BERLIN – Town officials celebrated Berlin’s newest art studio with a ribbon cutting this month.
Last Friday municipal leaders and Berlin Chamber of Commerce representatives welcomed Wooden Octopus to town with a ribbon cutting. Mayor Gee Williams praised the creativity the studio added to the area.
“This is what Berlin is all about,” Williams said. “We’re very happy for you.”
Wooden Octopus, located on Jefferson Street, is a collaborative studio operated by artists Matthew Amey, Lisa Tossey, Karen Ardis and Margaret Tossey. The studio features photography, paintings, jewelry and various handmade items.
“We all have different interests and different mediums,” Amey said.
He says what drew the family of artists to Berlin was the fact that the house on Jefferson Street, which had been for sale for several years, could be used for both residential and commercial space.
“The proximity to town is what really drew us to the house, that and the fact that we could do something like this where we live,” Amey said.
And so he and Lisa Tossey, his wife, have spent months renovating the historic home at 8 Jefferson St. to house a gallery on the ground floor as well as their living space.
“We’re still renovating,” Tossey said. “We’ve been seeing what works and building inventory.”
While renovations may be ongoing, the gallery now offers visitors an array of Eastern Shore inspired artwork. A glance inside reveals paintings of Berlin landmarks and idyllic farm scenes as well as handmade wooden anchor ornaments and decorations made of seashells, among numerous other items representative of Delmarva.
Amey, a tattoo artist since 1991, paints in oils but also works with acrylics, glass, metal and takes photographs. Lisa Tossey, a photographer and digital media specialist, focuses on the area’s natural beauty with her work. Ardis too is inspired by nature, using natural fibers, seashells and the like to create home décor. Margaret Tossey, a former teacher, walks the local beaches and uses reclaimed wood to create unique decorative pieces.
“We have a little bit of everything,” Amey said, “and we make everything right here.”
The artists said they were thrilled with the reaction they’d gotten from the Berlin community so far. They’re eager to continue to make improvements to the Wooden Octopus gallery in the coming months. Amey said the next step was to create a patio area to display creations meant for lawns and gardens.
For more information on the gallery visit woodenoctopus.com.
