Nov 16, 2017

When sculptor Renee Arambiges began looking for a studio, she turned to a shipping container depot.

: Sculptor Renee Arambiges is used to working in unusual locations. Her first sculptures – two giraffes – she created from clay in the a Marriott Residences of Pennsylvania. She was living after her house burned down in a fire. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Soon after losing most of her belongings in a fire, Arambiges retired from her career in banking and became a full-time artist. “I don’t wanna be dead and you meet your creator and he says, ‘I gave you a talent, why did you waste it?'” she says. Here, she holds a sculpture of Mary with her child. Arambiges describes herself as deeply faithful; her Orthodox Christianity inspires much of her work. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Today, artist Renee Arambiges works in a studio inside a former shipping container. “I needed a studio, and it’s fireproof,” she said. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Renee Arambiges stands by the kiln she uses to fire her clay sculptures. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Renee Arambiges has no formal artistic training, but has always had a creative streak. It started with butter. She’d craft animal shapes around holidays. She later transitioned to clay, which doesn’t melt. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Arambiges molds an elephant into shape. Many of her creations are inspired by animals and religious symbols. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: On a recent weekday around lunch, Picorp employees Karen McKay and Michelle Weir stopped in the studio as Arambiges was molding a lump of clay into a little clay elephant, gently smoothing down its sides with drops of water. They ooh’ed and ahh’ed over some new pieces, and promised to come to the artist’s upcoming show in Baltimore. “She’s the beauty of this place,” says McKay. Picorp’s workers have provided a supportive first-audience for Arambiges’s work. Her eyes well with tears when she talks about it. “I think you need people around you,” she says. “You need that interaction.” (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: It was about two years ago that Arambiges first approached Picorp, Inc. to ask if she could purchase a shipping container to use as her studio. Instead, owner Gus Lambrow let her use a converted shipping container on the site. “I saw her stuff,” Lambrow said. “I liked it.” (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Nearby, stacks of shipping containers are stacked like legos for giants, bearing names of far off destinations. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Owner Gus Lambrow describes the lot as a kind of rental car place for shipping containers. Companies rent out the containers to carry goods across the seas. At any given time, a few thousand of them are just sitting, empty, here in Baltimore, waiting for Fedex or the army to say they need to use them. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Nearby, stacks of shipping containers are stacked like legos for giants, bearing names of far off destinations. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Nearby, stacks of shipping containers are stacked like legos for giants, bearing names of far off destinations. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

: Arambiges is the first artist Picorp has ever had on-site. But owner Gus Lambrow thinks the arrangement is beneficial. His employees are “regular blue-collar workers.” In having an artist like Arambiges on-site, he says, “We’re giving ’em a little culture.” (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun)

Sculptor Renee Arambiges is used to working in unusual locations. Her first sculptures — two clay giraffes – she created at the Marriott Residences of Pennsylvania, where she lived temporarily after a house fire.

Soon afterward, she retired from her career in banking and became a full-time artist.

“I don’t wanna be dead and you meet your creator and he says, ‘I gave you a talent, why did you waste it?'” she says.

Today, she works in a studio inside a former shipping container in the Lombard Street lot of Picorp, Inc. Nearby, stacks of shipping containers are stacked like legos for giants, bearing names of far off destinations. Forklifts teeter as they lift and lower the boxes.

Owner Gus Lambrow describes the place as a kind of rental car agency for shipping containers. Companies rent out the containers to carry goods across the seas. At any given time, a few thousand of them are just sitting, empty, here in Baltimore, waiting for Fedex or the army to say they need to use them.

It was about two years ago that Arambiges first approached Lambrow to see if she could purchase an old shipping container to work in.

“I needed a studio, and it’s fireproof,” she said. Instead, Lambrow let her use a studio on-site for free.

On a recent weekday around lunch, employees Karen McKay and Michelle Weir stopped in the studio as Arambiges was molding a lump of clay into a little clay elephant, gently smoothing down its sides with drops of water. They ooh’ed and ahh’ed over some new pieces, and promised to come to the artist’s upcoming show in Baltimore.

“She’s the beauty of this place,” says McKay.

Renee’s art exhibition is Nov. 18 from 7-11 pm. 25 W. Preston Street.

Meet the sculptor who works in a Baltimore shipping container depot

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