Art by the Beach

Creating One-of-a-Kind Souvenirs at Studio 12

Have you ever wondered how it feels to sit at a pottery wheel with slick clay spinning beneath your hands? 

Have you wanted to witness soft watercolors flowing from brush to canvas as you paint a seascape that’s alive with motion and color? 

Or maybe you’ve dreamt of hand-twisting a piece of sea glass jewelry you designed yourself, silver wires wrapping delicately around oceanic, jewel-toned glass.

Avon’s Studio 12, the premier art center on the Outer Banks, promises not just the end result of a one-of-a-kind beach souvenir, but also the truly memorable experience of creating it yourself – an experience that will live in your heart forever.

Everything about Avon’s Studio 12 is an experience. Stepping into the turquoise building on the side of Highway 12, you’ll notice activity everywhere, starting in the experiential gift shop where you can select supplies for the art creation of your choice. With no appointment, you can walk in and choose glass-fusion projects like sun catchers, night lights, wine stoppers and pendants, or you can try your hand at mosaics, board art, pottery painting or clay.

The gift shop also features supplies to design your own aromatherapy jewelry or create your own ocean-inspired candle, which is then assembled by the local artist-interns at Studio 12. You can also browse a selection of all-local paintings (including watercolors by owner Dawn Eskins).

For an even deeper artful experience, you can book a class at Studio 12. Their Clay Date is a popular option to learn the basics of pottery, and you’ll come away with a bowl created and thrown on the pottery wheel. There are also makers’ classes in beginning and intermediate clay, decoupage and wire-wrapped jewelry. A semi-private watercolor class offers the basics of watercolors during a beach-themed session that will leave you with lasting skills to paint seascapes outdoors.

Now imagine the souvenir you’ve created back in your home – your bowl on the Thanksgiving table, your watercolor with the rolling ocean and waving sea oats against your bedroom wall, the piece of silver-wrapped blue sea glass that’s like wearing a piece of the ocean. Anything you create at Studio 12 will be cherished for both the object itself and the one-of-a-kind memories of its making.

Boba by the Beach

Studio 12’s adjacent Swept Away Cafe coffee shop and bakery now serves boba! Adding to their menu of handmade lattes, frappes, refreshers, acai bowls and snacks, the cafe has added milk teas and both tapioca and fruit boba. Try their sparkling lemonade refresher with fruity bursting boba.

(252) 995-7899
41008 N.C. Highway 12, Avon
studio12avon.com