Today we’d like to introduce you to Aimee.
Hi Aimee, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Art has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a small town, and creativity gave me an outlet that did not depend on what we had or could afford. I painted, played music and entered art contests at school. I also have other family members who paint, so creativity has always felt like a natural part of who I am and where I come from.
As I got older, life took me in several directions. I built a career in the legal field, became a wife and mother, and carried art alongside those responsibilities. During difficult or transformative periods, painting gave me somewhere to put emotions that I could not always explain in words. It remained a constant even when it was not the center of my professional life.
Over time, I began exhibiting more regularly throughout the DFW area, receiving commissions from clients locally and across the country, and building a recognizable collection of miniature artwork and custom pet portraits. I’ve also received a People’s Choice award and recently began hosting small paint party classes, which has allowed me to share the creative process with others in an entirely different way.
Art C Studio has grown gradually and organically, one painting, commission and opportunity at a time. I’m still balancing my art with my legal career and family life, but I’ve reached a point where art is no longer simply something I do in my spare time. It has become a meaningful business, a connection to my community and an important part of who I am.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Art has always been something I simply do. I was always known as the artistic or creative one. It has never felt like a hill I had to climb or something I had to force into existence. Even as I’ve built a business around it, I’ve mostly continued creating, followed the opportunities in front of me.
If I were to identify hardship within the journey, it would appear in two places. First, many of my strongest pieces have emerged from periods of emotional upheaval. I created a massive tiger painting after becoming a mother, and another after my estranged father passed away. Painting has often been how I process emotions that are difficult to express any other way. The hardships may inspire the work, but creating itself has always come naturally to me. I think, like most artists, I would continue painting whether or not I ever made money from it.
The second challenge has been learning how to make room for a growing art business while working full time as a senior paralegal at a law firm, being a wife, and remaining a present mother. As I’ve participated in more shows, accepted more commissions and continued developing my skills, balancing those parts of my life has become increasingly demanding. I’m fortunate to have a strong support system, and I also believe it is important for my daughter to see me pursue something I genuinely care about. She gets to see me work hard at a passion and build something of my own and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to model that for her.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work has two very different sides. I create larger expressive paintings, particularly wildlife and figurative pieces, as well as playful miniature paintings and custom pet portraits. I specialize in acrylic painting, but I sometimes incorporate resin, enamel and textural mediums to add dimension and depth.
My tiger paintings are among my most personal works. They explore strength, identity, grief and transformation, allowing vulnerability and power to exist together. On the other end of the spectrum, my miniature collection lets me approach art with humor and accessibility. I love taking an ordinary object like a sandwich, soda can, bottle of ranch dressing or nostalgic childhood item and presenting it as a tiny piece of fine art in an ornate frame.
That contrast is an important part of what makes my work recognizable. I do not feel confined to one subject, scale or emotional tone. I can create a deeply personal painting and then turn around and paint a three-inch snack food. Both feel equally authentic to me. I want my work to carry meaning without always taking itself too seriously.
Through Art C Studio, I have exhibited throughout the DFW area, sold and shipped paintings to collectors across the country, received a People’s Choice award and expanded into custom commissions, pet portraits and private paint parties. I am proud of those milestones, but I am most proud when my work resonates with someone on a personal level. That connection can come from the emotion or symbolism in a painting that brings back a memory, reminds someone of a particular person or captures something familiar from their own life. No matter the subject or scale, creating that sense of recognition and connection is the best part of showing my work to the world.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Collaboration usually begins with someone bringing me an idea, a memory or a collection of references rather than a completely formed concept. My role is to understand what matters most to that person and translate it into a painting that still feels like my work.
For a custom painting, a client might share a general vision, particular colors or elements with personal meaning, and I develop those ideas into a cohesive composition. For a miniature pet portrait, I ask for several photographs and, when possible, a video so I can understand the animal’s expression and personality. Details such as a favorite toy, bed, blanket or unusual habit often become the part that makes the finished painting feel unmistakably like that pet.
I also collaborate with galleries, businesses, event organizers and private groups through exhibitions, special projects and paint parties. People can support Art C Studio by collecting original work, commissioning a painting, attending an event or paint party, following my work online and sharing it with someone who may connect with it.
Pricing:
- Miniature original paintings generally range from $50–$100, depending on detail and framing.
- Custom miniature pet portraits start at $50.
- Larger custom commissions are generally priced at $1.50 per square inch, with final pricing based on size, detail and materials.
- Private paint parties start at $40 per painter, with an six-person minimum. Travel and custom-design fees may apply.
- Available originals, prints and current pricing can be found at artcstudio.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artcstudio.com
- Instagram: artcstudio_
