Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Samantha Oliver. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Samantha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I recently took on a commission for a memorial piece of a beautiful cat named Poe.

Poe’s mom shared with me that Poe was very ill along with many photos of their lives together. The bond between these two touched me deeply. I knew he was magical even though I never had the honor of meeting him.

I took inspiration from the photos she shared with me, my favorites being one of Poe standing tall and majestic and one of him carrying around his favorite blue string. I knew immediately I wanted to create him as a wise wizard wielding a staff inspired by his favorite toy string. I made him a cloak of black crushed velvet covered in gold sequins and lined with aqua velvet. I chose the colors to compliment the artwork where Poe would be displayed and the sequins to catch the light and reflect thousands of sparkles so his magic is always remembered.

This commission was very meaningful to me as my own cat, Apple Pie, was recently diagnosed with cancer. She had to have surgery to remove her spleen and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. The resemblance between her and Poe immediately brought me to tears. They are both fluffy long hair black cats with white tufts. They even share the same green eye color with matching brown freckles in the same eye! They could be brother and sister. Many, many tears were shed as I created Poe. I will never take for granted the honor it is to come into the lives of my customers and create something that is as meaningful to them as it is to me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have always been a creative. Throughout my not so great childhood art and fantasy were essential to my survival. At 18 I started my career as a stylist and worked in that field for about 8 years. I was getting major burn out and decided I wanted to go into cake decorating. I did that for awhile and then made my career as a baker/pastry chef for around 6 or 7 years. Throughout those careers I maintained (sometimes poorly, haha!) a blog and small Etsy shop under the name Argyle Owl. This shop sold my handmade items as well as vintage finds.

In 2019 I decided to follow my dream of being artist and began making dolls full-time. I kept the name Argyle Owl and rebranded as a OOAK doll maker. Both of my prior careers greatly influenced my use of vibrant and playful color palettes, I am very grateful for both of those experiences. I have evolved so much as an artist over the last three years. I feel like I have really come into my personal voice and style in creating this magical world full of whimsical and unique creatures. I love making custom pieces the most, imagining what my customers pets would look like in my world or recreating their favorite characters, it is so rewarding.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Support your artists!

I think it is now more important than ever with AI coming into play and huge companies copying and mass producing small artist works. I see this all the time on social media and it is heartbreaking. One beautiful thing about capitalism is the ability to vote with your dollar. If you don’t want those huge companies to win, don’t fund them. Find an artist whose work and heart speaks to you and work with them directly.

Social media is another huge way you can support us. Sharing our work is very effective and can help us reach a viewer who may have otherwise never found us. Likes, share, and comments are free!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Fantasy, creativity, art, and community have all been essential to me. At the end of the day, I simply want to create and share magic.

Contact Info:

• Website: shopargyleowl.com
• Instagram: argyle.owl

Image Credits
Samantha Oliver