Captain Captain Art Studio is a vibrant,artistic mecca on the west side.
It’s a nice little touch that the Captain Captain Art Studio has two artists with similar names – Trent and Trent. Passing by the brick warehouse-looking studio at 825 South and 500 West, one could hardly suspect the vibrant spacious studios found within. The Trents – Trent Alvey and Trent Call – are two of the eight artists who call the place home. For Trent Alvey, being part of an artistic community mirrors the diversity she feels that art of all forms contributes to Salt Lake City. “A vibrant community needs diversity,” she says. “We need a lot of viewpoints. That keeps us from getting stagnant and judgmental. Art bubbles up to meet the need for diversity.”
Her studio has a comfortable feel that includes wandering dogs, paints and brushes spread about and pictures in various stages of completion. On the surface it resembles exactly what one expects an art studio to look like. It is not, however, a static movie set. What quality brings it to life? And do we all have the capacity to create art?
For Alvey, the answers are awareness….and yes. The simple act of paying attention is where art begins. “Be aware of what you are doing and the effect it is having. Then try to explore what there is around you,” she says. Painting a garage can thus be as rewarding an experience as painting a picture. She affirms that the creative capacity exists within all of us no matter where we live on the planet. Currently she is painting and teaching art in Uganda, a country where her husband is helping develop conservation projects, For Trent Call, art is also fun. “All of my friends do it as well. There are times when the project is so cool I spend all night with it.”
Call began drawing in his youth and progressed to studying oil painting at the University of Utah. He creates accessible and affordable art such as T-shirts and illustrations as well as paintings. Call is fascinated by experimenting with different mediums and ways to use paint. “There is always a fresh outlook you can strive for,” he says. If there is a motto that can apply to the artists at Captain Captain it is “keep evolving.” There seems to be a consensus that the process of creating a work of art is more important than the end product. In that respect, it could be said that the truest work of art is a life well-lived each day at a time. §
