The Upstairs Artist Co-op at 79 Beekman Street is a diverse group of artists who maintain studios where they work on their art among the other artists in a cooperative setting. Individual artists in the group work to create unique original fine art in various types of media including oil and acrylic paints, pastels, photography, pottery, textile arts, jewelry and artisan crafts.
Member Artists
Alice Kaplan
A. Kaplan Studio Fine Art by Alice Kaplan
Website: www.akaplanstudio.com
Email: akaplan@akaplanstudio.com
Alice Kaplan has been an active member of the Beekman Street artist co-op since 2005. She is recognized for her unique style of painting with loose brushstrokes and vivid color. She paints primarily in oil or acrylic, but is always experimenting with different media. Favorite subjects include beach and water-scapes, portraits, and large-scale florals. She has also served as Artistic Director for the Saratoga Springs High School Drama club, and previously volunteered with set design for the Maple Avenue Middle School, and Saratoga Children’s Theatre. Throughout the years she has provided scenic set design for more than a dozen musical productions.
Kelly Smith
jksstudio Kelly Jean Smith Fine Art and Illustration
Website: jksstudio.com
Instagram: @jksstudioart
Email: jean.ks478@gmail.com
Kelly Smith is a representational traditional artist working primarily in charcoal, oil, gouache and Procreate. She earned an MFA from SUNY New Paltz and completed a yearlong mentorship in illustration with Visual Arts Passage in 2022. Her work focuses on figurative art, life drawing, still life and plein-air painting and sketching. Since 2007, she has taken part in weekly life drawing at Saratoga Arts where she now facilitates the open studio sessions. She teaches drawing, painting and life classes at Saratoga Arts, The Art Center of the Capital Region, and Arlene’s as well as k-5 art classes for BeTa Community Programs. She was recently included in the the group exhibitions The Teaching Artists Showcase (2024) at ACCR and The Figurative Show (2024) at the J. Gernon Gallery. She designed the logo for the Beekman Street Artist Co-op and offers private lessons in her new studio space.