Etsy is an awesome, fantastic place to lose yourself for hours at a time. It's also awesome because it allows me to sell my artwork and merchandise to anyone anywhere! Etsy also connected me with Amber, an invaluable employee at Shady Brook Animal Hospital in Magnolia. When Amber started working there, one of her first goals was to redecorate the Clinic's front room (office & waiting area). She set out looking for art work on Etsy, and somehow stumbled on my page! A few emails later, in November, I met with Amber and began to sketch out an arrangement for 15 pet portraits in their office. The fun part is that the pets I painted belong to employees of Shady Brook, so they get to see their pets' faces smiling at them while they work!

Today we hung up all the portraits in the clinic (SO EXCITING)!  It felt so good to see them all hung! 

So, as you can see, I've been VERY busy! My studio space is small, and all these portraits were hung up on the walls around my desk at one point so their protective varnish could dry thoroughly... it felt like so many eyes boring into me as I worked!
Prints are available for all these portraits. Just check out my Etsy shop or contact me.

I have another fun project coming up (not portrait related), so stayed tuned!

When you're an only child, growing up, your pets become your best friends. They cuddle with you, sleep under the covers when it's cold, quietly listen when you have something to say, and take you on walks in the evenings. 
Meet Tinkerbelle:

We got Tink when I was 10 years old. We were walking in Old Town Spring, a little village of shops in NW Houston, and we saw a mess of puppies in a pen on a street corner. All the pups were bigger breeds, some were chihuahuas, and they were all sleeping except for this white toot with a big brown spot and a dark brown face. Being a little girl, of course I wanted a puppy, and my mom consented. (How could she say no to that face?!) 

10 Facts about this little dog:
1. One of my earliest memories of Tink in our home is my dad laying on the floor and Tink wedged in his arm pit sleeping.
2. For being only 10 pounds and maybe 18" tall, she could jump clear above the kitchen table, often stealing food right off your plate.
3. She loved Ernie and her Wooly-Man dolls. She went through 3 and 2 of each, respectively.
4. Tink didn't beg for dog treats....she begged for CARROTS. She could eat them all day long and never stop.
5. When she was younger, we'd buy her those rawhide dog chew sticks as big as she was, and she'd work on one for hours at a time. If you put your hand on her head when she was working and devouring one of those, your hand wouldn't be cold for very long.
6. Tink liked to play tug of war, as do most dogs. But if you'd just pretend like you were going to tickle her while she was tugging, she would growl like nobody's business. Always, ALWAYS made me laugh.
7. She thought she was bigger than any other dog out there, and never backed down.
8. She knew how to sit, stay, & come.
9. She enjoyed taking baths in the kitchen sink, and looking up at you so pitifully the entire time, yet kicking her leg when the water would hit the right itchy spot. Then she would run around the house like a mad woman, rubbing her back and face over every couch cushion, all over the rug, and then sneeze incessantly. 
10. Her place of rest was the corner cushion of the love seat, atop 2 throw pillows, her chin on the couch arm. When not on the couch, for years she’d jump in my Mom’s lap and then lean backwards against her shoulder,  so that Mom could scratch her belly. Nonstop, preferably. 
11. When she'd potty outside, she would often get so distracted while mid-potty-business barking at people walking past the fence that she'd end up kicking grass to cover her mess in a totally different spot or often while running toward the fence instead of where she actually went potty.
12. When it was time for bed, we'd say, "Tink, let's go to bed!", and she'd RUN up the stairs and sit in my bed, leaning on my pillow, waiting for me to say, "Okay, you can sleep with me," and then she'd put her ears down and give me that look of sheer love, then crawl under the covers and cuddle up next to my legs.
13. Tink was very resilient: She severely injured her back at least two times crawling under the couch, her place of refuge during a thunderstorm. She was put on steroids as a young dog (due to a back injury) and as a result, developed a very muscular physique. We used to squeeze her little thighs and joke that she'd be so tasty. Once she somehow walked into the branch of a bush and poked a hole in her cornea; She discovered and ate an Easter egg that had never been found several years earlier- and had the foul gas to prove it. She also ate rotten tomatoes and jalapenos from dad's garden and had no ill effects and she once downed a bag of M&M's and lived through it. And like most dogs, she was known to dig for "kitty candies" in the litter box. 
14.  She was the best friend a little girl could have.

