Not a Lake but an Ocean of Art Supplies: Griffy's on W. Kirkwood Ave.

May 17

In a place like Bloomington, you've gotta have an art supplies store. And, we have. Visited Griffy's, on W. Kirkwood Ave. yet? Get 10 percent off your first order.

Remember the old Pygmalion's?

When they wanted pens, knives, paint, paper, or just to see owner John Wilson's cats, artists, designers and crafters once raced to Bloomington's downtown Pygmalion's.

But Pygmalion's closed, and for the past two years, locals and tourists have reveled in shopping at Griffy's art supply store at 725 W. Kirkwood Ave., a few easy blocks from downtown.

It's where creatives buy what they use to create.

Have you visited Griffy's art supply store on W. Kirkwood?

Griffy's stocks, among many other things, alluring Japanese papers of varying thicknesses and high-quality pens as well as custom soaps for painters' brushes and sketchbooks that are bound in-house. Black-and-white film for cameras and print- and relief-making supplies are available.

Miranda Perez manages the store. She's an Indiana University studio art grad, and she knows how to help shoppers find the exact shade, width or texture.

"Griffy's lets me keep connected with our arts community," she said as she stepped from behind he counter to help a customer find tubes of Gouache. (For the non-artist, Holbein Acryla Gouache acts like traditional gum arabic gouache, which resists water once it dries. Plus, its color when wet is the same when dry.)

Miranda may be a natural at both making art and selling supplies. When she was little, she would hang her drawings in the living room and make her mother buy a few.

She works at the store about 30 hours per week, after "slipping in to the opportunity" two years ago.

Ever used velvety, all-surface paint markers?

The April Sunday I was there, it was "Paint Markers" demo day, where customers tried out these wondrous paint—yes, paint—in a marker pens. I dug in to the "Posca" brand, safe, water-based paint inside an easy-to-maneuver pen. Miranda explained how I could use them on nearly anything. Pros like them too, since the opaque fluid covers well although it contains no solvents. You can blend the colors, and the paint dries quickly.

Miranda actually uses paint markers every day; Montana Pink is her favorite color.

Griffy's continues to offer workshops and maybe, later, art shows, although space is limited.