Couple’s new business aims to make artists of amateurs

PALMER — If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at painting — while sober — you may want to pay Palmer Picasso a visit.

Located in what looks like a warehouse from the outside, the industrial-chic, bistro-style art studio was created by Palmer residents Mike and DL Steele as a non-alcoholic alternative to the recently popularized “Beer Meets Canvas” and “Wine and Canvas” events cropping up around the country.

“We wanna bring something wholesome to entertainment in Palmer,” DL Steele said at the studio on Saturday, May 14.

Rather than serving a few pints with the paint supplies, Palmer Picasso offers complementary cupcakes, coffee and tea to its customers. With dimmed lights, soft music and a small-group setting (maximum 12 people), the business aims to create a calm, relaxing and intimate feel suitable for morning, afternoon, evening and “date night” classes, she said.

“We just wanna create like a get-away in Palmer,” she said.

Classes are geared toward beginners who simply “want to relax and unwind through the joy of painting,” as stated on the Palmer Picasso website. Steele said even those who have never attempted any artistic endeavor beyond finger painting are welcome.

“Anybody can really draw (or paint) with proper instruction,” she said.

Mike’s mother, Dianne — who was one of Palmer Picasso’s first students — could attest to that.

“I was kind of intimidated coming in, but DL’s a wonderful instructor. She made it so easy,” Dianne said on Saturday, returning for round two of step-by-step painting.

Her friend, Carmen Narvaez, said she “didn’t know” she could paint until she tried it for the first time at Palmer Picasso. Her finished piece, she said, shocked not only her but her family as well.

“I showed it to my son and he says, ‘You did that?’” Narvaez said.

Retired elementary school teacher Heather Lampard, whose first class was Saturday, said she wasn’t sure how her painting would turn out, but that she was encouraged by Palmer Picasso’s philosophy and her friend in company, art teacher Ginger Christensen.

“I have the soul of an artist and none of the skill,” Lampard said. “So being guided in this way is good.”

About the owners

Though Mike has lived in Palmer full time for 20 years, DL’s career as a photojournalist for the U.S. Air Force and as a private citizen drew her to many places over the years, including an eight-year stint in Guam as a commercial product photographer. While her creativity blossomed during those years as a professional artist (she had wanted to major in art in college, but graduated with a “more practical” degree in psychology, she said), DL decided she’d rather travel and do art more as a hobby.

“I don’t wanna feel like I’m working when I’m traveling,” she said.

Not wanting to quit making art cold turkey, DL searched for ways to share her passion with others in a low-key but profitable way.

Three years ago, she moved to Palmer and met Mike. They had a lot in common — particularly their love of the outdoors, DL said — but in one area they were at odds: Mike was no artist.

Happy to take on a challenge, DL decided to teach him how to paint, step by step.

“When she first started talking about painting I was a little bit skeptical, but I’m a pretty easy-going guy so I tried it and I really enjoyed it,” Mike said.

Plus, the artwork he created was “pretty passable,” he said, proving that Palmer Picasso was a more valid business plan than he had at first realized.

“I’m a really good example of the fact that she can teach anybody how to paint,” Mike said.

“He was pretty much my guinea pig,” DL added.

Since both of the owners work full-time — Mike as a dental hygienist and DL in human resources — they’ve opened the studio as a weekend business, Friday through Sunday, with regular classes (not special parties) on Saturdays and Sundays only. They plan to get married in August, then increase their operational hours to accommodate home school students thorough Mat-Su Central School this fall.

To learn more about Palmer Picasso, find it on Facebook or visit palmerpicasso.com, or call 746-2787 during regular business hours. The studio is located at 301 E Outer Springer Loop, Unit B2, just beyond the intersection with Inner Springer Loop if approached from the highway.

Contact reporter Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.