Leanna Haun, owner of Picasso’s Grapevine.

BY KATHY SHELTON
Special to the Clarkston News
When Leanna Haun first entered the iconic, but somewhat bedraggled, barn on Clarkston Road, she knew she found a diamond in the rough.
“I could just feel the artistic energy,” she enthused.
The former farm at 4215 Clarkston Road housed the artwork of the late Paul Gonzalez and his wife, Margueritte.
Margueritte, looking to sell after Paul’s passing, entertained a few offers, but waited for more than a year to find just the right person for this special place. When the possibility of attaining the property presented itself to Haun, all the stars aligned, and she had found a home.
In moving Picasso’s Grapevine from the 3,600-square-foot studio on Main Street in downtown Clarkston to a venue that offered five barns, the main one a 4,600-square-foot studio and living space, this eclectic artist and visionary was given the chance to create something unique and inspired.

The barn offers four classrooms, each rustic and inviting. In them her staff of artisans create, and teach.
Any medium, or project, that you can envision, they can help you bring it to life. Watercolor, acrylic, beginner to expert, there is a class for artists of all abilities and aspirations here.
“What is cool is that I recognize I can’t be the expert on everything,” Haun said. “So I’m creating an art co-op. I’m bringing in talented artists who can teach their mediums.”
The co-op started a few weeks ago, and has already attracted five artists/teachers, and Haun is looking to keep growing.
“I’m putting out a call to artists in the area. If you have a skill and want to teach it, this is the place to come to,” she said.
She will also be offering “create your own” classes.
“If you see something on Pinterest that you want to make but don’t know how, we’ll source it out and help you create the thing that you saw and liked so much,” she said.
That offer incldues woodworking as well.
She is putting the finishing touches on her second space, an out-building that is now a woodworking shop, and tiptoeing into a new endeavor.
“Wood is just a brand new medium for me,” she explained. “I have been playing with paint all my life, and now I’m exploring, and getting into wood, and I have really, really enjoyed it.”
Skilled carpenters will be crafting custom ordered furniture in the new woodworking barn, creating templates and kits, and teaching classes, bringing people together in what, to her, is one manifestation of the oldest form of expression – art.
“When societies crumble, the remnants that are pulled out are the pieces of art. They connect us,” she said.
And she is doing her part.
“I’ve got all the drills, all the hammers, all the paint, the fabric, glue guns, glitter, I’ve got the wood shed and the wood, so really all the components are here, its just how you mix them up and come up with something new,” she said.