Greyhound Art and More by Laura Treloar
The Universe never fails to amaze me with its’ love for synchronicity. As I “window shopped” on Etsy last week, I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful artwork of Laura Treloar. Laura gracefully agreed to an interview, but it wasn’t until after our discussion that I realized the “coincidence”. Laura just happens to be the sister of my two tattoo artists, Mike and John Austin. 
In any case, Laura’s unusual work and unique jewelry is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. She also does custom work so please contact her if you’d like a one of a kind custom piece of your own. I really enjoyed learning a little bit more about her and I think you will too… Enjoy the interview!
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My name is Laura Treloar. I live in East Vancouver with my husband and three little children. We have two elderly pets- a cat named Ema and a dog named Kitty.
I am a highschool art teacher, so that keeps me busy doing something creative when I ‘m not in the studio. I spend all of my ‘not at work’ time with my kids. My five-year-old and four-year-old love to come into my studio with me, and draw on the floor while I work on my stuff. It doesn’t get too hairy until my two-year-old decides he wants to climb up my back when I am doing soldering work with a propane torch.
I was raised on a small farm in Southwestern Ontario. My mom has always been a massive animal lover, and used to have runt pigs, turkey chicks, and injured pigeons living in our house with us. She used to bring the baby goats in to jump on me in bed if I wouldn’t get up for school in the morning. I guess it had a long-term effect on me, as a lot of my images are based on animals. My youngest brother in Ontario owns two rescued greyhounds, and their sleekness inspired me to create my greyhound prints.
I create in mad little spurts- working full-time and parenting small children doesn’t leave a lot of time for other pursuits, so I am very much a ‘make it while you can’ type person. I am very inspired by the colours and patterns I find in the Japanes chiyogami papers I work with- the sense of balance in the compostions on these papers is immaculate, and the colours often drive my own choices of colour scheme in my work.
My most cherished handmade product is a quilt covered in animals that my grandmother made for me when I was a little girl. She sewed it from scraps of her old clothing. I have passed this on to my daughter, who was not able to meet my grandmother before she died.
I have to admit that I don't seem to have time for any of the above!
Hang in there! Selling your work can be tough, and it takes a lot of work. It can be discouraging when you make something you think is fantastic, but it doesn’t seem to sell. Keep doing what you love, and what relaxes you- the sales are just the icing on the cake.
I don’t do much promotion of my work- most of my customers find me online at Etsy, or at arts and crafts sales. I have been fortunate enough to have been featured in a number of fantastic blogs, and that is a great source of promotion for my work.
…doing the same things that I am doing now- parenting, teaching, and creating.
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To shop for Laura’s beautiful works of art online, visit:
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Technorati Tags: dogs, greyhounds, whippets, italian greyhounds, sighthounds, dog art, greyhound art, whippet art, italian greyhound art, sighthound art, pet art, Laura Treloar
Greyhound Art and More by Elle Wilson
The first time I encountered the dog artwork of Elle Wilson, I was literally speechless. In the midst of her collection of exquisite sighthound prints, were two pieces that so resembled my greyhound and my whippet that they could have been commissions. Of course I ordered the prints right away, and they now hang lovingly in my hallway. Looking at these beautiful works of art everyday brings me a little piece of joy as I not only remember the love I have for my dogs but also admire the extreme talent of what I consider to be a genuine genius artist. I had the honor of interviewing Elle this week and it was my pleasure to get to know her a little more about her. Enjoy the interview!
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Hi there, my name is Elle Jane Wilson, I live in Earlswood in Surrey, United Kingdom. I have quite a menagerie of animals. So let me begin with the eldest first….. I have Sascha the fluffy black and white cat, next are Toulouse and Gizmo, they are two chihuahua brothers, following on is Indie our blue and white whippet girl, she gets on well with Toulouse but she must have upset Gizmo one day because he barely tolerates her. Next is Sugar (Pwmellin Seren is her proper name, but if you don’t speak Welsh you don’t stand a chance of pronouncing it properly) she is our little Welsh pony for all the family. We also succumbed to giving two gerbils a home, we adopted them from a local pet store that re-homes unwanted pets. Last of all two little goldfish, I think one is called Goldie, but can’t remember what my children called the other one.