When Tink started getting slower in the mornings, didn't always respond when her named was called, and seemed happier to sit on her pillows than in your lap, we all realized she was getting on up there in life. 

So in December of last year, she quickly developed some serious health issues, and we had to make the tough decision that all pet owners one day face. Losing Tink was very hard on our little family.

In her memory, I didn't want to paint a typical pet portrait like the ones you see here all the time. Instead, I wanted to capture Tink as I remember her best- on her throne of pillows, one ear up, one ear down, watching with at least one open eye both the back and front doors and her people moving around her. I gave the portrait to my parents for Christmas so that they can still look over at the couch and see her sitting there, even if only in our memories.

Many of the portraits I am commissioned to paint are in memory of beloved dogs & cats. A painted pet portrait is a unique and touching way to capture a pet's personality for all time. Here are a few other portraits I did in memory of lost furries:

Gift certificates are available in increments of $15, $25 and $50.  For larger values, let me know! 
Check out my Etsy shop for where to purchase these gift certificates.

Sorry for being absent the last few weeks.... working on an AWESOME new project! Lots of pictures to come, soon! 

I LOVE doing shows! So I'm pleased to announce where you can find me this year in the Art/Craft Show world! Hope you can make it to one or more of these! Thanks for always being so supportive, friends!

I just had to share a few photos of some awesome boutonnieres I made for Danielle at Danfredo Rivera.

So fun! Congrats to the bride and groom :)

A year ago I did a painting for a fantastic mom of her adorable black lab:

A couple weeks ago I got another email from Adrian about commissioning another portrait. Her daughter's class raised some money for a gift for their amazing teacher, who loved her soooo-cute dog, Scout. Adrian remembered me and wanted me to paint Scout's portrait:

I was so thrilled to paint that fantastic pup face! 

Adrian offered to send me pictures of the kids giving their teacher Scout's portrait, and I just had to share. What a great group of kids to give their teacher something so personalized and unique! In Adrian's words:

"The children LOVED giving it to her.  When I asked them what Ms. Conway loves most they said in unison "US!", I said besides y'all?  They said "Oh!  SCOUT!".  Then we had her come in the room & they gave it to
her.  As you can see, she LOVES it.  She was literally speechless. She couldn't get over it!  She took it all over the school showing her teacher friends.
She really loved it so much.  She's getting her National Board Certification this year, so it will be something she will always have to remember this class.
Thank you!  It was my favorite gift to give this year!"  

Thank you so much, Adrian, for letting me be of a part of teacher appreciation! It just makes my heart smile uncontrollably when I get to see the smiles my paintings bring to others.

I've been VERY busy around here. Here's the proof:

Thanks so much to everyone who commissioned me for the holidays! 


Now, a much deserved break :) Well, more like I can finally get to some paintings I commissioned myself to do for Christmas! (Let's be honest here, ha!)

Stay tuned, friends!

I'm having so much fun with all these portrait commissions! I like to imagine the giftee's face when unwrapping one of these and envision a huge smile. I know I'd love to get a portrait of my loved one as a gift (if I weren't the one doing the painting)! Take a look at a few I've just finished:

Also, we just couldn't WAIT to get our Christmas tree up! This year we went with a small, white one, and it looks just fabulous lit up!

I also made this cute wreath for the front door, cost about $10 to make! Thanks Hobby Lobby for always having a sale!

Also, this has definitely been on repeat all day today. Best.Christmas.Album.EVER.

There's still time to order a portrait and get it in time for Christmas! I've been making great time in painting all my commissions, which is good for you!