Tim Conner, Vinton resident and a man of faith, is the first artist to be represented at Imagination Studio, the store at 110 S. Huntington St. that’s more than a store.

First of all, it is a nonprofit. Proceeds go to help the work of Sulphur Christian Community Coalition (SC3), of which the store is a part.

It’s a vocational training ground for learning retail, display design, customer service and T-shirt printing.

Manager Joanne Coleman is also the vocational empowerment programs director for SC3. The clothing and gift store next door, Lydia and Lavender, is also an SC3 nonprofit. It sells trending clothing, jewelry, gifts, hats and shoes.

Imagination Studio is the place to find casual comfortable to classy comfortable clothing, inspirational and holiday tees, and get T-shirts and other materials printed with just about anything a person can ‘imagine’ printed on a T-shirt, whether that’s for a team, for a family or for an event.

Coleman can even do certain one offs and embroidery, too.

When Coleman saw Tim Conner’s art, she coaxed him to let her put some of the designs on slate, holiday decorations, heavyweight paper and T-shirts.

“It’s our first time to feature an artist,” Coleman said. “If it works out, we might feature a different artist each quarter.”

Conner drew at a younger age. Then life happened. Priorities shifted. First came college, then a career and family. He said in his part of the country he’s known as Diane’s husband or Caleb’s dad. Diane Conner is on the Town of Vinton Council.

“I pretty much shelved my art until I retired,” the recently retired 60-year-old Conner said.

He was an engineer, a lefty. He said being creative helps him get into his “right mind,” a reference to creative pursuits as being a right-brained activity.

“This is more of a hobby, a way to pass time for me, a way to relax and a lot of fun,” Conner said.

He chose watercolor for his medium, and watercolor can be challenging. He’s taking some classes from Nancy Melton. He encouraged others to pick up a brush and give painting a try, no matter their age, no matter their past profession or level of training.

“For me, this has been a humbling experience, to see that I can use pen, pencil or watercolor brush and people enjoy looking at my work,” he said.

Conner is donating proceeds received for his work to the ministry of SC3 whose mission is summed up by the statement, “the love that changes everything.” One of the ways SC3 loves is by offering opportunities of personal and professional growth through education and enrichment, as well as vocational training and experience