We’re on a mission to spread the word about The Art League Store — a brick-and-mortar art supply store hidden in a second floor corner of the Torpedo Factory — by introducing its staff of working artists here on our blog. Last time, we interviewed Cindy Richmond. This time we talked to long-time Art Leaguer Chris Cardellino, who took her first Art League class in 1985 and joined the Gallery the next year. We asked Chris to tell us what makes The Art League Store special.
“We’re a serious store for serious artists,” she said. The store has the staff, the knowledge, and the supplies to meet the needs of students and professional artists alike. With few stores dedicated to art supplies in the DC area, The Art League Store provides one place for local artists to find what they need — or something new.
Chris’s favorite item on the store shelves? The Caran d’Ache water-soluble crayons, found to the left as you walk in the store. Because they’re water soluble, they work well with acrylics and mediums. “They’re a lot of fun,” Chris says.
Chris paints in acrylic with mixed media, using Golden paints, but used to paint in oil and also has experience in watercolor and charcoal drawing. She’s been interested in faces recently — see her series at the top of the staircase on the Torpedo Factory’s third floor — working from photo sources and creating composites from her imagination, questioning what a portrait is. Chris says her artwork is always asking questions.
If you have questions about supplies for your next class or project, you know who to ask! Find Chris in the store on Mondays.
The Art League Store is open from 9:15 am–4:00 pm, Monday through Saturday during each nine week term (Summer Term: June 24–August 25), and from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm outside of term. The store also offers evening hours throughout the nine week term on Tuesday and Wednesday from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.