Missy Sandeman’s artwork
James Harold Galleries | Tahoe City
missysandeman.com
Missy’s Body Garage
(530) 318-1471 | missysbodygarage.net
To crack the Missy Sandeman code, one needs only to visit the spacious garage of her West Shore home.
Here the walls are adorned with Sandeman’s deftly rendered watercolor and oil canvases depicting the Sierra landscapes and vistas that frame her life. But, take a few more steps in and the energetic side of Sandeman’s psyche is revealed. Encompassing the lion’s share of the space, Missy’s Body Garage features equipment that utilizes one’s own body weight to achieve what she dubs “functional fitness.”
Still, it’s surely Sandeman’s exuberant energy that brings both artwork and gym to life.
“I was blessed with energy and I’m a goal-oriented person,” says Sandeman, whose fit, compact body belies her 62 years.
In a region where people come and go as the economic trends ebb and flow, Sandeman has long-timer bragging rights. She moved from Southern California to Lake Tahoe’s West Shore in 1981 with husband Bill “Sandy” Sandeman, a former NFL offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, who is now a general contractor. While raising two children, Missy Sandeman operated a hair salon in “Downtown Tahoma” and later the couple owned Tahoma Meadows Bed and Breakfast.
A common thread throughout the three decades was (and still is) Sandeman’s love of running.
“I grew up in Hermosa Beach and I remember running everywhere, it’s just how I traveled,” she recalls, adding that she had a brief stint as a competitive body builder in the 1970s.
Today, with many successful marathons under her belt, she has parlayed her fitness fanaticism to personal training and classes held at Missy’s Body Garage.
“My philosophy with Missy’s Body Garage is to turn as many people on the amazing feeling of being strong and fit, no matter how old, young or what issue they have,” Sandeman explains. “I’m not as interested in monetary gain as much as I am in touching people’s lives with my love of fitness.”
Indeed, this love is felt amongst the legion of fitness followers who come to her gym daily. It’s not uncommon to see Sandeman’s small boot camp-style classes attended by a wide range of ages and abilities.
“The difference between my facility and others in town is that I am a very small one-on-one studio,” she says. “This allows me to watch and monitor each client whether it’s in a class or one-on-one personal training.”
Sandeman is an ACE certified trainer and is passionate about new fitness trends, adapting them for her own clients. She says the fitness industry is constantly changing with new ways to train clients emerging daily.
“I can tell the people who are athletes and the people who aren’t, and it’s exciting to see those non-athletes turn into athletes,” she adds. “It’s so rewarding to see this change and to see people reinvent themselves.”
When she’s not playing cheerleader and coach to her clients, Sandeman is motivating herself with long runs on the West Shore’s Rubicon Trail and Blackwood Canyon.
In fact, she frequently gets artistic inspiration while out running and often snaps a picture or two for future canvases. But, the transition from heart-pumping athlete and trainer to contemplative and introspective artist isn’t always easy.
“I’m hyper to begin with, but the painting really helps me focus, but it’s hard sometimes,” she acknowledges. “But once I sit down and focus and put on the paint and it turns into something beautiful … well, then I can be up until 1 a.m.”
A self-taught artist, Sandeman has attended many workshops and adopted mentors that influence her artistic style that captures the essence of Tahoe from one who dearly loves the region.
Her work may be seen by appointment at her home and at James Harold Galleries in Tahoe City.
For more information on classes and personal training at Missy’s Body Garage, visit missysbodygarage.net. For artwork, visit missysandeman.com.
