Animalia: Celebrating the Wild and Tame

I’ve been an artist for many years; working to commission for much of the earlier part of my studio life then having to leave off for the most part once I had kids. Having four children in five years is assuredly a full time occupation ;)

When my bairns were wee I only created occasionally, when they were all in school I could create somewhat more frequently. I found that licensing my work on Print on Demand (POD) websites like Zazzle offered me a way to get my work into the world in such a way as to earn some money. A small but growing income was very nice to have.

I had sold some work/designs on fabric via Spoonflower, Zazzle etc and it was very fun to think of my work flying across the world to be used to enhance someone’s home and life.

Then… I shut down my POD stores in a misguided effort to change direction artistically. I really should have allowed them to continue to purr along quietly. I cut off a source of joy and income after listening to some not-helpful advice. Learning to listen to my own heart has been a life long curve and this was one of those harsh lessons I hope I shall not soon forget.

Well, I’ve decided its high time to jump back into the design and POD branch of my studio business.

I’m redeveloping my Spoonflower shop, as well as Zazzle, Redbubble and others. Its so fun and somewhat addictive to see ones art shown on terrific products!

Creating in the illustration and design space offers me Studio flexibility. Due to my health limitations I cannot work for long in one position. That is, due to the bulging disc in my lower back I cannot stand or sit at a desk for long periods. Sometimes, if my back is irritated I can’t work in those positions at all for days at a time. I risk triggering sciatica as well as just the continuous pain that results from back spasms. I also have fibromyalgia after a bout with Lyme disease that went untreated (thanks to the medical system in Canada at the time, Lyme was denied as a diagnosis until recently) thus my energy levels fluctuate and debilitating pain and fatigue are just around the corner fairly constantly. All this to say that building as much variety and flexibility into my Studio work as I can is most beneficial to my long term creativity.

My deep desire is also to build a business that my disabled daughter can inherit and hopefully participate with me in developing. As always, a mother’s heart is for her children and perhaps especially when they are challenged with health issues in their own right.

I’m delighted to find fresh energy in incorporating my watercolor sketches into design and art that will offer delight and happiness to my buyers. You can find my licensed work offered at these places: