TheBrilliantMagpie

Originals and Prints by Amy Abshier

Kansas City, Missouri On Etsy since 2007

3,170 Sales |
%s out of 5 Stars
| 1,987 reviews

Top shop for gifts.

Buyers bought gifts from this shop and gave them 5-star reviews!

TheBrilliantMagpie

Originals and Prints by Amy Abshier

Kansas City, Missouri | 3,170 Sales

%s out of 5 Stars

Shop owner

Contact

Announcement    I'm a maker of small paintings and illustrations; prints and originals; imaginary portraits and tiny narratives. See my "About" page for more information about me and my work. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Also, I've been posting new sketches and paintings daily on Instagram. My user name's Curvilinear if you want to check them out. I'd love to see you there!

Announcement

Last updated on Apr 11, 2018

I'm a maker of small paintings and illustrations; prints and originals; imaginary portraits and tiny narratives. See my "About" page for more information about me and my work. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Also, I've been posting new sketches and paintings daily on Instagram. My user name's Curvilinear if you want to check them out. I'd love to see you there!

Items

Contact shop owner
3170 Sales
3974 Admirers
 
Amy Abshier

Contact shop owner

Amy Abshier

Reviews

Average item review
5 out of 5 stars
(1987)
See reviews that mention:
quality 37 shipping 175 customer service 122

About TheBrilliantMagpie

Sales 3,170
On Etsy since 2007
  • Me working at the dining room table.
  • My regular watercolor/aceo set-up. Quick and simple!
  • My ancient paper cutter that I use for cutting down watercolor paper--it's old but awesome.
  • Some small oil paintings waiting to be finished.

I'm a painter and illustrator (and a whole lot of other things besides).

In 2005 I moved from Ventura, California to Kansas City, Missouri. At the time my daughter was a year old and I had no day job. While I was selling large paintings through a couple of different galleries, the income from those sales was too sporadic for comfort. Then I discovered artists who were selling small, trading card-sized paintings and I jumped right into the world of aceo's (artist cards, editions and originals).

I started my shop in 2007, after a few years selling aceo's on eBay. I wanted a way to reach more people and have an actual shop set up, not just to rely on weekly auctions to sell my work. I've met a lot of wonderful folks through Etsy and am so happy that my work can be found in homes all over the world. That is pretty darn cool.

Most of the pieces in my shop are smaller original paintings and drawings, and a whole lot of prints. I try to keep small pieces in stock because they're inexpensive for the buyer and easy to ship.

I have a studio in the basement of my house where I work on my larger oil paintings, but I usually set up my watercolor paints right in the dining room. I can paint at the dining table and still keep an eye on my kids, dinner, etc, etc. My set-up is simple and easy to put away for mealtimes.

I have a regular day job that's pretty interesting: I'm a certified fine art and antiques appraiser, and I work as an auction house manager for a consignment auction house. We deal in antiques, art, glass, pottery, coins, jewelry, etc. Because we sell things on consignment, you just never know what will come into the auction house on any given day. I've seen some amazing pieces and the last 9 years there have been a learning experience on so many levels; not just about antiques, but a lot about human psychology too.

A lot of people ask where I get ideas and inspiration for paintings. The ideas really do come from all over: looking at old photos or costumes or fashion books, conversations (usually overheard--I love eavesdropping. Shameful.), dreams... Sometimes just sitting down and drawing without thinking of anything in particular will produce something cool. Music is definitely something I'm passionate about (I've been collecting records for over twenty years), and it plays an important role in my work as well. And I love looking at stuff! Fashion, architecture, art, design, interiors--there's so much to see and so much to get excited about, just that in itself makes me want to paint.

Around the web

Facebook

Shop members

  • Amy Abshier

    Owner, Maker, Designer, Curator, I Do It All.

    I grew up on the Gulf Coast in Wadsworth, Texas and when I was 18, moved to Kansas City, Missouri to study at the Kansas City Art Institute. Graduated, moved around a lot, then came back to KC where I live with my two kids.

Production partners

  • Printful

    Los Angeles, CA

    An on-demand, online printing, fulfillment and shipping company. They provide the printing services on some of my small, open edition prints.

Shop policies

Last updated on August 4, 2014
Thanks so much for stopping by my shop!

I'm a published illustrator and painter and I love creating fictional narratives and imaginary portraits. I'm inspired by any number of things on any given day and carry my big sketchbook around everywhere I go.

I try to keep the paintings and drawings in my shop on the small side (easy to ship and cheaper than a big painting!), so you'll find a lot of ACEO's (Artist Cards, Editions and Originals--they always measure 2.5" x 3.5"), and pieces 5x7 inches or smaller.

Accepted payment methods

Accepts Etsy Gift Cards and Etsy Credits
  • Money Order
  • Check
Returns and exchanges
I'm pretty laidback about this sort of thing--just convo me with any problems or concerns, and we'll work it out!
Payment
I prefer Paypal or direct credit card payments, but will take personal checks and money orders. (I wait until a check clears before shipping the item out). Please pay for your item(s) within a week, or make arrangements with me beforehand.
Shipping
I ship items out as soon as I can, usually the next day. International orders may take longer, as I like to make as few trips to the post office as possible.

I use recycled materials whenever I can--the packages may not be especially pretty, but they'll get your art to you safely (and somewhat guilt-free!). Small pieces (6x9 inches or smaller) are enclosed in plastic sleeves, sandwiched securely between heavy cardboard, and shipped in bubble-lined envelopes.

I provide insurance for items or transactions over $100.00. If you'd like an item insured, just let me know and we can figure out the cost and stuff.

If you're paying by Paypal, I always ship to the address on your Paypal account. If that's different from the address you want your order shipped to, please let me know!
Additional policies and FAQs
I'm currently not accepting commissions for custom pieces. I'm just too busy these days. Thanks for understanding.

Please convo me with any questions--I love to hear from people.

Thanks again for stopping by and have a great day!