Saturday event tomorrow!

This Greensboro-based bakery serves "wholesome dishes and pastries rich with Egyptian flavors, crafted in a Southern kitchen." They were a favorite at our Holiday Open House Vendor Market, and sold out in only a few hours! Enjoy good, unique food while you shop our Studio Store.

Join us for Studio Saturday on March 19th from 10 am - 2 pm to shop everything in the Studio Store and enjoy some of this amazing food! See you there!

Look at this great new artwork by ! It's on the Web Store, so go to studiobythetracks.org to check it out now.

Jurassic Shark by Robert "Bebo" Davis
12.75 x 12.75 x 0.75 in.
Acrylic paint on found vinyl record cover in a white frame.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Robert, also known as Bebo to friends and family, has a wry sense of humor that clearly comes through in his artwork. Not afraid of a bold palette or a little whimsy, his work reflects his energetic nature and hints at the influence of comics and animation. Some of his favorite subjects are animals, insects, superheroes, and community helpers such as policemen and firefighters.

Studio Saturday is coming up soon and we have some big news for members... We're doubling our membership discount to 20% for all original artwork!

We look forward to the chance to say 'hello' and 'thank-you' in-person! See you at Studio Saturday this Saturday, March 19th from 10 am - 2 pm.

Who else is excited for Studio Saturday this weekend?!

Guess what?! I’m heading back to @studiobythetracks this weekend for Studio Saturday!

Studio By The Tracks will offer extended open hours over the weekend, and I’ll be there celebrating with sweets and savory treats and a yummy sandwich, too.

We’re aiming for a beautiful spring day, and it’d be so lovely if you could join us. Shop for some artwork, apparel and gifts in the studio store. Enjoy some good food. Let’s make this a thing.

See y’all this weekend!

Saturday, March 19 — 10am-2pm / Studio By The Tracks / 301 20th St S / Irondale

(PS — if you don’t know about this organization, you should absolutely, 100% go check them out. That’s all I’m going to say.)

Check out this great new piece by Michael L. Moore! Go to studiobythetracks.org to find this and so much more on the Web Store now!

The Duke by Michael L. Moore
13.25 x 19.25 x 0.75 in.
Watercolor and acrylic on paper in a black frame.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Michael is laser focused on his work–unless he his talking trivia with the staff. His areas of interest for trivia talk are peacocks, oil companies, and vintage movies and television. His artwork is most often inspired by the graphic design of the 50s, 60s, and 70s and looks to music and movie posters and vintage advertisements as source material. Fans can check out Michael, his trivia, and his artwork in the documentary short "Do You Like Peacocks?" by Mary Clay Fields.

Studio Saturday is only 5 days away! Join us on Saturday, March 19th from 10-2 pm to shop the Studio Store!

We usually have limited retail hours (every Monday thru Thursday from 10-3pm), so we are delighted to be able to open our Studio Store on Saturday, March 19th from 10-2pm. Located at 301 20th Street S, Irondale, AL 35210.

Our store is overflowing with artwork, apparel, and gifts — so come explore! The Studio Store is perfect for anyone looking for an approachable way to start their art collection. If you’re already an established collector or interior designer, we will have meaningful work to add to your walls.

We’re so excited to be hosting Abadir's during our event! This Greensboro-based bakery serves “wholesome dishes and pastries rich with Egyptian flavors, crafted in a Southern kitchen.” They were a favorite at our Holiday Open House Vendor Market, and sold out in only a few hours! Enjoy good, unique food while you shop our Studio Store!