Conversations with Kristin Harlander-Sony

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Harlander-Sony

Hi Kristin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Since I was little I always wanted to create art, My grandma would draw with me, teach me, have craft nights. It was inspiring. I started teaching art in 2005. Teacher salaries are ones that demand second jobs so I always taught for other companies on the side. Kids camps, drawing classes, gallery sales, Saturday morning art classes…it was always art. in 2015 the company I was teaching for on the side closed and I finally realized it was time to start my own business instead of working for everyone else. I opened Square Canvas as a Paint and Sip company that was totally mobile. My friend and I went to restaurants all around Columbus asking to host events. California Pizza Kitchen picked us up and we were there every Tuesday night. Within a year we had three different Columbus locations that we attended weekly along with private events for birthdays, bachelorette parties, girls night out, etc.

We continued this for several years, had a lull during Covid, slowly picked back up and then in 2022 we found a studio space in Canal Winchester. With the studio space we expanded to have a splatter paint studio and also began offering pour paint, tie dye, summer camps, toddler classes, event rental space, and even glow in the dark paint parties. Recently we opened open paint hours with woodcuts and a paint bar. It’s like paint your own pottery but with wood and you take it home that day. We love learning and adding more to keep our products unique for the community.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As with any business there have been some struggles. We had finally began to ramp up our business and we actually did an event in March of 2020, the night before Covid shut us down. We didn’t do any events for about a year and then people still preferred to have the parties at outdoor venues, wear masks, and the attendance was very low. I was grateful that I was still teaching full time so that this was not my only income source. When business started picking up, we decided to open the studio space in 2022. I was still teaching elementary art full time and doing events on nights and weekends. With five kids, I knew that opening a studio would cause me to miss some sporting events, evenings at home, and just the day to day activities. The kids are very understanding but it is not always easy. This year I decided to take a leave of absence from teaching and focus on Square Canvas full time. It has been an amazing year already getting to connect with the community and partner on so many events.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We are a social art studio that focuses on the social aspect of art. We want people to have fun creating so our classes are meant to be enjoyed with others. We use a 12×12 canvas (Square Canvas) that is smaller to create a setting for people to see each other, socialize, eat and drink. For our splatter and pour paint events, artists use the same size canvas and also decorate a pizza box to take their artwork home. Our art is created in a party atmosphere for events of all kinds and we hope to inspire people to continue creating art.

Through this studio I have also been able to start creating my own artwork with liquid watercolors and selling it. It is displayed in the community and in the studio.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Recently I listed to a podcast titled, How I Built This, and it was inspiring to know where all of these businesses started and where they are today. To know that others have had struggles, had to switch gears and change things up, and have still continued to be successful gives me hope on hard days.

Pricing:

• Paint and Sip $30 per artist
• Splatter Paint $30 per artist
• Kids Parties $25 per artist
• Wood Cuts Events ($30-40)
• Event Rental ($125/hour)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.squarecanvasart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/square_canvas/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SquareCanvasArt/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@squarecanvasart