An artist with a passion for teaching and working with others recently opened a studio in west Pasco that lets anyone become an artist and go home with a creation they love.

Hollie Zepeda was often told she wouldn’t make a living in art, and decades later, she’s hoping to prove that notion wrong with the opening of her new studio, Art YOUR Way.

The business at 6303 Burden Blvd., Suite A, is a permanent location for the artist who first started hosting paint parties at wineries in 2019, using acrylics on canvas. Zepeda’s venture had just started to rev up when the world began shutting down for the pandemic.

“I had two events, including one that was sold out,” she said. “They were big events; people had a great time, and I had such a fun time teaching, and I could not wait to teach again. And then that was it.”

Zepeda said she felt depressed when she couldn’t teach and grow the business like she’d planned.

She took advantage of the time at home with her children to teach them art, but it wasn’t the same.

“I had no motivation. I kind of put myself in an incubation period where I was just sitting and thinking. I started running. Actually, I was just running my heart out. We were all running from Covid, you know? But all that time, in the back of my mind was, ‘As soon as things open up, I’m just going to push as hard as I can and save up as much as I can to offer a space that is safe for adults and kids, too,’” she said.

Art has frequently been an outlet for Zepeda, especially during hard times. When she struggled with post-partum depression, she began painting rocks, and students at her daughters’ school could turn them in as part of a reward system when they found them around town.

“I needed an outlet, and when I would post them on the Tri-Cities Rocks Facebook (page), people would just get so excited, and some wanted to start paying me to do it, but I didn’t have a business license,” she said.

Her grandmother had experience making money from her art. “My grandpa would cut wood pieces, and she would paint them. She also painted cookie jar lids and magnets and people would buy them,” she said.

Zepeda’s grandmother painted with her in a little studio in her house when she was babysitting Zepeda and her siblings.

“She didn’t really sit and teach me, but we’d paint together. I don’t want to say it’s always been a natural talent because it’s something I worked on and something I enjoyed.”

Growing up in Idaho, Zepeda won some awards for her art and even volunteered at an art museum.

But the nagging thought that she couldn’t make money on it drove her to pursue a degree in animal science and a career in the veterinary field.

When her kids were young, she started painting again.

“I started doing commissions and I submitted some pieces to the Reach and other local museums. I also sold a couple of pieces at different wineries,” she said.

As soon as it became possible to gather again and events started to be scheduled, Zepeda led a paint party at a local winery that quickly sold out.

“We had over 40 painters, and I had to turn people away. It was exhausting, but it was a big success. And it was cool to offer that to the community because people got the chance to relax and create and do something with their hands,” she said.

Letting the artist have a role in the art was part of the inspiration for the naming of the business.

“My brother-in-law went to the Art Institute of Seattle, and he wouldn’t do commissions for people. He’s an amazing artist, but he’s like, ‘Well, I don’t want to do it their way. I want to do it my way.’ You have to give people what they want with a commission, so I decided to twist that and make it Art YOUR Way and let them know I will do it your way,” she said.

The finished creations are generally a mix of both as Zepeda sketches out an image ahead of time and then the customer paints it.

“It’s kind of more like a coloring book page,” she said.

She found this eliminated the competition that often developed between friends who would come paint – one would be more skilled than the other.

“One of them would have a great painting while the other one was struggling the whole time, so I started drawing the canvases beforehand. It still gave them the freedom to be creative with the colors. They had that structure and I’d just guide them with the strokes and colors. It made a huge difference to go home with something that looks nice,” she said.

The images are a mix of designs Zepeda created and ones she has purchased through paint party subscription services. She contributes to those services as well.

Her threshold for a design she offers is something she can paint in under an hour.

“I can usually teach it in about two hours and be confident the class will go well,” she said.

Her longest classes are typically for “paint your pet” parties where people send her a picture of their pet ahead of time and Zepeda goes to work sketching it on canvas in the same way she does other images. At three hours, these are her longest classes and come with a $60 price tag, compared to most other images that are about $30-$35.

Customers can choose from a range of sizes for the canvas.

She has seating for 32 people using tables once used at The Wet Palette: Uncork + Create in Richland after its owner Becky Brice died.

“I feel like her spirit is here with me,” Zepeda said. “I hope I’m living up to her.”

Zepeda said Brice had reached out to her to take over her watercolor paint-and-sip studio in Richland prior to her death.

“We just couldn’t make the numbers work,” she said.

Still, Zepeda felt honored by the gesture.

She also wasn’t sure about taking on a space with a kitchen, which is required by the state to host parties that serve wine.

“I can only serve beer, hard seltzer and cider,” she said of the Pasco location that’s available for birthday parties, private events, scheduled paintings or drop-ins.

Art YOUR Way sells ceramic figures that can be painted on site and glazed to give the appearance of firing, and wine glasses are also available to paint and take home.

Zepeda hopes to invite other artists to her studio that can act as a blank canvas to teach classes showcasing mediums besides acrylics, including oils and watercolors.

“I just spoke with someone who wants to do wire wrapping, so it’s kind of giving an opportunity for artists who don’t have their own space, they can come in. It’s safe, it’s comfortable and it’s fun, right? Plus, I can still make a little bit of revenue selling snacks and drinks.”

Following her grand opening earlier this month, Zepeda is offering a smattering of children’s workshops on watercolors and drawing, and she hopes to provide a free story and craft time aimed at toddlers once a week.

“That way people can come in and do something with kiddos, but also get a chance to see, ‘Oh, I could come back and do something for myself.’”

She also intends to host classes on advanced acrylics and painting using oils.

With her studio opened, Zepeda doesn’t expect to be on the move providing mobile classes or paint parties as much.

“I will be sending other artists instead. It gives them a new job and a new way to get their style out. It will be a nice touch to be something different from me,” she said.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

Art YOUR Way: 6303 Burden Blvd., Suite A, Pasco; artyourway.org; 509-405-9879.