Welcome
Join us for walk-in painting and crafting. No experience required.
A walk-in DIY art studio.
What is it?
What can I make?
What can I make?
What is The Happy Brush? We are a "no-skills-required" walk-in art center located in the historic Railside district in Grand Island, Nebraska. We are located upstairs from our previous location. We call it the "creative loft".
What can I make?
What can I make?
What can I make?
For walk-in projects we offer
pre-drawn canvases of various sizes,
different styles of bisque ceramic pieces that can be glazed and fired, birdhouses and seasonal doorhangers. We have a glass room for making 3D art for ages 10+
Do I need a reservation?
New Splatter Room Experience
New Splatter Room Experience
Groups of 8 or less do not need a reservation. We do not have any age requirements for our studio, and have projects for all ages and ability levels.
New Splatter Room Experience
New Splatter Room Experience
New Splatter Room Experience
Try out our new splatter room! $20 includes an 11x14 canvas. protective gear and a take home box. Appropriate for any age. Pre-book below to guarantee your spot.
How did it start?
A little about me and how this whole "happy brush" thing started...and where it's going...
People often ask me if I went to school for art or always loved art. The answer is...no. I actually started college as a music performance major (so I've always been creative) then changed my career direction to dental hygiene. After graduating from dental hygiene school I continued my education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and earned a bachelor's degree in Speech Communication. I worked as a dental hygienist for more than 20 years but continued to do various arts and crafts on the side. I was a photographer for awhile, and have written music "on the side" since 2004. I wrote the music for my daughter's wedding several years ago. My idea for the happy brush began in 2012 when I combined my photography into refurbished old window frames. I began to regularly "dumpster dive" for old window frames to repurpose. One day I decided that I could add paint to the windows and create original art pieces. I started selling my windows at craft shows and events. A small retail space became available in our local shopping mall so I decided to rent it for a year. After the year was up, I decided I wanted to continue the business but knew I needed a new location. After some searching for rental space, my husband and I decided that purchasing a building might be a better fit. We stumbled upon an old building that had most recently been a beauty school. Renovations were needed on the first floor, so in the meantime I needed to bring in some income. And with that... the happy brush was born. I decided that I could do "art" for people just like I did it for myself. No training. Just fun. I bought a kiln on Craigslist with no idea how it worked. I painted pottery on vacation once. That was the experience I brought to the table. And here we are, 10 years later. My life motto is often asking "how hard can it be?" which has led me to try many things. After 10 years of having my own business I have learned a lot. Small business ownership can take over your life. To be successful means living and breathing the "business" 24/7. I made the decision in the fall of 2023 to sell the building and business or even just the business. At the time I believed that perhaps I didn't have the same energy and drive that I had 10 years ago. Maybe someone could give it the energy and time that I no longer had?After nearly a year of preparing to part with the business and being focused on my future being "somewhere else" I realized that my place is still here, continuing what I started. It won't look the same. My hours will be less, my staff will be me and (my husband) during the busy season. Thank you to everyone who has stopped by to create art and have fun doing it.
Jackie Bowen
Owner, the happy brush