Student-Owned Artwork Business Seeks To Grow In Vienna

VIENNA, VA — A business showcasing the art of Madison High School students is looking to build connections with Vienna area businesses by offering professional artwork services.

Spectra Artwork is the brainchild of Madison High School senior Colin Crowley, combining his skills in business and marketing with the talents of his artist friends.

"For me, this has been my first full-on project," Crowley told Patch. "I think it's going to provide me the experience necessary out of college."

An initial effort to start the business in 2019 fell apart. The idea resurfaced when Crowley found himself without a job and needing work when his mother just had knee surgery. Recreating Spectra Artwork provided an opportunity to work around his schedule. After getting an artist friend on board with the idea, Crowley ultimately created a team of artists.

"I built a small team of people who I know are capable of producing high-quality artwork," said Crowley.

The artist team of Temuri, Micheal, Samantha and Jose offers three types of art. The main offering is hyperrealism, a type of drawing made to look like a photograph. Crowley says "the level of detail has to be extreme," and these drawings could take two to three weeks. The other types of art are digital (logos, vectors and photo editing), as well as traditional paintings. One example of the art they can produce is a design for beer labels.

Spectra Artwork provides an opportunity for student artists to sell their art that they wouldn't otherwise have, according to Crowley. He has observed his friend Temuri gain confidence in his artwork and see what the future can hold.

Crowley, as the owner, was in charge of building a website, putting up artwork online, building a social media presence, and creating a business phone number. He's also reaching out to local family-owned businesses to gauge interest in student artwork services. The business is closing in on its first deal with a Vienna business, which he says will be a big confidence booster for the artists involved.

"Purchasing from the artist community at Madison, it allows their customers to see what the students are capable of and how we can be involved with one another," said Crowley.

He hopes the business can ultimately expand, perhaps into DC. He also wants to get involved with providing professional art services to local events, and individual sales are also under consideration.

On the business side, Crowley hasn't felt intimidated reaching out to local businesses since he grew up in Vienna.

"I definitely feel a lot of confidence with the sales process because it is a tight-knit community," he said. "The Vienna community, they know about Madison. That's been extremely useful, the fact that businesses want to work with the schools."

For more information about Spectra Artwork, visit www.spectraartwork.com.