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Life can buffet us around, its storms and waves carrying us to unexpected places. But when we hang on, sometimes the currents deposit us exactly where we’re supposed to be.
Studio 12, Avon’s favorite spot for art and coffee, has surfed the currents of change to transition from the passing of its beloved owner, Carolyn Schena, to celebrate its 20th season with new ownership from Dawn Eskins, who is carrying on its artistic legacy while offering new and exciting developments. From one exceptional owner to another, Studio 12 exemplifies the power of community, creativity, resilience and joy.
For Dawn, a former graphic designer, nationally renowned pastry chef and owner of the thriving cupcake brand Carolina Cupcakery, returning to art and the Outer Banks feels like coming home. When her husband’s job brought them to Hatteras Island to work on the Rodanthe bridge, the couple found limited rental housing. “Shucks, we had to buy a beach house,” Dawn jokingly laments. Her family is from Carova, and buying a house on the Outer Banks felt like it was meant to be.
As the busy owner of one of the nation’s first cupcake shops and having appeared in such TV shows as Cupcake Wars, House Hunters and Extreme Home Makeover, Dawn was ready for a slower pace, more family time (her grown daughters often visit the studio to help out) and a return to her first loves – art and the Outer Banks.
“You can really simplify and slow down here,” Dawn says.
As a new resident, Dawn noticed the building that houses Studio 12 immediately. She’d moved to Hatteras during the worst of the pandemic and at first assumed that this was the reason the studio was rarely open. “I’d been watching this business trying to see what was going on,” she says.
When Studio 12 went up for sale, the stars aligned to bring Dawn to a place that combined her love of art and community with the business savvy she’d earned through owning her wildly successful pastry shop. She plans to continue celebrating the traditions established by Carolyn, who sadly passed away in 2019.
“I never heard a bad word about her,” Dawn says. She mentions that grown customers regularly come to Studio 12 saying they had done pottery with Ms. Carolyn since they were little kids.
“This place is incredible, and we’re carrying on her legacy,” Dawn says. “They had 17 years of five-star reviews; you don’t touch that.”
The foundation Carolyn laid for Studio 12 was for people to connect upon entering to many bright and colorful art pieces designed by local artists. This gets your creativity flowing. Nearly half of the items in the gift shop are things you can create on your own. Once inspired, you can go over to the studio and fashion the art with your own personal design.
“If you see a suncatcher but want to make it in different colors, I can give you the tools,” Dawn says of just one of the many projects on display. “If you see a ceramic bowl you think is beautiful, you can go make it.”
Pottery painting, mosaic boards and glass fusion are some of the other artistic pursuits available for walk-in, allowing visitors to pop in at their convenience to do whichever art projects strike their fancy.
Studio 12 also offers maker’s classes in pottery throwing, wire-wrapped jewelry, canvas painting and more, all scheduled online. With two big potters’ wheels, you can schedule as much time as you want for open studio, take a master class, create a bowl with slab-worked clay or try a Clay Date. For this hour-long Clay Date, you create your own project that will then be painted in colors of your choice and mailed to you at home.
“You can make whatever the clay tells you it wants to be,” Dawn says. Open year-round, Studio 12 is a great resource for the local artistic community as well as visitors. The studio is open for walk-in projects, and classes are held daily at 3 p.m. There are no added studio fees, and class materials are all inclusive. Private classes and birthday party options are also available.
New this season, Dawn has added a fun paint-by-numbers class on Tuesdays. She jokes that fluffy Bob Ross wigs are optional! Keep an eye out for other fun new activities coming to the studio soon.
Studio 12 is a Hatteras Island hallmark, known for 20 years as a place for cultivating creativity and inspiring art. It’s an almost magical thing when the right person comes along to carry on a legacy, and it’s apparent this is the case for Dawn. With a focus on creativity, art, food and community, life on Hatteras Island at Studio 12 is good.
“I love working with children and families who want to express themselves and make art,” Dawn says.
Because while it’s true that the currents of life can sweep us around unexpectedly, some things remain constant, like the power of community and the pull of creativity, the desire to stay connected to our past while envisioning a future that is bright and new. Between Avon’s beloved art studio’s creative foundation and the love and care of its new owner, we can only imagine that Studio 12’s legacy will thrive for another 20 years
Coffee & Cupcakes at Swept Away Café
Studio 12’s attached coffee bar, Swept Away Café, is a destination all its own or can be a great spot to relax while the kids work on their art projects next door. Featuring expertly blended espresso drinks, handmade Italian sodas, pastries, cinnamon rolls, muffins, cookies, acai bowls and 100% fruit smoothies, the cafe is also now a Carolina Cupcakery location. These gourmet cupcakes are Dawn’s specialty.
Carolina Cupcakery offers swirling, artistic cupcake delights and has many offerings for those with dietary needs. You can find cupcakes that are vegan, dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free and keto-friendly. There are even Pupcakes for dogs!
If you find yourself in the Nags Head area, there’s a spot to pick up a Carolina Cupcakery treat at Vintage Vibe OBX, a consignment shop found at Milepost 9.
(252) 995-7899
41008 N.C. Highway 12, Avon
About the Author Heather Frese
Heather Frese fell in love with the Outer Banks when she was three years old. She grew up camping every summer on Hatteras Island, and her writing is deeply influenced by the history and wild beauty of the area. Her debut novel, The Baddest Girl on the Planet, won the Lee Smith Novel Prize and is set on Hatteras Island. 
