Amy states, “To me, feeling the completion of a piece is like reaching that ethereal finish line, and you feel the way that you do when you see the ocean from the shore, or when you exit a matinee and squint into the sudden light, knowing all along it was there.”


We will never forget the first time Amy Ruppel came into the shop. It was like some famous rock star had come to visit. We were like giddy little school girls! We were even more excited when she agreed to be a Student Of The Month. Amy's work is so well known & loved and rightfully so... Everything she creates is adorable. She is a true professional through & through. It was such a thrill to work with her. Thank you Amy for being such an inspiration! This limited edition print titled "Tree Factory" is printed by our friends at Pinball Publishing on post-consumer recycled paper with soy-based inks. 11x14" signed & numbered. 5% of the proceeds from the print will be donated to Amy's charity of choice: The American Bird Conservancy, www.abcbirds.org

I haven't been buying anything lately...well besides An Awesome Book by Dallas Clayton. I couldn't resist Amy Ruppel's newest bird series based on state birds. I was missing California (a daily occurrence) and decided that I had to have this little quail creation. I emailed Amy and minutes later it was mine. There are still a few states left and the next sale for the second half of the states is Friday. I'm already thinking of investing in New York...

it’s only fitting that today’s first (yup, we have two today!) sneak peek belongs to artist amy ruppel because she was both the original inspiration for the sneak peek column and is my gracious host while i’m in portland this week! i can’t wait to have dinner at her new restaurant (along with her husband randy) cava and check out all of her insider haunts. in the meantime, she’s sharing a little insider sneak peek into her brand new studio space today. full of light and beautiful little vignettes, it’s a great way to see how amy works and what she keeps around her for inspiration. as always you can click here for full sized (and additional) photos of amy’s studio, or click “read more” below to see many more photos after the jump. [thanks to amy for sharing- and for hosting me this week!]