Artwork and orders in Texas Dog Shops!

We're not in North Carolina anymore, Mya and Tomoe.

I have been living in Texas for about 4 weeks now and things are coming along. I have some of my artwork displayed in some great pet shops...

First shop: Woof Gang Bakery in Austin. I miss the wonderful gals in the Raleigh location, but I am excited to see what the Austin location brings. (the photo is with the pink wall). If you're looking for dog treats, this place a great place to check out. They also offer dog grooming for our little dirty monsters.

Second shop: Lofty Dog in North Austin. What a cool shop! They have so many treats, toys, accessories, and there is Mr. Pickles! I offered to paint his portrait, which is in the photo below. Pug lovers come here, so on the wall are the darth vader pug, pink pug, and Mr. Pickles!

Third shop: Paw Spa of New Braunfels. This is a neat little place located inside the Landmark Lofts, right near the Guadalupe River. I offered to paint Hemi's portrait. She is a super sweet girl and her portrait is on the wall, above her doggy daddy's desk. 

I am excited to see how things work out and see how business grows. One step at a time!

Movin' to Texas ya' all!

Bye Bye little crafty bits and Hello New Braunfels, Texas! May 13th is the planned day of departure from sweet little NC to the Lone Star State. Amy's Creative Corner has cleaned out, packed up and is about to drive west! 

As you know, my business started a few years ago with a focus on...well...crafty bits. I made scarves, magnets, fabric coasters, etc. I accumulated SO much STUFF. No room for hoarders in Texas! So with a massive yard sale and items going here and there on Craigslist, I sold and Donated a bunch of my crafty bits. It was like a little piece (or many pieces) of me leaving... somewhat nostalgic and sad, but it was for the best. My focus is more concentrated now - pet portraits and some handmade gifts, but mostly painting portraits.

I feel good and excited about this, and a little nervous! I am so excited to see how my business may grow out there. Wish me luck!

Custom Pet Portraits and Gift Cards

Mother's Day is around the corner...May 12th! And for the Mama who loves her furry babies, a gift card would be a great gift idea. You can make the gift card out to be any size canvas. Find out more on my Etsy shop.

I have been getting a lot of requests for multiple pets on one canvas, which are so much fun to paint. Below is a large canvas, 30"x40" size canvas, which has four pets on it. The customer sent four different photos and I just combined them all together on one canvas. Here is more info on ordering one like this.

And some of you may recall my painting I did about a year ago that had a plott hound puppy and three little pigs in the back of an old Ford pickup truck. A customer asked to have their pup in a truck with the pigs and that is pictured below...what a fun project! Find out about a custom painting like this on my Etsy shop. 

ZaPow Gallery and road trip with Mom!

And it's up! My artwork is on display at ZaPow Gallery. This is my first showing of this sort and I am so thrilled about it. The gallery owner, Lauren, was so helpful and kind. She helped me get my work up on the walls and helped me fix my drywall issues...yikes!

My wonderful mom took the 4 hour road trip with me and we turned it into a little vacation. We had an awesome meal at Chorizo in downtown Asheville. My Cuban Daiquiri was deeeeeelish! And Kilwins made for a great dessert. Asheville is a great city...full of dog-loving hippies who wear whatever in the world they feel like and they just don't care what other people think of it...that is just great! Very artsy and full of yummy foods...I'd love to live there.

Donation to the Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue

Tonight is the 2013 Golden Gala, where I have donated a gift certificate to their silent auction for someone to win a free custom painted pet portrait. It is put on by the Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue. The event is SOLD OUT, which is great for this wonderful organization. Hope it goes well!

ZaPow Art Gallery in Asheville, NC

Very exciting post here, folks! An artist's dream...to be contacted by an awesome art gallery to see if you'd like to display on their walls. Yes please! I will be driving to the lovely Asheville, NC this weekend to hang original paintings, prints and cards I created for ZaPow art gallery.

Painting theme: SPACE DOGS and Kitty! 

After I painted the chihuahua in a flying saucer, a kitty in a space suit chasing a ball of yarn, and a daschund in a space helmet chasing a bone, I printed them out and made prints and greeting cards. I am SO excited about this. This is a big deal for my growth as an artist and for my business. Can't wait to see how things work out there. 

Illustrations in Cary Magazine

The February 2013 issue of Cary Magazine is all about weddings! I was asked to draw whimsical sketches of wedding details that a bride will need to decide while planning her wedding. You can start with which dress suits you, trail to which venue strikes your fancy, pick which flowers you like, and which sweets display pops your cork! Follow the trail that helps you figure out which wedding style you're all about. 

It was a very fun project and was different for me since I haven't used ink/pencils in quite a while. Thank you Cary Magazine!