BEACHGYPSY ART

Every artist has finished artwork accumulating in their space.  I had piles of watercolors overtaking mine.  It was actually affecting my desire to paint.  That's when I started Beachgypsy Art.


 I make boxed note cards, magnets,calendars and small matted prints that I sell in a local gift shop, Venice Stationers, here in Venice,Florida.  While I paint a variety of subjects, Beachgypsy Art is all tropical themed.  Venice is a tourist destination so Beachgypsy Art features local sites and wildlife.  My business is small and home-based.  My production manager, aka Woody (my husband), does all the "work"; printing, cutting, folding and boxing.  Am I lucky or what!!

How did you come up with beachgypsy art?  (I get asked that alot.)

  Along with, what on earth is a beachgypsy?

Upon retiring from my job of 30 years, I moved to Florida permanently. Before I left, my co-workers and I were sitting at lunch discussing what I was going to do. I said, "I'm going to be gypsy or maybe a beachbum." I had always had this thing about gypsies being free and going anywhere they wanted. When I had a "bad" day, I always just exclaimed, "I'm leaving and I'm going to become a gypsy!"

And that is exactly what I did.

I traveled around the southwest, seeing all of the beautiful parks in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, I lazed around on the beach in Florida, drove up and down the East coast, stopping to see friends and relatives along the way. Then, I decided to stay in Florida and that is when I started Beachbumming 101.

So that is really how Beachgypsy Art came to be named...

it's the combination of the gypsy and the beachbum.

I started making the calendar by hand many years ago (I think it was in 1997).  It was a Christmas gift for my Mother and sisters.  The images were watercolor and the days and weeks were calligraphied.  I'd take my 12 finished pages to Kinkos and would cut them to fit in to small acrylic frames.  The next year when my sister didn't get a calendar, she asked "why didn't you make calendars this year?"   I felt guilty & immediately went to work on 12 more scenes and gave them all a new calendar.   That was the beginning of the yearly calendar.

Since then, the calendar has evolved.  Each year, I make at least 4 calendars; two for the gift shop, one of Venice Scenes and one of Tropical Scenes; one of my favorite paintings done that year; and one of Orchids that I have photographed at the shows we attend. 

The first product that I tried to market was a boxed set of Orchid Cards. When I approached the owner,Rosanne Brown, of Venice Stationers, she asked if I had any cards of local sites, the Venice Welcome sign in particular. I didn't but told her I would work on it and get back to her.

I went right home, got my camera, drove back to Venice Ave and shot the sign from several angles.  2 days later I took the painting back to the shop. Rosanne loved the scene, I made it into cards and that started Beachgypsy Art on it's way.  Since painting that first Venice site, I have added others creating an assortment of Venice Notes. 

 I also have boxes of assorted Shorebirds...

and Shells...

The area in the shop where my cards are displayed has grown considerably over the past 5 years.  From one small shelf to a whole section now for the boxed cards and prints and calendars.

In the past few years, I've added Christmas cards as well.  The store owners approached me about doing them since they have a very large section of tropical themed Christmas cards.  The owners have always supported local artists.  Rosanne feels that tourists appreciate that the cards they are buying are created by local artists.

For me coming up with something new and different does not come easy.  There are SO many cards with tropical themes available and you don't want yours looking like a clone of the others.   "Holly and Ivy" is one of my personal favorites.

I added magnets to the Beachgypsy line a couple years ago.  What a learning experience that was!  How did I know how to gauge the strength of the magnet strip that I would need?  Thank goodness for samples!  Magnets are the one product that Woody does NOT do....darn!  They take a steady hand and a good eye to make....my hands and eyes aren't what they used to be.

I consider myself very lucky.  I have a wonderful creative outlet, the overwhelming support of the Venice Stationers owners and a great "production manager".  I don't want to branch out, expand or get more business; my job is perfect just like it is~it's fun!

BTW:  The scene on the logo is the place where Woody & I met and were married.