Tinley Art Studio Seeks To Create Picture-Perfect Bond With Community

TINLEY PARK, IL — Dave King has been in business long enough to realize that a customer's experience can prove invaluable when it comes to the success of a new venture introducing itself to a new community.

So even before King opened the doors to Hawaii Fluid Art in Tinley Park on Thursday, he knew that the new art-centric business that allows artists and non-artists alike to walk out of the studio with something that they created had the potential to make the business a hit.

Hawaii Fluid Art offers a unique creative experience for customers by taking all the pressure out of the experience in a way other art studios can’t offer, King said. Unlike other similar ventures, King's business isn’t a paint-by-number type of operation. Instead, it allows customers working in either a 1-on-1 or group setting to find the help they need in creating art —and memories — while also leaving the studio feeling they were the driving force behind the finished product.

The new business, which King opened along with partner Patrice O'Toole, not only offers canvas creations but also allows clients to paint tumblers, glass painting as well as beach resin scenes, which gives creators of all talent levels to create their own 3-D beachfront property scenes by using resin and shells that invites customers to put their own spin on what their beach space looks like.

The fact each artistic experience allows users to create their own art in their own way, King says, is the biggest selling point for this kind of creative outlet. Each customer picks their own canvas or style of painting they want to work on while also picking their own color scheme. This provides the chance for each piece of art to take on its own personality, which comes out in a myriad way that only adds to the overall experience for everyone who walks through the door.

“When we have an artist that is not an artist and they come in and they’re nervous, they’ve never done this before, they have no confidence, but by the time we give them a little bit of guidance and they see what they’re able to create with no experience, that joy when they see the final product is amazing,” King, who has been in business for himself for 10 years, told Patch on Thursday. “It’s when everyone realizes they do have an artistic bone in their body. They just didn’t realize it.”

In addition to the painting studio that is geared for date nights, group outings, or just an artist not wanting to make a mess in their own space, Hawaii Fluid Art offers a retail space and gallery that features the work of local artists and artisans. By offering space to local creators to showcase their work, King says it not only offers another unique aspect to the business but also helps to deepen the new venture’s connection to the Tinley Park community.

King already had ties to the community as the local chapter president for Sleep In Heavenly Peace, a not-for-profit organization that builds beds for needy children. While Tinley Park has hosted bed-building events in the past and will do so in the future, King says that opening up the new retail and art space in Tinley’s Legacy District at 17200 Oak Park Ave. that features everything from locally made jewelry and soaps to floral arrangements and beef jerky offers a new opportunity.

It's one that King says opens the door to building more of a bond with local residents and fellow business owners alike. The business will also be an active participant in Tuesday night car shows and other community events and plans to partner with businesses like Scoop, Ed & Joe’s, and others as a way of creating meaningful and collaborative relationships.

But as a business owner that is just starting out in the community, King wants to make certain that his strongest relationship is with his clients. He says that while the creative and uniquely individualized artistic experience creates its own magic for birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions, watching people beam with pride as they watch their own artistic expressions take shape cannot be matched.

“It’s a very empowering experience,” King told Patch on Thursday. “Every one of our customers leaves with something they are very proud of to show others and a lot of times, display on their own wall.”

He added: “When (customers) realize, ‘Hey, I can do this — I did create that’, they’re very proud to show off what they have created …they’re often overwhelmed and sometimes surprised with the quality of the piece they created — with or without experience.”