Tumbling Type by Anne Elhajoui. Provided Photo.

It started as a blank white space. Intimidating, even for a pair of professional artists. Nearly two months later, however, that space has become a home. Since July 1, Sarasota residents Nora Jane Long—an Emmy-nominated filmmaker—and Anne Elhajoui—an award-winning designer who works as the art director at Dogs Inc.—have called the Gaze Gallery at the ARCOS Apartments their home studio. The two local artists, who’d known each other for just over a year, are in the midst of the Creative Liberties’ Summer Residency, with a closing reception set for August 23. Those interested in seeing the work, however, don’t need to wait until August 23—onlookers are welcome to pop into the shared studio space during regular business to digest the two bodies of work and engage Long and Elhajoui on their respective artistic processes.

“Nora was going to be in this space with someone else who ended up dropping out and she asked me if I wanted to join her,” says Elhajoui. “I thought to myself, ‘Oh, I would love this.’ It’s kind of the dream to have a studio to go to with all of your supplies there and that it’s right on the street. People come in and talk to us while we create, which is just the greatest experience. I’m going to be quite sad when it’s over.”

For Long, who has spent the beginning of her career as a filmmaker, primarily working in documentary, the residency has been an opportunity to kick start a body of work that is more visual, delving into paintings, poetry and even collage. “When we received the space, which is a 600 square foot room, it was empty with big, white walls, which was very intimidating to me as a newer artist in regards to having visual art in a two-dimensional form,” says Long. “As a newer, emerging artist, as I was very inspired by Anne—she’s worked in a lot of different mediums, she has art on the walls that is made out of sand, she has collages and she has paintings, but it all feels very cohesive.”

Long and Elhajoui have fed off each other’s creativity. The pair sit facing each other to promote communication as they work in their respective mediums—Elhajoui on a collage series mounted on canvases Long thrifted, and Long on poetry, oil paintings and a collage series of her own.

Closing Reception August 23, 6-9pm, Gaze Gallery at ARCOS, 340 Central Ave., Sarasota, 34236

Tumbling Type by Anne Elhajoui. Provided Photo.

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