Pictured, from left: Laurie Maves, Jeff Hostetler and Shannon Warren in the shared studio space of Art Factory 44. Photo courtesy of Art Factory 44.

Out on Tallevast, in a retrofitted warehouse sheltered from prying eyes, an artistic maelstrom has been brewing. For the last year and a half, painter Shannon Warren has been steadily assembling her own collaborative space and creative team, and this Saturday, January 19, Art Factory 44 celebrates its grand opening with an open house, inviting the public—and those prying eyes—inside to see what these resident artists have been creating. “We’re ready to share,” says Warren.

The “we” of Art Factory 44 comprises a core trio of two painters—Warren and Laurie Maves—and one sculptor, Jeff Hostetler. The trio shares the mostly open studio space of Art Factory 44, though shelves and walls—as well as the sheer size of the space—allow plenty of room for each to pursue their own art, free from distraction. It achieves a delicate balance, where proximity lends itself to the artistic cross-pollination and collaboration that Warren envisioned, but each working artist also maintains autonomous space. “We can see each other’s work,” says Warren, “and we draw a lot of inspiration from one another.” Sometimes the artists even indulge in group brainstorming sessions, where they all sit down and spitball. “It seems to ignite a lot of different ideas between us,” she says.

And with the grand opening and open house on Saturday, the artists welcome the greater community into this shared creative space, where abtract and color-hungry painters like Maves and Warren coexist alongside the bone-white arboreal constructions that Hostetler carves and crafts.

Visitors will also get an inside peek at the collaborative’s ongoing relationship with Trinity Graphic, a versatile printing company based in the same Tallevast location. Using work created at Art Factory 44, Trinity Graphic can print images on everything from canvas to metals, and even wallpapers and floor panels to transform the entire house into a veritable gallery. “Decorators might be very interested in what we can do,” says Warren.

For those intrigued by what they see on Saturday, Art Factory 44 also hosts workshops, including small-scale sculptural exercises with Hostetler and large-scale painting workshops led by Maves—which go beyond the casual paint-by-numbers approaches of some workshops. “You’re not going to be taught how to paint a palm tree,” she warns, “you’re going to be taught to open up and let go and let these things flow through you.”

Art Factory 44 is located at 885 Tallevast Rd. Unit A, Sarasota. The grand opening and open house is Saturday, January 19, from 5pm to 9pm.

Pictured, from left: Laurie Maves, Jeff Hostetler and Shannon Warren in the shared studio space of Art Factory 44. Photo courtesy of Art Factory 44.