Mostly HOUSEWORK: (With three children aged 10, 7 and 5, there is a never-ending mountain of chores to be done. Then of course there is walking the dogs, I especially like doing this after I have done the school run, at this time I can amble along, gaze around the beautiful countryside on my doorstep, feel inspired and open up my mind to new ideas and compositions for future painting.
Instead of a lunch break I sometimes meet up with some friends to go horse riding, I had little ponies when I was younger, and I just LOVE the smell of them, although I am sure after a break of 15 years, I think I am slightly allergic to the hair now. Always very itchy after visiting Sugar in her field. Lastly I do like to have a bit of a dance, once in a while I love to go out to a nightclub and dance my socks off for a few hours.
I truly believe that this is just what I was meant to do. When I was 13/14 one of my school projects was to create a business, and I chose to do handpainted memo boards of peoples pets, I took some orders from a number of teachers and they were all pleasantly surprised at the portraits I did of their pet cats and dogs. My art teacher scoffed at me when I explained what I wanted to do, but did compliment me later on. Since that time I have always done private commissions if I had any spare time after University or work, I just never did it professionally. After I had worked in Multimedia for 4 years for a small company I realized that I actually just wanted to paint, I was missing being creative, so after the birth of my first child, I left my job behind, and then started working on my art again.
Hmmmm. Its hard to describe, I actually go into a kind of trance when I am in painting mode. When the mood is right, out come the brushes and paints, and there is no stopping me. I work mainly from photographs, and they kind of tell me when they want to be painted. I can spend hours looking at many photographs, I need to get a sense of the dog, feel its character and somehow a painting will develop itself. I often like to work very late at night, sometimes I can easily start at 10.00 pm, and work past 3.00 am. Its so quiet, everyone is sleeping, the phone doesn’t ring, there are no knocks on the door. Quite a magical time for me to create. I had never really rated myself as a watercolour artist, and had barely used them until 4 years ago, previous to that I used chalk pastels and acrylic paint. I thought watercolours were quite daunting to use, so never considered them for my artwork. But now……I love them!!! There is a freedom about watercolours and it is the way they can manipulate colour and be almost haphazard and uncalculated with them. I let the water, paints and brushes do most of the work. A good watercolour brush is like having an expertly crafted musical instrument. I know what each of my brushes are capable of, and there is one special brush I use for my wishy washy backgrounds.
I have just bought a snood for my Whippet from the Greyhound Rescue West of England Charity shop. It is hand knitted and depicts Winter, with a hedgehog and allsorts on it. I love it, just so unique and fun.
Well I was a 70's child, so Lassie has to play a big part in all this. The one programme that could have you in tears every time with the Lassie and her escapades. The Incredible Journey is another one, the way it illustrates the dogs and the cat that would travel, mountain and rivers to be reunited with their human partners. I was bought a lovely book for Christmas a few years ago, called Dogs published by Phaidon, a wonderful selection of black and white photographs of dogs.
As for websites, I do love Etsy.com, this site is a great portal for artists all over the world to display they artistic/craft talents in so many areas. I love to look at the many different dog artists there are, each unique in their own right. Then there is dogmalondon.com!!! Absolutely stunning dog collars, and watch this space as one of my new Greyhound portraits will be wearing a Dogma London collar. [A note from KB - thank you Elle! xo]
Lots of dedication, patience and number one to believe in yourself. Also quality and honesty play a big role. For artists I would say style is so important, you don’t want to really tread on another artists toes, so research, look and learn, and assess what can you do that makes you stand apart from other artists.
I have my own website and I list a lot of my images as prints on Etsy.com and eBay. It allows people all over the world to come across what you do. If I am able to I sometimes attend dog shows, which is really nice, especially when you get to meet some of the lovely people who have bought my work.
Putting on a solo exhibition of my work and to publish a book.
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To shop for Elle’s beautiful works of art online, visit:
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Technorati Tags: dogs, greyhounds, whippets, italian greyhounds, sighthounds, dog art, greyhound art, whippet art, italian greyhound art, sighthound art, pet art, Elle Wilson, Elle J. Wilson, Almost an Angel 66
choosing the perfect doberman collar
Taylor – Halloween Martingale Dog Collar
Today I want to share with you some of my very favorite doberman collar photos and suggestions for choosing the perfect Dogma London dog collar for your doberman. Dobermans are one of the most common dog breeds, and are revered for their loyalty and intelligence.
