North Central Mass. couple to open new art studio in Gardner. What they hope to teach

Through their mutual love for artistic expression, husband and wife duo Sean and Nancy Bray co-founded Diamond Hearts Art Studio.

For the past three years, the two artists have created art and conducted art classes out of their Fitchburg home, but they are looking to open an art space in Gardner early next year. The couple focuses on teaching pour painting and creating colorful abstract paintings using the pouring painting technique.

They discovered pour painting, a fairly new art technique, during the COVID-19 pandemic on TikTok. Both Nancy and Sean saw how quickly pour painting became a form of mainstream art through social media and they decided to give the technique a try.

Paint pouring is a method of fluid art where acrylic paint is mixed with a pouring medium and then poured onto a blank surface. Various tools can be used to change the pattern or texture to create unique pieces of art.

Nancy said they started with cheap materials from the dollar store. After they realized they love creating with this form of painting, they wanted to start sharing it with their friends and families.

Now the couple has perfected the art form by making their own recipe to creating unique art pieces, and they want to teach others how to create art through paint pouring.

"Paint pouring is an art technique that anyone can do – young kids, the elderly, disabled people," Nancy said. "It doesn't require a lot of dexterity so people with arthritis or other disabilities can learn the art form."

Meet artists Nancy and Sean Bray

Both Nancy and Sean started to use all kinds of forms of artistic expression as an outlet when they were kids.

Originally from Everett, Nancy grew up in a family where art and crafts sessions were a common family activity. Nancy said her mother encouraged her and her siblings to explore all forms of art from musical theater to visual arts.

Originally from Seekonk, Sean taught himself to draw and paint when he was a child. He eventually went to Maine College of Art in Portland to continue his passion in art.

A creative outlet during the pandemic

The couple moved to Central Massachusetts a decade ago when Sean got a job in Concord. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and government officials implemented quarantine rules, Sean, like many people, had to start working from home.

Sean said he realized how much he needed to be creative again as he required a way to cope with the quarantine. He said that he and Nancy started to teach themselves how to paint pour. When they got better, they sold their paintings to friends and family.

They got the idea to start their own home art studio so they could continue to be creative together. Sean said they eventually started to attend local flea markets, festivals and fairs to sell their art and they quickly collected customers.

The duo came up with the name Diamond Hearts Art Studio after Sean designed their logo. Sean said he got the idea to combine the "S" for Sean and the "N" for Nancy as a logo and then he saw it made two hearts and a diamond, hence the studio's name.

Each work is original, and unique

Nancy and Sean paint together most weeknights because Sean still has a full-time remote job. Nancy said they collaborate on every painting, and they always play music while they create because it helps them with their flow.

Sean said they don't reproduce any of their pieces and every time someone buys a painting, they get a certificate of authenticity. They both said not repeating paintings is a creative challenge that excites and pushes them to be better.

"We have made thousands of paintings and each one of them is not like any other," Sean said. "We never make the same painting twice and we don't ever want to make prints of any of our paintings. That's not something we are interested in."

Diamond Hearts Art Studio is coming to old Wheelen Supply Company on Main Street

The couple recently signed the lease for the old Wheelen Supply Company building at 112 Main St. next to the bike shop where they will open the official Diamond Hearts Art Studio retail space. They also plan to move into the apartment that is attached to the storefront. Sean said it's a fantastic opportunity to be able to live so close to the work they are passionate about.

Nancy and Sean sell their paintings and tickets for art classes on their Diamond Hearts Art Studio website. They also are vendors in several festivals and events across the Central Massachusetts area. The art studio plans to attend the Wachusett Summer Fest at Wachusett's Mountain Ski Area in Princeton on Saturday, Aug. 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"Right now, we make art out of our kitchen and put this giant tarp to catch any drippings. We also do art classes from our driveway," Sean said. "We don't have much space to create, work and live so we know the Gardner location will be perfect for us."

Timetable for studio opening

The couple hopes to move into the retail space early next year and open the art studio doors to the public by February or March 2024. The duo said they want the art studio to be a beacon for artistic expression in the Greater Gardner community.

"We want to give the community a space for artistic expression, especially for young artists because kids can never get enough art in their lives," Nancy said. "We want to make the art studio not just a retail or gallery space, but open mic nights can be held there or anything else that the community needs."

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Diamond Hearts Arts Studio to bring paint pouring to a Gardner studio