Carriage House Art Studios was founded in 1998 by Artist Garin Baker. Moving Upstate from New York City back in 1990, he raised his young family while renovating this 1790 historical property. After spending many years as a busy illustrator he began transforming the old carriage house and barn into a large studio space. Back in 1997 he was invited by an artist and close friend to work on a large-scale mural project for a children's museum. Mural Painting was always an interest but he never imagined it would become his primary passion. The collaborative process of working with many artists on large-scale projects was a welcome departure from the isolation of a lone illustrator in his studio. In addition, he had rewarding early experiences as a young artist growing up in New York City studying with some of the most well known and renowned contemporary realist painters of the day. These artists, as well as the many talented artists they trained are now commonly refereed to as "New York Realists". Many of Garin Baker’s works in this genre can be seen at his personal website.
This age-old tradition of artist as mentor or master and apprentice became the cornerstone of his early training and the perfect way to offer apprenticeships to young talented artists of today continuing the legacy and passing the torch. Only after much study, drawing & painting from life do young artist apprenticed with Carriage House Art Studios get a chance to work alongside developing their skills and eventually in some cases working on many of the Mural projects shown on our murals page.