AMARILLO, Texas—Studio 64 isn’t a typical art studio.

Instead of easels or pottery wheels, life-size fiberglass horse statues await coats of paint inside the space at the Galleries at Sunset Center.

The horses are familiar: More than 90 of the statues have been placed in the Amarillo and Canyon area since 2002 as part of a Center City fundraising project.

The recently opened studio, known as the Center City Corral, provides a working place for artists who paint the 125-pound horses.

“This was an empty place we knew Center City’s art project might benefit from,” said Ann Crouch, founder and president of the Galleries at Sunset Center, who donated the space.

“I want to encourage the art movement in Amarillo in any way possible,” she said.

Previously, artists involved in the project painted designs and logos on the American Quarter Horse replicas in their own homes or studios.

Artists now are welcome to work from the Corral, keeping their horse on display for art browsers to enjoy. “The Sunset Center art community attracts so many visitors, which is a great benefit for the project and for the artists involved,” said Beth Duke, executive director of Center City.

The space has been converted into “our interpretation of what a corral might look like,” Crouch said.

Western antiques hang on wood-paneled walls at the front of the studio.

Bales of straw invite onlookers to sit and stay for a while as the white horses are given color and design.

“People love to walk by or come in and watch the horses progress,” said Marsha Clements, who recently started painting her third horse.

Center City’s project, called Hoof Prints of the Great American Quarter Horse, is an effort to promote public art in Amarillo.

Businesses or individuals can purchase a horse for $3,500, which includes the statue, a $700 fee paid to the artist, a concrete slab, installation and a plaque.

Center City draws from a network of about 20 local artists for decorating the statues. Designs range from simple business logos to elaborate paintings. Artists and businesses work together on the look of the horse, and Center City approves the final design.

Each horse requires much attention before it can be installed outdoors.

Artists must clean the statue, fill in any holes in it and sand it down to a smooth surface before applying any paint.

“Just the prep time takes a while,” Clements said.

Most statues require multiple coats of paint, plus about three layers of paint sealant to protect the horse from outdoor elements.

The Corral is open periodically throughout the week, and artists are on hand from 5 to 9 p.m. the first Friday of each month for the Galleries at Sunset Center’s monthly First Friday Art Walk.