The village’s Arts and Culture Advisory Board has been collaborating with local artists, realtors and property owners to fill vacant downtown storefronts with pop-up art installations.

The windows of 70 Main St., which had previously been the home of the Bing Bang Boom video production studio, now has a collection of art from Laubach and Walkow. The windows are filled with landscapes, portraits, abstractions, “Alice in Wonderland”-themed collages, a painting of the “Harry’s House” album cover — which the two pointed out was hung upside down — and, in the back, a grotesque skin and blood canvas with real stitching on a wound.

ADK ArtRise co-owner Julia Csanko is a member of the Saranac Lake village’s Arts and Culture Advisory Board. She’s known Laubach and Walkow since they began creating art at ArtRise when it opened four years ago and knew she wanted to get their work on display to make downtown look nicer.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Walkow said.

Local 8th graders Julia Walkow, left, and Madi Laubach stand inside of their pop-up art installation in the windows 70 Main St. in Saranac Lake, which had previously been a vacant storefront. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

The idea that their art wouldn’t just be in a place where people had to seek it out — like a gallery — was exciting, she said.

Laubach said she expected having this public display of their work would be nerve-wracking — but it isn’t. She doesn’t have to watch people looking at her art. She just knows it’s out there and people are enjoying it. It’s a “freeing” feeling, Laubach said.

Most of the art was made in the ArtRise studios, some of it was made in their bedrooms.

Laubach said she finds she has more motivation to create at the studios than at home.

“This place, it’s made to make stuff,” Walkow said of ArtRise.

Even passionate artists, they said, need to force themselves to create.

“No matter what you make, if you’re proud of it, it’s good art,” Walkow said.

She has a focus on drawing women, in detailed portraits and in abstract mirror-selfies.

“I like telling stories, and I feel art is just another way to tell stories,” Walkow said.

She’s also a prolific writer. In the windows, there are several portraits of characters she’s written novels about.

One canvas is filled with lipstick prints, which Walkow created using actual makeup supplies as paint. It was an idea she said she got from the social media platform Pinterest, saying that with a bit of guilt at first, but then adding that she believes all art is collage — the act of combining existing ideas and concepts to create something new.

“It’s kind of like making a collage of all the work around you,” Walkow said.

Laubach enjoys depicting animals and landscapes, with a specialty in mixed media and collage — filling the pages of books with cut-outs of images, charms and ornate quilling.

After years of being told to color inside the lines, Laubach said being older and having the freedom to color outside the lines feels great. Diving into that creativity is exciting to her.

Walkow recently got to show the installation off to family visiting town.

Laubach and Walkow’s work will be on display on Main Street for a couple more weeks.

Csanko said the Arts and Culture Advisory Board plans to rotate work in the empty storefronts around town and that if an artist wants to get their work featured, to contact her at ArtRise.

Those interested in purchasing any of Laubach and Walkow’s featured works can also contact ArtRise. The artists might be there, creating more art.