Whoa Team Spotlight: Gypsy Mare Studios

October Spotlight Artist: Jennifer MacNeill-Traylor of Gyspy Mare Studios

How long have you been selling on Etsy?
I opened my shop in January 2008. I'd been selling on Ebay since 1999 and was fed up with their fees and policy changes and wanted to branch out.



What do you like about selling on Etsy?
I love their low listing fees, 20 cents, you can't beat that! They also charge a low commission when something sells. I also really like the people I've met on Etsy. I traded art with another seller and made a great friend!


What is your favorite medium?
That's hard to say since I've worked in many. I would say the medium I use most is acrylic paint since it's easy to use and clean up and it dries quickly. I enjoy painting in oils the most - I love the way they blend and the rich colors. I also really like sculpting in paper clay and hope to do more when I have the chance. Lastly, I love photography. I haven't sold any of my pictures but I take my camera where ever I go!

Where do you find inspiration for your art?
In short - everywhere! In my garden, on weekend trips to Longwood Gardens, horse shows, the zoo and museums. Reading children's books to my 3 year old daughter, driving around the beautiful Lancaster County countryside where I live. I think most artists are always looking for things to inspire them - there is beauty all around us! I'm always looking at things - from clouds to bugs - thinking, how would I paint that?

Do you have any favorite pieces?

Right now it's a painting of a thoroughbred stallion I used to care for. I painted him in oils this year and the painting hangs next to my art table. This horse was a real jerk and one day he bit me when I was walking past his stall - nearly took my arm off! I still have a large bump on my arm and the scars to prove it!
I also love Halloween. The Headless Horseman plays a key role in a lot of my work this time of year.

Any tips for other artists just starting out on the web?
Blog, blog, blog! Number one tip. I've been saying it for awhile now but I noticed that the Artist's Magazine had this in their top ten as well. It's free, it's easy, people will get to know you and want to buy your work. I have had my Gypsy Mare Studios blog going since 2007. I've made some really great friends through blogging!

Any pets?
We have three cats - Meemee, Zazu and a new ginger kitten named Pumpkin. I had a horse that I raised from a foal but I had to sell him to buy our house 2 years ago. Very sad but family comes first and I know I will have a horse again someday.


How do you envision your artistic future?
I'd love to take some college art classes since I'm mostly self taught. I'm also working on illustrating a children's book about horses and Halloween. One of my customers, and now friend, has come up with the wonderful text, I just need to work on the art. Illustration is one of my favorite art forms. I would love to be known someday for illustrating children's books.

You can find more of Jennifer's work on her blog, The Mare's Tales, and on her website.

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New!

Some newly listed items from Whoa Team artists. Click on a picture for more info or to make a purchase.

March Giveaway - Original ACEOs

For our March giveaway we have three lovely, original ACEOs. What is an ACEO you might ask?
ACEO stands for Art Cards, Editions & Originals. It is an offshoot of the ATC or Artist Trading Card. The only requirement for an ACEO is that they measure
2.5" x 3.5", the size of a baseball card. It's a fun way for the art collector to buy original art an inexpensive art prints.
There are all sorts of things you can do with ACEOs. You can put them in an album, frame them in a single frame or collage, give them as gifts or display them in a basket.

Here are our three giveaway pieces for March. Perhaps if you win one, it will kick off your ACEO addiction. Like potato chips, it's hard to have just one!

Click HERE to see other Whoa Team ACEOs for sale on Etsy.

Giveaway rules: Please leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win. Giveaway ends Thursday, March 26th, noon eastern time. Follow this blog for an additional chance to win. Please comment that you are a follower so we will know. The artist will contact the winner and mail their prize after 3/26/09.


Original Palomino ACEO by Jana Johnson.


Original Saddlebred ACEO by Gail Ragsdale.


Original Carriage Horse ACEO by Carol Buck.

Thanks for entering our giveaway!

"The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and fire." ~ Sharon Ralls Lemon

Spotlight Artist: Gail Ragsdale

Our feature Whoa Team artist this week is Gail Ragsdale who sells under the Etsy name, Carpiss. Gail is from the great state of Tennessee and also has a beautiful blog you should be sure to check out.

Here's a photo of Gail driving her 18 year old Friesian gelding, Alpar, who sadly passed away recently.



How long have you been selling on Etsy?
I have been selling on Etsy since Feb 2008.

What do you like about selling on Etsy?
It's user friendly, listing is inexpensive and there is a growing horse art movement! I also like the long listings and the fact you can have your work featured in a Treasury although I haven't been fortunate enough to snag one!!

What are your earliest memories of creating equine art?
I remember always drawing horses, that is all there was for me! My first real solid memory is when we lived in Japan and I drew a picture of the famous racehorse, Whirlaway. I had just read a story about him and how he was known for his long tail. Needless to say, the tail on this picture was extremely long! I was fortunate that my parents encouraged my art.



What is your favorite medium?
My favorite medium has always been charcoal and graphite followed by watercolors. I love the contrast of lights and darks you can achieve with charcoal and graphite. I don't do a lot of them now, have been using acrylics lately and am enjoying them greatly. I love oils, unfortunately the smell of the oil paint gives me terrible headaches!


What artists have influenced your work or provided inspiration? George Ford Morris to me is the ultimate and my charcoals are heavily influenced by him! Helen Hayse is another I have followed, C.W. Anderson has always been a favorite. The modern day artists are Richard Stone Reeves, James Walls, and James Crow.




Please tell us a little about your pets.
We presently have 4 cats in the house-White Socks, Charlie, Heckle and Little Thing-all females, 2 at the barn-Smokey and Neighgro and I care for an old feral cat at work, Little Guy.

Spotlight Artist: Lynne Anderson

Our spotlight artist this week is Lynne Anderson of Raku4u. Lynne resides in southwestern Colorado and creates gorgeous artwork in clay.
Please take a minute to stop by her Etsy shop, website and blog!


How long have you been selling on Etsy?
I've been selling on Etsy since May of '08. Originally, I had intended to market only my raku jewelry, but later decided to utilize Etsy for my complete line of work.


What do you like about selling on Etsy?
I like selling on Etsy for a number of reasons: exposure on Etsy is global, Etsy is an easy way for my existing customers to access my work when I'm not at Art Shows, & the Etsy community of artists is a wonderful support group! I find I can maximize my studio time and still reach a large viewing audience.


What are your earliest memories of creating equine art?
My earliest memories of creating equine art goes back to Elementary School. I was the eternal "doodler" in margins of my notebooks.....filling the spaces with drawings of horses. I remember continuing to draw horses throughout my school years and later began sculpting them out of clay.


What is your favorite medium?
Raku Fired ceramics is, without a doubt, my favorite medium. For me, it combines the freedom of creating in 3-D then using my other skills to add imagery to my pieces which finish out in the wonderful one of a kind metallic, iridescent coloration typical of raku.


What artists have influenced your work or provided inspiration?
Perhaps the single greatest artist of influence for me has been Georgia O'Keeffe. Her work is filled with visual rhythm and, while our subject matter is quite different, much of the rhythmic nature of my work has been directly influenced by this extraordinary artist.


Please tell us a little about your pets.
Pets which share my world and home consist of two cats: Scotch and Ms. Wings. Scotch has been with me for 12 years and is a butterscotch colored feline gentleman of the first degree! Ms. Wings, aka "Wingers" is a female calico Manx who was so named for her ability to launch herself so high that she appeared to be flying. She is quirky and delightful. Though I have owned several horses in the past, I am currently "horseless" due to the amount of travel required for attending the number of Art Shows I participate in. My love for them is reflected in much of my artwork.