www.carlyquinndesigns.com
Twenty-six year-old artist Carly Quinn didn’t know a thing about tile making when she walked into a tile artist’s studio for the first time.
“I immediately fell in love with it and knew that’s what I wanted to do,” she told a recent visitor to her current space at Splinter Brothers & Sisters Warehouse. Quinn’s love of her craft has led her to an exciting new chapter in the artist’s life; she’s preparing to move into a new – yet rustic – studio space in the historic Old Market Inn at 403 N. 6th Ave.
“I’d always done art, but until I met (local tile artist) Kris Selby, I didn’t know anything about tile making,” explained Quinn about her chosen milieu.
“I was lucky to find an ad she had placed on Craigslist, looking for a studio employee,” she said while explaining the fortuitous discovery of her passion. Quinn learned the craft from Selby while earning her bachelor’s degree.
Quinn’s journey to Tucson, much like her discovery of tile-making, was one of serendipity. She moved from California to Prescott with her parents when she was 12. After high school and a stint at Yavapai College studying art, she moved to Georgia to attend Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
“The south wasn’t for me, and SCAD was pretty expensive,” she said. So, she headed back to Arizona and discovered the Tucson campus of the Art Center Design College. There she studied illustration and graphic design.
After graduation, she held a couple of jobs doing illustration and mass production of decorative tiles. Quinn eventually rented studio space at Splinter Brothers, where she could devote her energy to her own work.
Quinn uses high-quality glazes to produce a rich, brilliant palette in her work; her designs run the gamut from Arabesque and Eastern-inspired murals to Day of the Dead iconography and desert blooms.
“The colors and textures she uses are what get me,” said Anthony Trugman, the artist’s fiancé, about Quinn’s work. “The way she represents the imagery is really ancient and appealing — like staring at a campfire at night. It evokes a very emotional response.”
Trugman, the talent booker at The Hut on 4th Avenue, plans to join forces with Quinn and a third partner, graphic artist Greg Wilson (PaperGuns.org), to pursue his passion at the space on 6th Avenue.
“Greg is talented, smart and successful – just the kind of person you want to go into business with,” affirms Trugman.
Wilson is also enthusiastic about the new partnership. “Carly and I are both at a point where we’re able to sustain our craft,” he said, and he’s looking forward to working out of the 1880s building (which housed Arizona Glass & Mirror Co. after its earlier incarnation as a market, and, most recently, Eric Firestone Gallery) with its high ceilings, exposed brick, tons of windows and funky metalwork.
The new digs will provide studio space for Quinn and Wilson with a small gallery area in front. The cozy basement space will be transformed into Vista Records, a music recording studio.
“We want to make it a recording co-op, where we’ll do projects by trading sweat equity, equipment and experience for recording time,” explained Trugman.
Quinn, Trugman and Wilson epitomize the vibrant, creative spirit of Tucson’s Historic Warehouse Arts District. The trio plans to open on March 5 during the First Saturdays Art Walk. Details are still in the works, but according to Quinn, “It will definitely include some really cool, gypsy-inspired live music that lends itself to the vibe of the art and the space.”
Information about the opening will be available at CarlyQuinnDesigns.com. Carly Quinn’s work is available locally at Bohemia Artists Emporium, The Little Village, Hunter Home Furnishings, Petroglyphs Gallery and Originate Natural Building Supplies. Quinn also sells her wares online and at galleries in Prescott, Scottsdale and some California locations. Custom orders are also a large part of the artist’s trade.
