Workshop with Me
My next workshop at Making Waves Art Studio is coming up quick – join me on August 8 from 6-8PM to have some Fun with Photos! We will get creative with photography, adding color and personality using mixed media. You'll learn fun ways to bring some magic to snapshots, old and new. Use some photos I selected just for this class, or you can even coordinate to provide your own personal photos to embellish. It will be great and I would love to see you there. Spots are limited – More info here!
Announcing a New Collaboration
I'm so happy to finally be able to share my collaboration with Michael Grey Sandal Factory! These limited edition Birkenstocks are adorned with my happy patterns and I am so smitten I might not take them off all summer. There are two designs to choose from – Color Block and Flower Power and the patterns are also available as mini wallets and beautiful tote bags!
Only 30 of each item will be made and the quality is outstanding – the colors are so vibrant and the leather will wear beautifully. Each piece is handcrafted in Atlanta in Michael's studio and will be a treasured part of your wardrobe for years to come. Yay!
Best New Mural 2024
Popping in to catch you up on what's been going on since last we checked in… June always feels like a wild ride with the end of school, wind up to summer, Father's Day, my birthday (45!), and the longest day of the year. I was running around last week and thrilled to find out that my Pollinators mural was named best new mural in this year’s Best of WNY 2024! Buffalo Spree Magazine releases a list every year and my mural both made the list AND an awesome backdrop on the cover! There is a big party in a few weeks for all the local businesses and awardees – I'm excited to celebrate the win! 🌷🌸🥳🍀🦋
Art, Studio and Stockist Updates
I am enjoying a bit of down time after wrapping up two design jobs and have started making some progress on a few personal projects that have been on the backburner for a while. One is a collaboration with my friend and fellow artist Rachel Shelton. She co-owns the beautiful print shop Mirabo Press and she and I love to get together and talk art and creative business things. We have long admired each other's work and are starting some collaborative pieces in preparation for a show we have together at C. Stewart and Jane H. Hunt Art Gallery early next year. So much fun!
I also started to paint a mural in the stairwell that leads up to my studio – something I've wanted to do for a long, long time. I'm only one session in and have a ways to go, but it feels good to have started. I have no plan other than to use up some paint from other projects. I'll keep you posted as it take shape!
Stockist updates:
I love local small businesses! Over the past year I have started dabbling in wholesale and am currently in these shops run by incredible ladies. See if you can pick out my work in the photos below. Better yet, check them out in person if you can!
Little Salmon – Buffalo, NY
Buffalo’s first zero waste store
Black Rock Books – Buffalo, NY
A beautiful bookstore with stationery and other fun gifts
ERLO – East Aurora, NY
A beautiful mix of housewares, jewelry, gifts and art
2023 Income Pie
Taxes prompted me to review my numbers for last year. I’m so grateful when other artists offer transparency in how they make their creative businesses work – so I’m sharing my breakdown for last year in case it is of interest.
2023 income 🥧✨ Each slice of the pie brings different levels of joy / risk / reward / stress / profit / creativity. Variety is the spice of life though, right? I think it is fun to keep exploring these different ways of reaching others with my work. Here is a little more info on the different income streams:
Murals 57% – I did three large scale outdoor murals last year. Big art, big(ger) budgets, physically taxing and can be stressful. Oh, and often weather dependant. But, with all that comes big rewards and artwork that lives in public spaces with lots of eyes!
Freelance Design 26% – The yin to the mural yang. Or yang to yin? I don't know. It's mostly a desk job that pays hourly and offers a level of stability. It is nice to do project work for fun clients and it helps me pay the bills and navigate the peaks and valleys of my art practice.
In Person Markets 9% – I did a lot more in person markets last year and was surprised at this number. At these events I sell mostly gift items (like what is available in my shop) and I've been able to connect with lots of new local customers and other small businesses as well. I have also sold some original artwork at these markets.
Online Sales 5% – Getting online orders and shipping happy packages is fun! I'm grateful to be able to share my artwork with others near and far in this outlet.
Wholesale 1% – This was new for me last year and I'm hoping to do more of this in 2024. Yay for me, the lovely local bookstore, Black Rock Books just added my postcard sets to her gifty offerings for Independent Bookstore Week this weekend.
Gallery sales 1% – Sold a few paintings through Hunt Gallery!
Art commissions 1% – Something that I enjoy, but don't do too often. I was able to work with Catbird Consulting to create a custom piece of artwork that celebrated WNY. Prints of the piece were than given as client gifts to the people she worked with last year. Such a sweet and thoughtful gift!