Fired Up facilitates creation of art, memories
Middle: Since taking ownership of Fired Up Art Studio in February, Melody Eller has rebranded, brought back art classes, launched a mobile studio and partnered with community nonprofits. The wife and mother of three is realizing her lifelong passion for art through her work at the colorful, inviting creative space. Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
A variety of holiday-themed pottery pieces sit patiently, waiting for walk-ins to stop into Fired Up Art Studio and get creative. The larger trees are pre-wired and will add holiday-light cheer to any space. Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Top right: Bisque (pre-fired pottery) dogs are waiting for their forever homes at Fired Up Art Studio, where kids can adopt, paint and take home their very own adorable pup. A portion of proceeds from the Adopt-a-Pup pieces goes to the local nonprofit PA Pet Vets. Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Is there anything more festive than crafting one’s own holiday décor? Fired Up Art Studio is offering a wide variety of holiday activities, including pottery and canvas painting, glass coil and fusing to those simply dropping in, or registering for select classes online.
Above: Eller, who purchased Fired Up in February, enjoys shopping for seasonal art pieces and rotates merchandise regularly, so every trip to the South Hills studio is a new experience. Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Bottom right: Scrap glass is smoothed and polished, and transformed into lovely pebbles that Fired Up artists can add to mosaics and other art pieces. Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Above: For Eller, every morning is Christmas morning, she laughed, opening the kiln to admire the previous day’s fired pottery pieces. Eller said every piece of pottery is touched by staff nine times between a client finishing painting and Fired Up delivering the finished fired-and-glazed masterpiece. Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Left: Pottery projects aren’t just cute – Fired Up Art Studio offers practical items for clients’ painting pleasure, including, yes, adorable succulent planters, fun mugs, dinner and party ware. Oh, and nearly anything in the store can be turned into a unicorn by adding a sweet little horn, Eller said. Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Nothing goes to waste at Fired Up, Eller said. Leftover shards of glass are upcycled into smooth, shiny pebbles used for mosaic artworks. Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
For Eller, every morning is Christmas morning, she laughed, opening the kiln to admire the previous day’s fired pottery pieces. Eller said every piece of pottery is touched by staff nine times between a client finishing painting and Fired Up delivering the finished fired-and-glazed masterpiece.
Courtesy of Melody Eller
Melt-proof snowmen are available for decorating at Fired Up Art Studio in the South Hills, where folks are welcome to drop in during business hours or register for classes online.
Melody Eller is fired up about her new business venture.
“Art, it can be healing, it’s relaxing, stress relieving. It can bring families together. You make memories here,” said Eller, who took ownership of Fired Up Art Studio along Rt. 19 in McMurray in February. “It’s a happy place.”
And Eller is a happy business owner. The wife and boy mom times three grew up in Waynesburg, earned a degree in art and spent five years working at a magazine before dipping her toes in the oil and gas world.
When she welcomed her first son into the world, Eller and her husband, Matt Eller, decided she would be a stay-at-home mom, a life Eller loved. But after her youngest son, now five, started school, Eller determined to fill quiet days with meaningful work. The 9 to 5 wouldn’t do; Eller needed the flexibility to make kids’ doctors appointments and attend her sons’ school and sporting events.
“I wanted to bring my kids to work. Whenever I came across Fired Up, that it was for sale, I immediately was drawn to it,” said Eller. “We came, I walked in, and I just knew right then that this is where I’m supposed to be.”
For more than a decade, Fired Up has welcomed the greater South Hills community into its colorful space, where bright walls are decorated with canvas paintings and the perimeter is lined with pottery pieces waiting to be painted. Works of glass art are tucked among the pottery; wooden work tables sport baskets filled with utensils.
Walk-ins are welcome to drop by during regular business hours to paint gorgeous pottery pieces, ranging from sweet animals to funky coffee (or tea!) mugs and geometric succulent planters. Dinner and party ware are also available for painting, and Eller is able to add children’s feet or handprints to those pieces.
Along with pottery painting, folks are encouraged to try their hand at glass fusing, craft masterful mosaics or bring to life canvas paintings. Eller also offers clay hand-building.
“Walk in, relax, do whatever your heart desires,” said Eller.
“Our customers get really creative. Some people come in, and they say, I want to try the glass, I’ve never done glass, and they love it. That’s what I love about watching our customers come in and create things because they’re so creative. It inspires you.”
During her eight months as a business owner, Eller has remained true to Fired Up’s roots. Still, she’s also been busy rebranding. She changed the name from Fired Up Pottery Studio to Fired Up Art Studio and reimagined the logo. Eller has also expanded the studio’s offerings to include an art club, which explores history, techniques and hands-on fun and is open to students in grades K-12 (registration for the next session is now available) and one-off classes for artists of all ages and skill levels.
“There used to be classes. I think it was kind of on pause because of COVID. I brought the classes back,” Eller said. “I’m trying to get into the community more.”
Literally. Earlier this year, Eller launched Fired Up Mobile Studio, which delivers art to your doorstep.
“We will come to your birthday parties. We’ll bring the projects. We’ll take the mess with us,” she smiled. “We can go into daycares and schools. We have a certified instructor who has her (clearances).”
The mobile studio is available for parties and events, big and small.
Immersing herself in the community is important to the business owner, and Eller is partnering with local nonprofits, including PA Vet Pets, which helps provide military veterans with service dogs.
“My dad was in the service,” Eller said, so the cause is close to her heart.
She invited PA Vet Pets into the studio this fall; veterans created and chatted with friends old and new while service dogs learned to be on duty while in public. Eller also offers Adopt-a-Dog year-round, where kids paint and name a dog and sign an adoption certificate before taking their adorable art to its forever home. A portion of proceeds benefits PA Vet Pets.
Eller also partnered with Blueprints on National Adoption Day Nov. 18, welcoming new families into her colorful space so they could create something to mark the beautiful occasion.
“I’m really proud and really excited to be a part of that. I’ve been warmly welcomed by the community. It’s important to offer more and support the community,” she said.
Though less than a year into business ownership, Eller is already dreaming of opening a second Fired Up location. But before she starts shopping for an area storefront, the creative entrepreneur is excited to announce an addition to the current space.
“We are going to be offering wheel throwing,” Eller said with a smile. “That’s big.
So Eller’s husband will soon build out a space inside Fired Up, where two clay throwing wheels will take up residence, offering visitors the opportunity not only to paint, but to craft their own pottery pieces.
“That’s big,” Eller said. “People ask about it. We’ve had a lot of interest.”
Fired Up is heating up, and Eller welcomes new and return clients any time to enjoy the holiday selection of art projects and classes or pick up gift cards, which make great stocking stuffers.
“There are so many different things. It’s not just for kids,” Eller said. “We have things for everybody.”
And while Fired Up guests make their masterpieces, for Eller, the studio itself is an excellent work of art.
“The most important thing is making the customers happy. We want them to be happy, but we also want to have a creative space that people can come to and explore their creativity. They can make a mess,” she laughed. “It’s just nice to help people explore that part of them. Some people come in and think, I’m not creative. I can’t do this stuff. You can.”
Learn more about creating at Fired Up online at firedupwithus.com.