Life & Work with Christina Limpalair

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Limpalair.

Hi Christina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have always been interested in and passionate about art since I was a child and would lean on it for dealing with stress, boredom, or whenever inspiration would strike. I never thought about it as a career not wanting to lose its luster as “fun” and become “work”. However, like most people who were staying at home and social distancing during COVID, I had the time to deep dive into my passions and not be distracted by my everyday trifles and self-doubts. During that hot summer in Texas, I began to devise my imaginary art studio and what that might look like.

I “Sims” my way through the weeds of it all and played out the details of what all wanted if I could have anything, “What kind of studio would I like to be in?”, would we deal in acrylic paints, oil, ceramic? That’s when I knew that Ceramic would be the perfect choice for me. I could paint as much as I wanted, and when I hit that temporary burn-out (that all artists know well) I would facilitate creativity and fun for others. Even though we had plans to move to Colorado within the next 6 months I began working part-time in a pottery painting studio near me as soon as the social-distancing ban was lifted, and told my boss my plans.

She completely took me under her wing and I got a crash course in running a shop, from working with suppliers and placing orders, to operating a kiln, and all that comes with it. Once we moved we settled into CO for about a year to get the lay of the land, I began to think about where I would want to be and whether was it even possible. Post-COVID was a weird time for everyone, especially in the new business world. In the end with the help of my extremely supportive husband who always believed in me, we found a spot and set up shop.

It will be one year ago that I opened on November 21st and I am so grateful and proud that I cannot begin to explain. I look forward to continuing to serve the Englewood community and am so thankful for their support and interest in what started as a tiny idea on a hot day in Texas.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This first year of business has been the most I have grown in my life. We did hit a small snag with permitting at the beginning, which ended up pushing our opening date by 3 months. This forced us to launch 4 weeks before Christmas, which is this industry’s busiest time of year.

I was hoping to have a few months under my belt to build up my name before that major holiday, and unfortunately, that did not pan out. However, this event required me to hit social media harder than I was familiar with and now I have learned just how much of an impact that action has had on my business for the better. I’ve learned to be adaptive when a curve ball is thrown your way and to be present and appreciate “the moment” even if it is a stressful time.

You’ll never have this experience again unless you start another business, so see value in those learning moments and celebrate small victories when they happen, because it is all part of your story.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a child, I was mainly comfortable with sketching and drawing. When I got older, I became comfortable and found acrylic paints to be fun, simple, and rewarding. However, when I was a Girl Scout in Brownies, we earned our pottery badge by going to our local Pottery Painting Studio in my hometown of South Carolina. I was so fascinated by ceramic glazes and how different the results were after firing from how your work looked during painting.

After that event, I would go from time to time, but definitely during the holiday, and paint Christmas ornaments or mugs that were on par with the season. Once I grew to be an adult that was a huge part of my time and stress relief, especially after moving away from SC. Here I was in a new town in Texas with no friends or familiar places to haunt.

It’s so easy to get “lost in the sauce” of any art project especially one as challenging as ceramic glazing, because you cannot see the true result until you are done. Which forces you to “trust fall” on your skills and to just be happy with the journey of the project too.

What are your plans for the future?
At the moment I have no idea what the future holds for Glaze & Phase, but I do have plans to work more directly with the community and schools. I would eventually like to introduce ” Charity of the Month” to the shop, where we collect donations all month for a club/group/organization that is in the heart of the community.

For example, it could be the art club for Englewood Middle School or the Theatre department for Littleton High School. Either way, my goal at some point is to provide a consistent rotation of support for my area and support the children and arts around me.

Not that big-name charities don’t need all the attention they can get, but I would feel all the more fulfilled if I could do something that impacts the lives of the children and teens who are in my shop directly. Their support of me makes me want to support them all the more.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.glazeandphase.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glazeandphase/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glazeandphase

Image Credits
Katie Fletcher – https://www.instagram.com/katiefletcher_photography/