I discovered Etsy and opened my shop on the same day in January of 2007. I thought it was such a great idea for artists to gain exposure and maybe even sell some art. There was really nothing like it. I had just graduated with my BFA in Drawing and Painting from Cal State Long Beach the year before, and was in the process of sending off my applications for graduate school. My apartment was littered with my paintings, and the idea of making your own prints was new to me. For a while my shop was small, and the shop functioned as a nice diversion from graduate school, where I further explored painting, as well as the potentials of wood, and with printing images. I completed my MFA in Visual Art from UC Riverside in 2010. I wasn't an artist heart set on landing gallery representation. Instead, I focused all my attention on teaching and on my shop, and expanded it over the years to include not just paintings and prints, but also all sorts of paper goods, mouse pads, jewelry, tote bags, and infant apparel.

Being a part of the Etsy community has allowed my art to reach more people around the world than would have been possible otherwise. It's pretty amazing when you think about it. I was 18 with my first real paint set and pad, bought as a gift from my then boyfriend. Never would I imagine, that painting fairies and mermaids for fun and for leisure would evolve into something so personally meaningful.

For the past 15 years, I have also taught several weekly kids art classes in my city. We paint things like owls and feathers and bears holding jars of honey, and it's probably more fun for me than for them!

In November 2013, I welcomed a baby boy named Fox, and then in May 2015 I welcomed little Scarlett. A busy mom of two, I paint during nap time and get your orders out while listening to Daniel Tiger or Sesame Street. Times have changed, but the love and beauty just keeps growing.

xoxo
Courtney