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ABOUT ARTWORKS

Andy Tirado started Artworks in Colorado Springs in the fall of 1998, the way everyone starts their business: in the garage.  His journey up until that time included studying studio art in San Diego, Colorado Springs, and Chicago, and working as an artist's assistant in New York City, where his interests turned to building woodstrip canoes.  But after starting a family and moving back to Colorado, which is blessed with mountains but somewhat lacking in lakes, his focus reverted from watercraft to crafting all manner of objets d'art.  So he decided to set up shop.

Far as he could tell he needed just three things: a spiffy business moniker, a rock solid game plan, and clients.  As for the plan, well, I guess drawing the model back in art school didn't prepare him for drawing up a business model.  The extent of his plan was to "make fun stuff".  As for clientele, he thought he'd just hang a shingle and see what would happen.  Sure enough, it didn't take long before people were flocking to his door - well, mostly irate neighbors demanding him to remove the giant rotating neon sign from the yard. But that's a yarn for another day.  Prior to that, he needed to come up with a business name. 

Legend goes, the name Artworks just came to him in a flash.  One sunny fall day as he was lying on a lawn chair, sipping a cool glass of milk and ruminating on possible business names, he wondered, "What would relate to my fine art background yet encompass anything I might want to design or build?  And, ideally, a name that would remind me to get to work?"  That's the moment the name came to him!  It was his wife's name, Nan, who was nearby, weeding the garden.  So he asked her what she thought the business should be called.  Her prophetic reply: "Maybe it'll just come to you while you're cleaning out the garage."  So to the garage he went, determined to make sense of the mountain of tools and piles of paintings, drawings, and sculptures it had become.  Soon tiring from his task, he sat down on a dusty office chair, propped his feet on a trash can, leaned back against some shelves and closed his eyes.  That's when inspiration struck him: a long-lost, rather heavy sculpture resembling an oversized lightbulb slipped off a shelf above him, clocking him directly on the top of his head before coming to rest in a box of tools.
"Oof! Ouch! Hey, I found it!" he cried, seeing stars.
"What did you find?" asked a rather unconcerned voice from somewhere behind the large tomato cages outside.
"Oh, oww," Andy yelped back, rubbing his noggin, "Something I've been looking for.  Some artwork."
"What was that?" the voice from the vegetables inquired.  "Did you say you found the name you've been looking for?  Did you say Artworks?"
"No, what I said was...wait a minute.  Artworks.  Yes, that's what I said, Artworks!  But, oww, it's possible I may have a concussion.  I think I should lay down for the rest of the day.  Hmm. Artworks. I like it.  Well?  What do you think?"
"I think you should have your head examined."
As we examine the work we've been privileged to do since that fateful "lightbulb" moment, it seems Artworks has indeed been the perfect business name.  As our on line portfolio shows, we have created a bunch of art-informed work.  And as we review past projects and look around the shop at the things being created today, we realize that our sparse business model was spot on: it's a lot of "fun stuff".  Perhaps more than anything, we enjoy our clients' reaction to seeing their project take shape.  And we can't wait to see what we'll be working on next.

And hey, we got the garage cleaned out.  

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