Artist Timree Gold is busy connecting people to creativity
Rod Stewart, George Clooney and Tim Burton smiled in the Newport Beach art studio as they each held commissioned works of art.
The Hollywood glitterati weren’t exactly standing in artist Timree Gold’s boutique, but they were pictured with the local artist, who painted personalized gifts for the celebrities.
Gold, owner of Timree Art Studio on Old Newport Boulevard, is the founder of a creativity haven.
The studio serves as a classroom for people interested in taking drawing lessons and as a shop where visitors can purchase Gold’s own popular paintings as well as personalized and custom gifts, such as school supplies like lunchboxes, journals, pens and stationery.
It’s a cheery place where flamingos, pineapples, perfume bottles, high heels and unicorns prevail on canvases set amid walls coated in splashes of color.
“Hello, beautiful,” reads a card adorned with a picture of a tube of red lipstick.
“Hey, gorgeous,” reads a notepad depicting a pair of tortoise framed sunglasses.
“Glitter makes everything better,” reads a painting sparkling in gold luster.
“I surround myself with things that make me happy,” Gold said. “And if I can’t buy it, I just paint it.”
Gold, a fifth-generation Orange County resident who grew up in a family of artists, never took an art class. Ever since her father taught her how to paint when she was 5, she has wanted to create her own style.
While pursuing her interior design degree at Chico State, Gold worked as a window display designer at a downtown store and painted porcelain dishes for sororities from her garage.
The products became a hit, and from there, Gold, who is now expecting her second child, grew her business and creative line.
In 2013, she moved into her first full-size studio — in Newport Beach — where she currently offers her stylized painting system called the Timree Technique to people of all ages and from all over the world.
Gold expanded her brand when she licensed deals with Michaels craft stores, One Bella Casa and International Greetings. Her product line with Michaels has generated more than $1 million in product sales, she said, and her designs, which have been featured on e-commerce sites Zulily and HauteLook, have ranked among the top 10 sellers on the sites’ holiday decor sections.
Her back-to-school products at Michaels will tentatively be on shelves from July 1 to Sept. 15.
The demand for her designs grew when she appeared on a few episodes of the Bravo television series “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” After cast member Heather Dubrow asked Gold to create a portrait of her home, the show filmed an episode of the women taking a class in Gold’s studio.
Once the episode aired, Gold’s business doubled, and she had visitors from Idaho, Oklahoma and New York registering for art classes.
Aside from teaching art lessons to reality television stars, Gold said her studio serves as a destination spot for locals and tourists who want to join with family or friends to express their creative side.
Her design expertise is not limited to Orange County. Beverly Hills-based celebrity event coordinator Mindy Weiss asked Gold to paint weddings for clients in the entertainment industry.
Gold also has painted commissions and special projects for actresses Charlize Theron and Eva Longoria and singers Gwen Stefani, Usher and Jon Bon Jovi.
After taking a short break with her family, including the new baby, Gold said she will focus on having a gallery reopening with larger paintings while expanding her national presence and increasing her product lines with retailers.
She’ll also prepare to launch her own nonprofit organization, Timree Treatments, which will bring artistic outlets of expression to cancer patients.
“It’s magical here,” Gold said. “A painting is something that gets passed down. It lasts forever. It’s special because it’s a memory.”
Timree Art Studio is at 365 Old Newport Blvd., Suite A, Newport Beach. For more information, call (949) 723-1300 or visit timree.com.
Twitter: @KathleenLuppi
