By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
Los Angeles is known as the City of Angels. Throughout the wildfires, residents have proven this.
Displaced herself, Ally Mathieu is giving back to the community by offering her Santa Monica studio, Paint:Lab, as a donation center.
“Currently, I’m displaced from my home,” Mathieu said. “Fortunately, so fortunately, my building still stands.
“The goodwill that comes with that … I can’t believe how gracious the universe has been to me. Everything around me has burned to the ground. So many of my friends’ homes in the Palisades. I couldn’t just rest knowing that that’s happened.”
Paint:Lab’s doors are open to those who were displaced, so they can “shop” for toothbrushes, socks and other necessities.
Mathieu said she had the space to gather all of the products, but didn’t have the time or means to ship them.
“Everyone can come to the studio and do some shopping for the things they’re out of,” said Mathieu, who moved to California 11 years ago from New Mexico. “It’s really beautiful to see the community come together.”

Volunteers handle donation drop offs at Paint:Lab in West Los Angeles. (Chris Mortenson/Staff)
What’s also “beautiful,” she said are her collaborations with shelters.
“I’m working with these other little facets of people, volunteers, coming to pick up specific items for shelters,” she said.
“They’re coming to pick up tampons, gloves, blankets and toothpaste. That’s what they need that night. I have a big surplus of that and they’re driving it to someone who actually needs it right now.”
Paint:Lab is a community arts space offering regular weekly adult and children’s classes. Guests can take one class or learn the fundamentals through a series of courses. An art supply store is found in Paint:Lab, which also provides an open space for folks to come in and work without instruction.
“Sometimes it’s hard for businesspeople and artists to mesh,” she said with a laugh. “With this, there are no social boundaries. Everybody wants to help and contribute what they can.
“We have to make these quick decisions under the thumb of emotion and physical (stress). With this thick layer of internal smoke and haze, to be able to still come together and push through that external smoke and haze is beautiful.”
Mathieu said she’s fortunate to be able to, maybe, pick up family heirlooms, even if they’re damaged by smoke.
“I feel like it’s alchemy,” Mathieu said about her desire to give back. “I have a building and a place to stay. I have to have some kind of good action coming. I can’t even believe that happened. I’m so grateful. It does feel good, but it feels dutiful.”
Paint:Lab
1453 14th Street, Santa Monica
paintlab.net
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