I stumbled upon Side Show Studios with the same sense of wonder that Mary felt when she first entered the secret garden, or Alice as she tumbled down the rabbit hole. If I had not been looking for the shop, I might not have found it. Now that I have, I’m drawn to return time and time again.
Isabel Dresler (“Izzy” to friends and to her pet praying mantis) and her partner Char Hall moved to Walnut Grove four years ago. Hall quietly but surely acknowledges that the Delta soothes their soul. Hall had pursued her award-winning, internationally acclaimed tattoo artistry for the prior ten years in the Sacramento area. She learned framing from a part-time job. She started her own frame shop because, as an artist, she knew how expensive framing could be and wanted to provide cost-effective options for other artists and their customers. Gazing over the large, bright store, she remarked that prior locations had “more foot traffic” but didn’t do as much for her peace of mind.
Hall’s art conveys a gentle familiarity with nature. She tends to draw flowers, bugs, and animals. That translates to her tattoos. She admits that lettering or people’s faces are not her strength. She refers such requests to other artists. As for her specialty, bookings extend out two years. Dresler interjected that they “make exceptions for local customers and special cases”, and call folks when the rare cancellation occurs. “If it’s something I know Char particularly likes to do, I’ll try to get a booking scheduled,” she admits. Once a tattoo client gets a time slot, they hold that spot until Hall completes their tattoo. Completion time depends on complexity and “how good the customer is at sitting still”, Hall laughs.
Kevin the shop boy smiles from his perch as the conversation turns to the services offered in the framing department. Custom or ready-made choices provide a wide range of options. One display showed hand-made leather frames, reasonably priced for the gorgeous, sleek quality at $75.00 Another display allowed for choosing a frame and mat, and assembling there or at home. Ready-made frames range from $8.65 for a 4 x 6 to $27.65 for an 18 x 24 with sizes in between. Many customers choose to have their frames hand-made by the shop, and for that service, the studio charges $6.00/foot. Local art-lovers, Sacramento fans, and artists from across the region bring work for the affordable artistry to beautifully display cherished pieces. The shop also features work by other creators, which Dresler describes as a “win-win” situation. “We get to share amazing pieces, and our artist friends make some money and get exposure.”
Dresler’s photography occupies a prominent display in the store, what Hall calls the “Izzy shrine”. Dresler describes herself as a “commercial photo and video” artist, a title which she provides with shy hesitation at first. In reality, her work spans a fairly broad spectrum and defies a ready pigeon-hole. She shoots local scenery, micro-shots of flowers, touching and tasteful boudoir photos, and hauntingly beautiful portraits of everyday human beings in harmony with nature. She holds her phone out to show a picture of a couple standing in a meadow, radiant, arms around each other. Another depicts a woman looking downward, a soft sky and a sweeping willow branch framing her figure. I am suddenly reminded of the Tolkien story, “Leaf by Niggle”, described by some as “a symbolic story about a small painter”. In particular, I recalled a scene in which two people stroll through the rubble of abandoned items, if memory serves, near a train station. They come across a broken canvas which one recognizes as part of a large work by the artist Niggle. Though dismissive, one admits, “A leaf by Niggle was a thing of beauty.” So, too, these tender moments captured by Dresler astound and leave one knowing, without question, that one has beheld something truly extraordinary.
Dresler’s past work as an award-winning photographer allows her to project the same modest sense of satisfaction that one perceives in Hall. Without artifice, or bragging, Dresler notes that she began work in the photography meccas: New York, Miami, parts of Europe. She teaches photography to other professionals in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. But she prefers home; and has recently connected with a Sacramento studio and hopes to find a place on their workshop roster. Originally from Chico, Dresler shares a love of the Delta area with Hall. They plan to remain indefinitely.
Hall also travels for her renowned tattoo work. International clients seek her talent here in the Delta. In fact, the customer at the shop during my visit spoke with a German accent. She had seen Hall’s work on friends in the Sacramento area, and came to get a portrait of her beloved, recently departed cat. I watched the process for a while, then made my way out of the scrupulously clean studio back into the retail storefront and eventually, outside. As I left, Hall remained bent over her creation, with her customer holding very still, looking inordinately pleased.
Dresler noted that she does some studio portraits in their nearby apartment, and when we left the shop, we stood amidst her lush, carefully tended sidewalk garden. She pointed to buildings on the narrow street and mentioned their history or what now occupies them. She hopes that other businesses will come to Walnut Grove. She recognizes that Side Show Studios might be hard to find, but once visitors stumble upon it, they tend to return. The thought of this happy circumstances drew a smile to her face, which lingered as I pulled away from the curb, my soul just a bit lighter for having found this delightful place and its welcoming owners.
Please touch each image to enlarge.
Follow Hall and Dresler on Instagram: @vermininkandpaint @isabeldresler
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of entries about businesses, attractions, and people in the Sacramento-San Jouquin Delta in which Park Delta Bay and the Delta Bay Marina are situated. Next week, “Pickers Paradise”, an enchanting store with everything vintage that you could hope to find and more! A couple started this gem years ago to have a business to share with their twin sons.
Stay tuned for that and more profiles as we explore the California Delta!
