What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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• Business to business wholesale prices • 10% discount on first purchase 95 S. Southwinds • Farmington, AR • (360) 610-1020 JULY 14-20, 2019 WHAT'S UP! 41 Comfort Art LARA JO HIGHTOWER NWA Democrat-Gazette M arie Haley and her two daughters started Art and Soul NWA Studios with one central thought in mind: anyone and everyone has an artist inside of them. Haley says she came to art late in life, after being convinced for years that she wasn't creative. "I've had a corporate career forever, and a friend of mine who is very artsy kept encouraging me to do artistic things," she says. "I would say, 'You are crazy. I can't draw a stick person.'" She was amazed when she finally sat down to try her hand at a project and found herself immediately hooked. "Now, it's really a passion to me to help people understand that art isn't just about drawing things. Anything can be art, especially with the skills we give them." Art and Soul classes focus primarily on "fluid art." "Some people call it 'paint pouring,'" explains Haley. "We also do resin classes, where you mix pigment with resin, and we just started water marbling, a fluid art from the 15th century." Art and Soul teaches classes, hosts parties for birthdays, girls' night out, corporate team-building, family get- togethers — you name it, says Haley, they've hosted it. And in the process, she says, they've discovered that the art activities they teach don't just benefit creativity. A student, who was also a psychologist, tipped them off to the psychological benefits of what they're teaching. "She sends me articles that say that this kind of art is akin to meditation, which is how we got into our 'Yoga, Wine and Art Night,'" explains Haley. "We've done an event for kids with autism during Autism Awareness Month, so that's a real option for parents looking for something to do with their kids. We have people coming in now for anxiety and for PTSD. It was a real eye-opener for us — it started out as 'Hey, this is fun,' and now, more and more, people comment on how comforting it is." The studio is currently located within Rogers Experimental House — a cooperative of artists' studios — but Haley says they've secured a space of their own and will soon move to 317 N. Second St. in Rogers. Creativity isn't only benefit of 'paint pouring' Courtesy photo Art and Soul Studio NWA's Marie Haley describes fluid art as "almost meditative" and says she's had art class participants observe, "you just lose yourself in it." FAQ Art and Soul Studios NWA 121 W. Walnut St., Rogers Upcoming Events Yoga, Wine and Art — 7 p.m. July 18 Acrylic Fluid Art: The Swipe — 7 p.m. July 19 Water Marbling at the Rogers Farmers Market — 7:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. July 20 Couples Night Out — 7 p.m. July 27 ROGERS DINE IN ONLY! FLYING FISH