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KIRKSVILLE -- Dave and Sally Carter are putting the finishing touches on their new art studio in downtown Kirksville.

The New Shop in Kirksville

The little shop on north Franklin Street has been open for nearly a week, and in the next few days Dave will start teaching art classes at the city's newest business. Teaching art is something Dave loves to do.

"I'm not a very hard task master.  I work with children a lot, we have a lot in common.  We love to eat;  we have the same silly sense of humor.  I like to bring that to the adult classes, too," Dave said.

Dave's art classes are something new for Kirksville outside of local colleges, but his shop provides something else that's unique.  His shop sells art supplies: paint, brushes, etc., that you'd usually have to order online or drive as far as Columbia to find. 

To Dave, art is something everyone should be able to learn and enjoy.  "Up until World War I, drawing was a basic part of public curriculum.  Everyone has a lot more skill than they realize. No one expects to sit down at a piano and play Chopin.  Well, just like playing the piano it requires discipline and practice," he said.

The Lifelong Artist

To Dave, art, especially painting, is deeply personal.  Dave told KTVO he was in a car crash in the 1980’s that changed his outlook on his artistic abilities.  The crash caused some slight brain damage and sent Dave on a long road to recovery.  Once a drawing artist who focused on details and realistic sketches, after the crash Dave preferred the looseness of painting.  Now it’s bright colors and soft lines that Dave paints.

A few years after the crash, Dave went back to school.  That’s where he met his wife, Sally.  Dave said Sally is the mind behind the business.  Sally said she's proud of her husband's talent.

There's one picture in particular that sally really likes.  She says it reminds her of her journey with Dave.  "This one of the two single rowboats, that's my painting.  That's here on loan, it's not for sale.  It's the going out, you know, they're pointing out toward the sea, fulfilling some kind of journey.  They're going on some kind of journey and the promises that are waiting are just kind of what’s happening with Dave's Studio," she said.

For more information on Dave’s Studio and art lessons email davesstudio@hotmail.com.  You can also call the studio at (660) 216-8669.

Check out more of Dave’s art at the slideshow at the top of the page.

KTVO’s Nathan Vickers reported this story.  Follow him on Twitter @NathanVickers.