Featured Artist Ann of Brushes with a View

There is something so special about giving and receiving handmade gifts. The thought, the time, the effort to create a one of a kind treasure for a special friend or family member makes the gift so much more. In one case, this desire to give a friend a personal gift led down a road she never planned on going.

Ann is an outgoing mother of 3, two of whom are in college and one still at home as well as a widow of 7 years. She is currently a full time stay at home.

Ann has painted off and on for many years starting with wood yard signs way back when. When she discovered that you can paint on glass it opened up an entirely new medium for her. Ann started off small by putting a few of her pieces in a friend’s local bakery and was shocked when customers actually wanted to place special orders for her work! Since then, Ann has sold at local craft fairs and is slowly getting her name out around town and soon Brushes with a View was born.

One of her favorite types of sales are those custom orders! She loves the idea of taking a customer’s idea and making it come to life on glass. The reaction of her customers is always happiness when they see their ideas become a reality thanks to Ann’s talent with paint.

As much as Ann loves to sell her work face to face, she admits that having people question her pricing is one of the less enjoyable moments. Rather than let that frustrate her, however, she pleasantly explains the process of painting on glass and how it is different from traditional painting, how she spend her time after painting by playing dominoqq. Once this conversation takes place, people are often much more understanding of the pricing and more understanding of the process that goes into it.

Ann has learned a lot while getting her budding business up and running and is happy to pass on a bit of advice for those looking to sell their own handmade work. Her most important piece of advice is to do your homework! Read as much as possible and learn everything you can about your medium and about internet selling. Ann happily reports that she is learning more every day!

So, are you ready to see what this feisty mother of 3 can do with paint and a plain glass? Brushes with a View is easy to find on HandmadeArtists as well as on Etsy. You can also Tweet with her on Twitter and follow her daily activities on Facebook.