Jessica GoMez opened her new art studio, The GoMez Studio, this past July and the studio has been a hit since. GoMez has a history of teaching art to people of all ages and is using that experience to provide a space where anyone can enjoy the artistic process.
GoMez has been teaching art to fifth and sixth graders for 22 years and before that was an art therapist that worked with senior citizens. GoMez loves teaching and helping people understand how to enjoy art is what inspired her to originally open a studio out of her home before coming to Hammonton.
“I want my students to stop worrying about how their work looks or how ‘good’ it is. I try to drive home that there is no universal ‘good art’, there is just your art. When I tell people I teach art, most adults immediately say to me ‘Well, I can’t even draw a stick figure.’ ‘Can’t’ continues into adulthood. So, I decided to open a studio in my home, this way I could work with both kids and adults and show them how to find their own success in the marks they make, whatever the medium,” GoMez said.
Gomez Studio currently takes reservations for private groups ranging from 2-24 people and offers a wide variety of artistic projects that can fit any type of occasion. There is also plenty of space for guests to eat, drink refreshments and socialize. “There’s over 96 images to choose from. You can do canvas, you can paint on a panel, you can paint on glassware, you can do glass mosaics and I do birthday parties. You bring your own group and you reserve the time,” GoMez said. “People can just come in, choose what they want to create, I pretty much lock the door and they have the space for two and a half hours and they can just be relaxed with people they know and make something together and just enjoy that time.”
GoMez is also sending a call for local, Hammonton based artists to decorate the stools in the studio and advertise themselves in the process.
“On my website there is an open ended event listed as Design an Art Maker’s Throne. It is a call for local artists of Hammonton to advertise for free on the stools in my paint room where guests sit. Right now the stools are very beige and boring. I am inviting artists to decorate one of the stools with their unique style, using any medium or material they prefer, and to incorporate their name, business card and info where their work can be purchased. This way guests of the GoMez Studio will be able to sit in style while they paint and shop for local art. I provide the stool, and the artist uses their own materials to transform it into something that represents them and their work, then bring the stool back for the perfect placement in the paint room,” GoMez said.
Above all, GoMez wants to provide a space where people can learn to express themselves in a creative fashion and enjoy themselves while doing so.
“Creativity helps in all aspects of our lives, trusting the decisions we make, looking for new ways to see things. I tell all of my students, young and old, we don’t make mistakes, we just make decisions. If you don’t like the decision you made, make a different one, as many times as you need to, until you do,” GoMez said. “My job is giving people the tips and tricks to do that in a non-judgemental and relaxed environment, and be there for support if they need me.”
To set up a time to enjoy The GoMez Studio yourself, you can call (609) 547-5300 or visit their website thegomezstudio.com. You can also follow them on Facebook @The GoMez Studio New Gretna and on Instagram @thegomezstudio.