Little Bluebird Studios gives art enthusiasts a place to shop and learn in iconic building
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Art studio in downtown Idaho Falls offers supplies, classes and ‘a beautiful place’ to gather
IDAHO FALLS – A pencil and paper have been Krissa Deurmeier’s best friends for as long as she can remember. The Rigby woman grew up drawing and now owns an art studio in downtown Idaho Falls where she teaches art classes.
Little Bluebird Studios opened in June inside the Rogers building at 545 Shoup Avenue, Suite 109. It includes a shop that sells art supplies and decor, books and toys during regular business hours. Art classes are taught throughout the month after 5 p.m.
In a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, Deurmeier describes her business as “a love letter to art.”
“I try to touch on all corners of the art spectrum,” Deurmeier says. “Art classes include oil painting, acrylic, therapeutic art night and watercolor.”
Deurmeier teaches the watercolor class and other local artists teach the others. The three of them have art on display in Deurmeier’s shop, some of which is for sale.
Deurmeier gives a little glimpse of the watercolor class in the video above.
Deurmeier says the classes are targeted primarily to adults who “want a comfortable space to come experiment” with different types of paint. She’s hoping to expand it to include block and lino printing in the future and attract more of the art community. She’s also hoping to be more involved with the Idaho Falls Arts Council.
In the last five months of business, Deurmeier is pleased with the turnout from the community.
“The word-of-mouth support has been really good,” she says. “People have (brought) friends to classes. Tourism downtown is good too, so opening in June through the summer was nice. People from larger cities were very complimentary of the shop.”
Drawing has always been Deurmeier’s go-to activity. She remembers grabbing a pencil and paper as a kid whenever she was bored. Her interest in art stems partly from her aunt and uncle who were always painting. Watching family members work was inspiring to Deurmeier and it made her want to do it.
Although Deurmeier has taken many art classes to improve her craft, she says it’s always felt intimidating to learn and get better.
“Instead of being in the moment, I spent a lot of time being anxious about how I’m going to be the best artist,” she says.
Those feelings prompted her to open Little Bluebird Studios to make art more accessible to people.
“Even if you’re making bad art, creating art, in general, is very good for us mentally, emotionally and spiritually,” she says. “I just want it to feel easy and accessible.”
She hopes the art on display in her shop is inspiring to those who visit.
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Deurmeier is thrilled to be among the tenants in the Rogers building. She says it’s a charming space and loves the idea of revitalizing a historic structure and giving it new life.
Find out more about the Rogers building here.
“The downtown vibe is coming alive again, and I wanted to be right in the middle of it,” says Deurmeier.
Deurmeier recently hosted an art show, which raised $3,500 for the Idaho Falls Community Food Basket. She wants to host more events to give back to the community.
She’s looking forward to watching the art community that’s supported her continue to grow.
“I want to continue building on the foundation we’ve started this year and make it a beautiful place for the community to be together,” she says.
Little Bluebird Studios is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. To sign up for art classes or learn more, visit her website.
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