By Katie O’BRIEN

Local artist and musician Sheri Garwood was invited to be the guest speaker at the STARC (Sunland Tujunga Arts, Recreation and Cultural) Committee meeting on June 27, which turned out to be the largest in-person turnout STARC has had. In a screen video from her studio, Garwood offered narrated slides and videos demonstrating several tips on how to turn a warehouse into an art and music studio; these tips can be applied to organize any space. They included:

1. Find a regular place to always keep things like keys, remotes, purse. Otherwise they can easily get lost in the craziness of a project.
2. Use baskets, plastic containers and drawers to keep things out of sight that are not in immediate use.
3. Find ways to store small objects so they either serve a purpose or look decorative while in place.
4. Have as much furniture (tables, chairs, etc.) as possible be foldable or on wheels so space can be altered easily according to a project.
5. Allow yourself at least one thing in the studio that doesn’t have to serve a purpose but is just there for the beauty of it or enjoyment.
6. Recycle and reuse jars, vitamin bottles and takeout containers for paint, mediums, brushes and other supplies.
7. Hooks and hangers everywhere to keep items off the floor.

        Garwood received her certificate from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise, as well as taking art and other related subjects privately and from other colleges. After working in the fashion design industry for 18 years, Garwood switched to fine art and began teaching ceramics and art classes at McGroarty, including drawing (figure and costumed) and creating wine and watercolor events there and classes in watercolor, acrylic painting and fashion design. She displayed her paintings at McGroarty and participated in various art show organizations throughout the Tujunga and Sunland areas, with a few solo art shows at Backdoor Bakery in Sunland.

After opening a local studio in the Tujunga area, and playing ukelele with a band in Montrose, she purchased a boat and switched her workshop to Ventura Harbor where she also found a musical venue and pursued music and songwriting while maintaining permanent residency in Tujunga.

Gerado Barrintos, who created the mural on the walls of the Pinewood School, will be lending his artwork to bench ads in the local area and called for other cultures, like Latinos and Korean, to become a part of the cultural expansion STARC would like to create.