Art Supply House

Art Supply House The official source for Art Supplies & Custom Framing in Durango, CO. Art Supplies, Custom picture framing, art repair

This week's spotlight is on - Mar Evers - whose business card I ran across at College Cafe! See even more on her website...
08/28/2026

This week's spotlight is on - Mar Evers - whose business card I ran across at College Cafe! See even more on her website (www.mareversart.com)!

All sorts of shrink fun is currently happening at the store - from shrink film to charm and jewelry kits. Even the Zip-I...
08/27/2026

All sorts of shrink fun is currently happening at the store - from shrink film to charm and jewelry kits. Even the Zip-It bags are excited!

Keep DancingI've had this Kurt Vonnegut story rattling around in my head for the last week or so. He talks about going o...
08/26/2026

Keep Dancing

I've had this Kurt Vonnegut story rattling around in my head for the last week or so. He talks about going out to buy a single envelope, even though his wife points out that he could just order a whole stack and save himself the trouble. But saving himself the trouble is exactly what he doesn't want to do. The trip is the point. He gets to walk down the street, see people, talk to the shopkeeper, notice what's happening around him. It's inefficient, sure. But that inefficiency is part of being alive. Vonnegut called us “dancing animals,” and I think that’s the part of the story I keep coming back to.

There's something about his idea that we're "dancing animals" that keeps coming back to me. A dance would be pretty disappointing if the goal were simply to get from one side of the room to the other as efficiently as possible. The steps that don't seem necessary are the whole thing. The turns. The pauses. The wandering. The occasional bit of farting around. Maybe life works the same way. We need some errands that take too long, some conversations with no agenda, some afternoons that don't produce anything measurable. Otherwise we may get very good at moving through life without doing much dancing at all. And what's the fun of that? Keep dancing, keep farting around, and keep making things. The world needs your art!

We're thrilled to now be carrying products by UglyBooks! Their colorful UglyBooks and Ugly Pads are made for drawing, do...
08/20/2026

We're thrilled to now be carrying products by UglyBooks! Their colorful UglyBooks and Ugly Pads are made for drawing, doodling, experimenting, and making whatever you want - because sometimes the best ideas start when you stop worrying about making something “pretty.” Come by and check them out to see all the fun colors!

We Love Show and Tell with Customers! These funky fun pieces were done using some of our New products. Languo Acrylic Ge...
08/19/2026

We Love Show and Tell with Customers! These funky fun pieces were done using some of our New products.
Languo Acrylic Gel Pens and along with some other mediums. The Uglybook paper held up beautifully!

Our customer who made this art, does not have social media but was happy to allow us to share their fun pieces.

Play Like It MattersOne of the easiest ways to stop making art is to convince yourself that it doesn’t really matter. Wh...
08/19/2026

Play Like It Matters

One of the easiest ways to stop making art is to convince yourself that it doesn’t really matter. Who needs another painting? Another photograph? Another sketch, collage, or strange little experiment? It’s a perfectly reasonable question. It’s also a dangerous one. Because creativity rarely survives when we make it justify its existence before we begin.

I think this is where two ideas about art can be true at the same time. Art can be playful. It can be something we do simply because mixing colors is fun, because we like the feel of a pencil moving across paper, or because we’re curious what will happen if we try something we’ve never tried before. Not every piece needs a grand purpose. Sometimes making art for no reason other than the joy of making it is reason enough.

But art can also be serious. Maybe not serious in the sense of being solemn or important to everyone else, but serious in the way we give ourselves fully to it. We can play with an idea and still care deeply about where it leads. We can laugh while we’re making something and still fuss over the composition, repaint an area five times, or spend twenty minutes trying to get one color just right. Fun and devotion aren’t opposites. In fact, I think some of our best work happens when we allow them to exist together.

So maybe we don’t need to decide whether our art is important before we make it. We just need to treat it as if it matters while we’re making it. Follow the odd idea. Make the unnecessary thing. Take the experiment seriously enough to see where it goes - and lightly enough that you’re willing to surprise yourself. You may never know which piece will connect with someone, open a new door, or change the direction of your own work. Your job isn’t to predict its importance. Your job is to make it like it matters. The world needs your art!

This week's spotlight is on - Mary Carroll - whose work I ran across in International Artist magazine. See even more on ...
08/14/2026

This week's spotlight is on - Mary Carroll - whose work I ran across in International Artist magazine. See even more on her website (www.merrysee.com) and instagram ()!

How fun are these guys? Monster Colors Tempera Paint Sets are made for colorful adventures, curious minds, and masterpie...
08/13/2026

How fun are these guys? Monster Colors Tempera Paint Sets are made for colorful adventures, curious minds, and masterpieces that refuse to stay inside the lines. Because sometimes the best art begins with a bold color, a big idea, and permission to play.

See life in high fidelityI've often heard "learning to draw or paint" is really "learning to see" (and then learning to ...
08/12/2026

See life in high fidelity

I've often heard "learning to draw or paint" is really "learning to see" (and then learning to represent what you actually see).

I was recently reminded of another way to practice seeing - learn more details about where you live. The example given was simple. Ask a local forester or botanist to teach you the 5 most common trees in your area. Suddenly, the forest becomes a known thing - a collection of new friends rather than one indistinct mass.

Added together, the two ideas of learning to see and learning more about what you're looking at allow you to experience more of the world. They help you notice the nuance, detail, and beauty that might otherwise be overlooked.

The skills your creative pursuits develop allow you to interact with the world in a different way. The world can affect your art and your art can affect the world. The world needs your art!

Address

24 Town Plz Unit B
Durango, CO
81301

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm

Telephone

+19703750090

Website

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