The Beginnings of Western Rose Studios

Let's hit the rewind button real quick. Skip back to May 2012 ... I was freshly graduated from Oregon College of Art and Craft with my Bachelors in Fine Art and Craft in Drawing and Painting. I wasn't just a graduate, I was still a newlywed by a couple months and I was ready to create art that was true to me and not just for homework.

During my Thesis year at OCAC, we learned not just about creating a body of art, but also about the business side of being an artist. A local art lawyer came and spoke to us about everything from registering LLCs to copyright infringements. That's when I knew that one day I wanted to create a LLC that wouldn't limit me creative endeavors.

Over the next couple years, my art was featured on Oak Knoll Winery's Rose Festival Collection Series, I completed many watercolor commissions, and even won awards at the St. Paul Rodeo Art Show. I was memorializing memories in watercolor paint and was being recognized for it - that was so amazing.

Now fast forward to 2014 ... I decided it was time to morph my hobby into my own small business. First thing was a name for my LLC. I knew that I would always have my heart in the Pacific Northwest (even if I may not always live here), plus my true love was to paint western art, so I knew "Western" should be in the name. Secondly, I wanted the name to have a little bit of me in it. I thought my middle name, Rose, could really add a classic flair to my LLC. And lastly, I didn't want to be pigeoned holed into doing just one thing, like only watercolors, so I thought the plural version would be best for my studio, even though I may not have a physical studio for people to visit. That's how I came up with the name Western Rose Studios.

This is my first logo, which I paid a graphic designer to create for me, since I wasn't ready to create my own yet. I really loved this logo, but over time my client base turned from mainly rodeo-goers and horse lovers to a more elegant base for photography with families, weddings, and or course keeping with the same horse lovers for photography and paintings.

This happened in 2017 and that's when I created my most recent logo. I kept the original rose design from my original and updated my colors and font.

But a brand isn't just about the logo. It's about the experience and who is really behind the business.

​This is the beginning of something new for Western Rose Studios, I'll be sharing more about my life; who I am as a wife, mother, and maker. I hope you'll follow along with my adventures that I'll write about, photograph, and draw. Make sure you subscribe to my email newsletter to keep up with everything!

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