Welcome to the Santa Novella Art Studio

Located near downtown Breckenridge, Texas, my studio is in a church building completed in 1927. The Christian Science Society church maintained ownership and continued upkeep of the structural brick building until my husband and I bought it in 2017. We began the renovation process soon after purchase. 

In the 1920s Breckenridge, Texas was in the middle of an oil boom, rise of industrialization and a population explosion. Near a busy area of town with oil rigs, pump jacks, churches and the County Court House, the church building was set on a large lot among native oak and mesquite trees.

With a simplistic, rectangular design the building was constructed on pier and beam, with exterior brick and interior brick plastered walls.  The main chapel area was fitted with eight, etched, 12 paned Truscon style windows, 6.5 feet in height. Over the years the original 15-foot ceiling had various reconstruction phases.  Circa 1970 a drop ceiling was installed and central air and heating installed. The oak hardwood floors were also partially carpeted and the walls painted numerous times. In 2017 we found the plumbing was unusable, the electrical outdated, mortar cracking, ceiling rafters broken and the roof was sagging. Although in impending disrepair, I saw it as beautiful and worthy of saving. 

The first time I walked into the building I felt a sense of belonging and sanctuary.   Overcome with nervous excitement I recognized that I had walked into a place that held potential as a refuge for creative expression.  Although unassuming, the aura, the lighting, the history and the possibilities it held, transfixed and captivated me. I understood that it needed work but I also knew it had potential.  At just over 2,000 square feet it was considered a small building for a church. But wanting to move my studio space away from my home, it was a manageable size and would allow room for holding art classes as well as areas for my painting easels and worktable. 

My husband tirelessly went to work overseeing workers and/or completing the necessary renovation work himself. From replacing the original knob and tube electric wiring, lighting, replacing plumbing pipes and fixtures, redoing hardwood floors, repairing and painting plaster walls, tearing down and putting up new ceiling, creating new bathrooms, and space for cleanup and storage; once again life in the building began to emerge. Where plaster had fallen from the walls, he left it as a showcase of the interior of the building. A new whitewashed bead board ceiling was installed in the chapel area, creating an open airy, light filled space.