Just what is a l’atelier? Well, for starters, it’s a French word meaning a studio where artists work. It also refers to the place where master artists train students. It could be for anything from high fashion, to writing, to creating poetry—and every art form in between. It is a word that supports artistic expression at a specific location, a place of creativity. A refined way of describing a place, where artistic juices turn on and electronic devices are off.
Located at 59 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Suite B (at Bean Street)—with the entrance facing Victory Lane—L’Atelier Los Gatos is now officially in existence.
This relatively new space is a l’atelier where artists, groups or community folks can gather. Recently I met with L’Atelier Los Gatos creator Shirley Julian to find out how this came about and just what all is going on here.
(Photo by Dinah Cotton)
“The intent is to have art here, a place where individuals, classes or just people can use to share an art activity or gather, with friends or family”, Julian stated. “We have a few artists here that use this studio on a weekly basis. I schedule and give them the door code. Whenever they want they can come in here and use this space to paint or hold classes,” she added.
This is starting to sound like a very interesting idea in a great location.
Get your art on
“For those who do not have a space at home to paint, this is a solution,” Julian went on. “The intent is not to make a million dollars. The intent is to make the space available to our community, from artists that need a space to work in to executives that may need a meeting space or even for paint parties. A group of 12 fit in here comfortably—chairs may be added to accommodate a few more. We just had a church group here meeting…to sip and paint.”
Could this be the site of your future book club meeting or a painting birthday party?
“This space was difficult to rent out commercially, so I thought, Why not create a space where all of this could happen? I put this together with used furniture and handyman assistance. We have a sink and easels, just add art supplies, which I can order if you wish.
Currently, some of our artists pay a flat fee each month and are flexible enough to move their schedule around if we have a group coming in,” Julian added. “We even have mindfulness training here on Mondays.”
At L’Atelier Los Gatos, the floor-to-ceiling windows along Bean Street let in the bright north light. There are drapes that can be pulled shut, when needed. The sturdy furniture provides artists an area to work on their creations, desk top areas or dining space to bring-in sit down meals.
Think intimate gatherings, art shows or creative celebrations, product launching, seminars, book signing, family reunions and any variety of parties that might be better off outside your home and in an elegant creative environment.
Contact Julian: Sh************@**************os.com cell 408.688.7055 Instagram latelierlosgatos.
