A vibrant, thick layer of multi-colored paint slid off the edges of a canvas held aloft by Katie MacGregor, owner of Glenwood Springs’ Hawaii Fluid Art, and a studio visitor on Thursday. The blue, gold and pink paint spilled onto their hands and pooled on the table below as MacGregor manipulated the flowing paint, titling the canvas until it was completely covered in rings and swirls.

Later that afternoon, ambassadors from the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association stopped by to meet MacGregor, cut a symbolic ribbon and create their own fluid-art pieces.

The studio, located in the Glenwood Meadows Retail Center, opened less than three weeks ago but is already making waves. 

“It’s been really great,” MacGregor said when asked about the studio’s first few weeks on Thursday. “We’ve had a lot of support through the chamber and newspaper. We were able to sign up for things like Strawberry Days late and the support of people coming in, everybody seems excited — either they do an experience or they say, I’m bringing back so-and-so, we haven’t had any negative reviews so far.”

MacGregor, who grew up in Rifle, recently returned to the county after 15 years away. She left the region to attend college before starting a career as an engineer in the U.S. Air Force.

After leaving the military, MacGregor decided to explore a new path. Using Vetrepreneur — a service that helps veterans become franchise owners — she considered nine other business opportunities before choosing Hawaii Fluid Art. She already had a personal connection to the brand: her first pour-paint experience was at a Hawaii Fluid Art studio in Castle Rock in 2023.

MacGregor had gone to the studio with her 6-year-old cousin. 

“It was awesome — to see her face and how excited she was about her painting and it turned out awesome,” she said. “She did what we call a ‘Dutch Pour.’ It was basically a big flower, and it matched her color scheme in her bedroom, and I was like, ‘Oh man, this is so cool.'”

Hawaii Fluid Art, which now has over 50 franchise locations around the U.S., began as a pandemic hobby in a garage in Hawaii. Although founder Maya Ratcliff wasn’t artistically inclined, she found a way to create original, pour-paint masterpieces and soon began teaching the technique to others. People with disabilities — who especially enjoyed the restorative benefits of the creative process — were some of her first students, according to the Hawaii Fluid Art Story. 

For MacGregor, the franchise opportunity was a chance to bring something new to Glenwood Springs.

“There’s not a lot of art studios around. It is a very artsy community, I feel like. There’s so many small towns and stuff too, and the concept of this business, we can travel,” MacGregor said. “So it’s not just here in the studio, we can take it to businesses or birthday parties or a winery event…it’s got a mobile unit aspect. It’s such a chill thing. It’s different and it’s therapeutic. 

“We can do a lot of outreach,” she added. “My mom worked for YouthZone, for example. I can’t wait to do an event with YouthZone and the kids.”

During the studio’s fluid art experience, customers choose around four paint colors before pouring the paint into a cup using the “blurp blurp” method — two small “blurps” of each color at a time to ensure color amounts are even. 

Then, they apply Hawaii Fluid Art’s special base layer to the canvas before pouring the layered paint over it and tilting the canvas to create their desired effect. MacGregor, who often stays in the studio after it closes to experiment with fluid art, calls the process “therapeutic.” 

“It’s pretty difficult to end up with a piece you don’t like,” she said. “Everybody walks away with something that you would put on your wall. I think that’s why…people will end up coming back to do another one and to do another one, because they’re like, ooh, I did that. Now I want to try a more challenging one.”

The studio offers more than traditional canvas fluid art — customers can create resin custom tumblers, decorate cutting and charcuterie boards and figurines, paint glass, create mosaic frames and even customize a ballcap during a patch hat party. 

It also has a retail space with works from eight local artists, as well as locally purchased goods. 

“I’m really having fun experimenting with the different fluid art forms. There’s so many things you can do with it,” she said. “You can add different gadgets and gizmos that make your pour different — we added gold flakes yesterday, some flowers and used a blow dryer. Fluid art is still very interesting to me because it has endless bounds to it, so we’ve all been having fun learning new stuff together.”

In a year, MacGregor hopes her franchise will be “really plugged into the community,” she said. “Obviously have events scheduled out and be able to make relationships and impacts.” She even has tentative plans to open a second location in Grand Junction. 

For now, she’s focused on fulfilling Hawaii Fluid Art’s vision — giving everyone, no matter their artistic skill level, an opportunity to enjoy art. 

“I hope (customers) leave with a big smile,” MacGregor said. “Most of them have so far, I haven’t seen anybody that leaves grumpy. So hopefully (they leave with) a good memory, positive vibes and feelings and some aloha spirit.”

Hawaii Fluid Art will host its grand opening celebration from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 7, with live demonstrations, food, raffle prizes and more.