There are a few considerations choosing a collar for a doberman. Since the neck of the dog is long and lean, martingale collars tend to be more popular than buckles. 1.5″ and 2″ wide collars usually look the best on a long doberman neck, in size medium or large depending on the size of the dog (see the fitting room for help with sizing).
Due to the mistaken stereotype of aggression, many owners choose funky or fun dog collars to “lighten everyone’s mood” while at the dog park! The sock monkey dog collars are among the most popular prints for dobermans…. and finally the most popular color of collar for a doberman is red.
I have a wonderful group of devoted doberman collar customers, who send me terrific photos of their dogs on a regular basis. I hope you love these dapper doberman photos as much as I do! If you have any questions about choosing the best dog collar for a doberman or any other breed, please don’t hesitate to email me.
 Raven Halloween Dog Collar |
 Raven Camouflage Dog Collar |
 Taylor Flame Dog Collar |
 Charlie Solid Red Dog Collar |
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Technorati Tags: dogs, doberman, doberman pinscher, doberman collar, doberman dog collar, doberman pinscher collar, doberman pinscher dog collar, collar for doberman, collars for doberman, martingale collar, martingale dog collar
Greyhound Jewelry by Beth Wade
This week I had the pleasure of interviewing fellow dog lover Beth Wade, a talented jewelry designer specializing in unique works of wearable art inspired by greyhounds. Her eye catching designs are only enhanced by the intention stated on her website which is: to combine “art with animals in order to bring peace, joy and laughter to the person who wears it”.
Beth’s mixed media treasures are crafted mostly from sterling silver, copper, or brass and can be found online at Beth Wade Design.com. I hope you enjoy this interview with Beth as much as I did!
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My name is Beth Wade and I grew up and still live in a small suburb outside of Cleveland in northeast Ohio. My husband and I live with our two retired greyhounds Smiley & Peanut and they are the love of our lives.
Two amazingly fun years!
I read a lot! I’m never without a book and have been known to reread my favorites many times. I also love spending time with my greyhounds whether on a walk or having “snuggle time” while we watch bad reality television. (the dogs love reality television). In the summer you’ll find me in the garden or traveling in our camper with my hubby and greyhounds. I’ve been told that I have an “old soul” and I think my downtime reflects that .
I have always, always been creative and started to find that nearly all of my artwork in some way reflected my dogs. There are only so many walls in my house and only so much jewelry I can wear at once that I thought it was time to share what I made with the world. Nothing makes me happier than to create something that someone can wear or hang in their home that brings them joy. It was also always a dream to own my own small art-based business.
I am inspired by so many things! I am addicted to trying new techniques and I often refer to my studio as my la-bore-a-tory because I like to experiment with new materials. I am also greatly inspired by other artists and nothing gets me as motivated as seeing an artist who not only has a distinct style, but one who has found great success being creative. And of course, my greyhounds; their beauty, spirit and quirky antics constantly find their way into my art.
I am fortunate enough to now have two days a week that I spend in my studios at home, as well as evenings and weekends. I split my time between my jewelry and my quilting studios, working in whichever one feels right at the time. I always have many projects going at once, so if I don’t have a pending deadline for work in either studio, I will gravitate toward a piece that is flowing well for me. I have equal love for metals and fabric and will often go back and forth working between studios and projects depending on my mood.
This is tough because my house is filled with dog-related everything. One of my very favorites is a set of sculptures made by papier-mache artist Steve Wirtz. He created two wire and papier-mache sketchbook sculptures of my greyhounds that completely capture their personalities and appearance with humor that makes me laugh out loud. His work is truly funny and one of a kind and I greatly admire his technical skill as well.
I should note before I answer this that though I’ve read classics like Black Beauty and Charlotte’s Web growing up, I tend to shy away from animal related stories now because I just really can’t handle if anything upsetting happens to any animal in any book. A recent example-I sobbed the entire last two chapters of Marley and Me. And if you see me in person-ask me about watching “Pelicar” in the first grade. . . That said I have recently read and loved: Dog Town: A Sanctuary for Rescued Dogs, From Baghdad With Love, and Barbara Karant’s Greyhounds. My favorite pet-related websites are Best Friends Sanctuary, Angels’ Gate Animal Hospice, and Greytalk.
