Custom casement windows, a ladder that leads to a loft, floors made of reclaimed 100-year-old wood beams.
And that’s just the interior.
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Outside are a terra cotta chimney, a front porch accented with white window boxes, and a side porch adorned with lights that twinkle in the night.
It may not sound like a typical office space, but this is where artist Rachel Roe of Kirkwood’s Rachel Roe Art + Design goes to work every day, creating abstract paintings, illustrations, and custom logos for T-shirts, caps, and packaging. Rachel and her husband, Ryan Roe, designed and built the space, beginning with plans for a simple toolshed that were ultimately shelved in favor of a studio for Rachel. “I feel more connected to nature and more inspired creatively” since moving in, says the artist.
It’s an enchanting space indeed, but Roe’s work surroundings weren’t always this idyllic or conducive to artistic expression.
After completing a BFA in college, where Roe discovered a passion for painting, the 27-year-old took a job as a graphic designer at a large corporation. Working within a strict set of standards and guidelines, she felt stifled creatively, and the work environment—white walls surrounding a maze of cubicles—proved less than inspirational. So at home, in the evenings, Roe continued to paint at an easel, creating abstract, impressionistic florals with strong, fluid brushstrokes in surprising color combinations.
In time it became apparent that a more practical, sustainable space was necessary, especially because Roe was hoping to strike out on her own as a freelance artist. She and her husband, Ryan, scrapped plans to build a tool shed for him in favor of designing a backyard art studio for her.
A year and a relatively modest $2,500 later, the couple completed the project.
“If I’m feeling inspired,” says Roe, “I can stop whatever I’m doing and begin painting.”
The space has invigorated her: Recently she’s expanded her oeuvre to include paintings of figures and faces, commissioned portraits, and digital illustrations of homes.
“I look at things in a totally different way now,” she says. “I’m so appreciative that I have this unique, special space to work in. I feel like, artistically, the possibilities are endless.”
