Creative Conversions
HOMEOWNERS TURN GARAGES INTO ARTISTIC ESCAPES
W
hen Jim Darke first moved into his house in South Land Park in 2019, he knew immediately he would convert the garage into an art studio. The painter and cartographer downsized from his former home in Little Pocket, but knew he still wanted a space where he could spread out his art materials. Though he has a studio at Arthouse on R, he does most of his work in his reimagined garage. “The garage had the right framework to be a studio, so I hired my ex-son-in-law to do the conversion,” says Darke, whose ethereal paintings on canvas explore the connection between sky and land—a perspective gained while working as a naval aviator and glider pilot. “He’s a talented craftsman, so he not only did the electrical work, he also insulated the very high ceiling, put in new LED lighting that approaches natural sunlight and installed a mini HVAC unit, so it can be 105 degrees outside, but it’s still only 75 in my studio.” The pièce de résistance of Darke’s project was replacing the standard garage door with one made of frosted glass, which allows for a “big bank of soft, diffused light” that is perfect for painting but
JL By Jessica Laskey OPEN HOUSE
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Jim Darke Photos by Aniko Kiezel