Create things that bring you joy because when your products make you smile, it shines through and will certainly make others smile. The best compliment I’ve received about my jewelry was a thank you for creating “little pieces of happiness”. I think it’s also important to constantly create new and interesting pieces-it will keep you motivated as you try new things and your audience interested to see what you come up with next. Develop good relationships with your customers as not only will it bring you repeat business, but you’ll meet some really wonderful people that may turn into friendships! Finally, donate your work to fundraising endeavors as much as you can. Donations provide great exposure for your work and are good karma to boot!
I stay active on internet forums such as Greytalk and Facebook as I find that not only are these sites a tremendous way to reach out and share your work with lots of people at once, but it connects me to other people of a like mind who have as avid an interest in animal welfare as I do. I also incorporate many little creative tid bits into the sale of my work such as including little promos like bookmarks or notepads that feature my logo, or hang tags that have a photo of another piece of jewelry that my customer may or may not have seen before. Finally, I donate as much as I can. It not only gets my name out there, but it makes me feel really good to give back.
In five years I’d like to be dedicating myself to Beth Wade Design full time. Right now I run my business two days a week in addition to weekends and evenings, but my dream is to wake up each morning and head right to my studio with a cup o’ coffee and my pups.
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To shop for Beth’s beautiful works of art online, visit:
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Technorati Tags: dogs, greyhounds, whippets, italian greyhounds, sighthounds, dog jewelry, greyhound jewelry, whippet jewelry, italian greyhound jewelry, sighthound jewelry, dog tags, designer dog jewelry, gold dog jewelry, silver dog jewelry, dog tag jewelry, personalized dog jewelry
this week on eBay: Greyhound Statue, Levi’s & Harley Davidson Dog Collars
More goodies on eBay this week!
A beautiful greyhound statue:
A OOAK Silk Harley Davidson Martingale Collar with part of the profits going to GPA North Texas:
A OOAK mini martingale collar for those irresistible italian greyhounds:
A OOAK Levi’s Denim martingale collar:
A OOAK Levi’s Buckle Collar – for a big great dane or other large breed!
Good luck with your bids, my friends!
xo
kb
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Technorati Tags: dog collars, martingale dog collars, martingale collars, sighthound dog collars, sighthound collars, whippet dog collars, whippet collars, Harley Davidson dog collar, Harley Davidson martingale collar, Levi’s dog collar, Levi’s martingale collar, greyhounds, whippets, sighthounds
This week on eBay: Rare Martingale Collars
This week I came across some fabric scraps from some of my previous bestselling martingale collars. Luckily I had just enough to make one or two last dog collars, so I decided to post them on eBay.
I’ve posted my very favorite martingale collar of all time: “Rudest Buddhist”, plus two original Frank Lloyd Wright martingale collars. The Frank Lloyd Wright fabric is licensed by Woodrow Studios and it’s very difficult to find as it’s been discontinued.
Don’t miss out on your chance to purchase these rare Dogma London originals. Here’s some thumbnails and a link to the martingale collars on eBay:
Good luck with your bid!
xo kb
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Technorati Tags: dog collars, martingale dog collars, martingale collars, sighthound dog collars, sighthound collars, whippet dog collars, whippet collars, buddha dog collar, buddha martingale collar, frank lloyd wright dog collar, greyhounds, whippets, sighthounds
Martingale Collars at Hugs for Hounds
Upcoming Event: Hugs for Hounds
I’ll be taking a beautiful selection of martingale collars and other greyhound goodies to “Hugs for Hounds” this weekend. Hugs for Hounds is an annual fundraiser assisting greyhound, sighthound and other dog rescue groups.
This is a one day, indoor-outdoor event held 10 minutes from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Hugs for Hounds is celebrating it’s 5th year raising money for Greyhound Relocation Canada and other dog rescues.
This year’s Hugs for Hounds is happening Saturday August 22, 2009 from 10:30 – 5pm at Bridgeport Road & Gun Club in Breslau, Ontario. For more information or directions, please visit the Hugs for Hounds website.
If you are hoping to purchase a specific martingale collar or buckle dog collar, please email me in advance to place your order. Otherwise feel free to browse the selection of martingale collars that I already have made. Thanks for supporting Hugs for Hounds…..see you there!
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Technorati Tags: dog collars, martingale dog collars, martingale collars, sighthound dog collars, sighthound collars, whippet dog collars, whippet collars, greyhounds, whippets, sighthounds, hugs for hounds
