VEME was started from the passion of two artists wanting to share their love of art with the world. Verona Peñalba and Melissa Gabrielsen met in 2014 and quickly became good friends. Verona had been painting beautiful portraits for years, after her daughter was born in 2016, she focused her practice on abstract art. Melissa started her career as a hairstylist but always had her hands in many other small artworks and crafts, eventually finding ceramics in 2020 and falling in love with the medium. 

Verona and Melissa spent years on and off as housemates building a friendship that would become more like family. Constantly inspiring each other, they were blessed with their first shared studio space in 2020 - An old blue barn that was full of spiders and a leaky roof. This old blue barn helped both of them find independence and keep exploring who they were as artists in an unrestricted way. 

In the years between 2020-2023 together they spent countless hours dreaming up what would eventually become VEME.

So what is VEME…

Ready to move on to bigger things they found a DREAM space. This new space is giving them the freedom to share their passions with the world… or at least the East End of Long Island.

VEME is a space for creatives of any type to come explore the possibilities of art through a multitude of mediums. Both Verona and Melissa hope to bring workshops that are guaranteed to get your hands moving and your mind relaxing in a warm, safe and inclusive space. Come awaken the side of you that wants to play.

See you soon

VEME

VE(rona) & ME(lissa)

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