The studio of Lucy Khalian is nestled in the Locust section of Middletown, New Jersey, and feels like a step back in time. With its rustic wooden facade and early-20th-century details, the building exudes the charm of an Old West relic. Inside, you enter Lucy’s creative world, where history, stories, and everyday objects transform into art.
Explore The Timeless Studio of Lucy Khalian
Artist Lucy Khalian has transformed a century-old general store into her creative studio. The space blends history with art, creating an atmosphere that feels timeless. Known for her still-life paintings and mixed-media works, Lucy draws inspiration from nature and everyday objects. She captures their quiet beauty with precision. Her studio is a sanctuary and gallery, reflecting her commitment to process and craftsmanship. Whether working in oil or encaustic, Lucy’s art explores themes of time, presence, and memory. Her work is currently featured in the “Still Life” exhibition at the Oyster Point Gallery.
The STILL LIFE Exhibition
Lucy Kalian joins nine other New Jersey artists in the STILL LIFE exhibition at the Oyster Point Gallery, where styles range from academic to expressionistic. Celebrated for her thoughtful compositions, Lucy creates work that honors the still life tradition—carefully arranging objects with purpose before bringing them to life on canvas. A photo from the exhibition shows Lucy alongside her husband, Patrick Kalian, sharing a moment of pride and celebration. The show opens with a cocktail reception on Friday, April 11, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., as part of the Oyster Point Gallery Exhibitions curated by Ellen Martin. These exhibitions spotlight two-dimensional work by regional artists throughout the hotel’s public spaces.
A Studio Steeped in History and Character
Lucy’s studio isn’t just a workspace—it’s a sanctuary. The original floors creak underfoot, the high ceilings still bear the marks of their past life and the woodworking whispers of its former existence as a general store. Locals remember stopping in for penny candy or mailing letters at the nearby post office. Today, Lucy has infused that rich local heritage with her own layered vision, turning the space into both a gallery and a personal reflection of her artistic journey.
Lucy Khalian Is An Artist of Process and Precision
Visitors stepping into the studio immediately sense a quiet stillness—one that echoes the precision and patience behind Lucy’s work. Trained as an oil painter, Lucy builds each piece with a meticulous eye. She captures everything from the delicate structure of an acorn cap to the moody atmosphere of a riverside scene, always grounded in close observation. Whenever possible, she works from life, constructing elaborate setups with real objects suspended by threads and lit with care to study their form, shadow, and structure.
For Lucy, the process is as important as the finished piece. Her drawings are mapped with tiny notations, careful measurements, and intentional marks. She even keeps a specific pair of shoes at the studio to maintain consistency in her stance when creating large-scale compositions. It’s a nod to tradition, a commitment to craftsmanship rarely seen in today’s fast-moving art world.
Though oil is her primary medium, Lucy also creates in encaustic—an ancient method using heated beeswax mixed with pigment. It’s a medium that invites a more spontaneous hand. For Lucy, it offers a needed contrast to the rigor of oil painting. At home, she has a special setup with ventilation and high-powered outlets. It shows just how seriously she takes every part of her work.
Nature, Memory, and the Quiet Power of Stillness
Her subject matter is often rooted in nature—acorns, shells, trees—symbols that speak to both the fleeting and the eternal. In one piece, a collection of empty acorn caps hangs like artifacts, evoking themes of absence, deployment, and memory. In another, mussel shells from the river shimmer under layers of wax, catching light like relics unearthed from the tide.
Lucy’s art is deeply personal, but also universally resonant. It’s about time—how it moves, how it pauses, how we carry it with us. During the isolation of the pandemic, her studio window became a beacon. Locals would pass by and catch a glimpse of her painting, a quiet act of resilience and connection during uncertain times.
Today, Lucy Khalian’s studio is more than a place where paintings are made. It’s a living gallery, a time capsule, and a story still being written. Maybe it’s the building’s charming facade that draws you in. Or the layers of meaning behind each brushstroke. Either way, one thing is clear: inside these walls, art and history meet in the most meaningful way.
Follow Lucy Kalian:
https://lucykalian.com
https://www.instagram.com/lkhkalian
https://www.facebook.com/lucykalianart
Be sure to check out other inspiring stories from the Two River area, where passionate entrepreneurs, talented artists, and dedicated community leaders are making a difference. Explore what makes this vibrant region so special and see how its people are shaping a place full of creativity, opportunity, and growth.
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