Where others saw an area in decline, Karin Bolstad saw a dream and an opportunity.

The 42-year-old Langley woman (whose name is pronounced car-in) and lifelong artist opened Blueschool Arts in Clinton, just off the highway and a block away from the commercial area in October 2014. The bright blue building is part studio, part classroom, part event center.

She fled her hometown because space was limited for her needs and, she frankly said, the Village by the Sea was too expensive for a burgeoning artist and business owner with a grand vision that she jokingly calls her “evil empire.” Citing the urban trend of areas losing their value and their residents, then being occupied by artists, revitalized and property values increased, Bolstad said she’d like to see it start with her little blue building.

“With the history of South Whidbey, I think it’s terrific she’s taking this lead and has put this together,” said Jack Lynch, president of the non-governmental Clinton Community Council and a retired community planner.

In the building formerly occupied by Wellington Day School on Harding Avenue, Bolstad found a 3,500-square-foot space to house several artists looking to share space, host a gallery and lead instruction. Assembling many artists together, Bolstad hopes, will also spark each person’s passion to visually express themselves.

“I wanted to create a place that you came in and were really inspired,” Bolstad said, adding that she prefers to work with others.

On just about every wall are works created by the Clinton collective or pieces curated by Bolstad, even in the bathrooms, where she placed several framed works in her preferred Victorian style.

“It’s really nuts because I would sit with my friend Sarah Saltee and pour out my dreams before this place (was rented),” she said.

Blueschool Arts is at capacity.

Nine artists call the Clinton space home, aptly named because of the old school building’s exterior paint, a stark contrast in the neighborhood. Some of them are full-time artists, some are retired from other professions and pursuing another passion and career. They cover a range of forms, from jewelry by Tammi Sloan, whom Bolstad calls her assistant headmistress, to mixed media by Sarah Saltee. On either side of the building are the work spaces for artists, split according to space and utility needs.

They don’t maintain office hours, or even regular hours, but come as they need and want to, for gallery openings and once-a-month potlucks among themselves.

“I’m sure there are others that would like to be more visible but haven’t found a way to make it affordable or haven’t seen something similar going on in Clinton,” Lynch said.

In the main entrance area is the instruction space, about 1,000 square feet. Tables and chairs enable the class to configure to its needs, and a pair of shelves on rollers allow for further flexibility. About 20 people can work in the main space, and more in an adjacent secluded room.

Peppered around the instruction area are elements of Bolstad’s personal style. She favors Victorian-era aesthetics, so there are turn-of-the century chairs, couches, lamps, candle holders, a chandelier with faux candles and her paintings of women in dresses that cover them from neck to floor. The two “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” posters featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar as the title character are Bolstad’s too.

Blueschool Arts held its first gallery gala March 21, and Bolstad said more than 200 people attended. There were so many people that the small parking lot was filled and someone had to direct traffic on the small no outlet street.

More than being just a gallery, Blueschool Arts is staying true to the building’s former function and offering a slew of classes. Bolstad envisioned getting novices of any age into their doors to break the ice on creative expression. Often she hears people say they can only draw stick figures.

“They don’t have to be an artist to take a class here,” Sloan said. “They can come explore their creativity.”

“Art is a skill you can learn just as much as anything else,” she added.

Take a look at its online calendar, or even the events listed on a whiteboard at the school, and there’s something happening there just about every week.

Noting that art classes are dwindling in K-12 schooling, Blueschool Arts offers children the opportunity to test their hand at painting or jewelry making. For more experienced student artists, it is also a place to build a portfolio. During South Whidbey schools’ spring break, April 6-10, the studio is hosting a five-hours for five days spring art camp. Dubbed “Project Imaginaut: Creatures, Comics and Creativity,” the art camp is geared toward the visual interests of children.

Most of the classes are led by artists in the studio, but outside expertise is also sought.

“The classes are, like my style, very eclectic,” Bolstad said.

Rather than another Whidbey Island gallery/art studio that offered instruction if oil or watercolor painting, she wanted to see something more modern and “edgy” for students and future gallery exhibits.

“There’s not going to be the watercolor of the sailboat,” Bolstad said. “That’s already been done.”