We were lucky to catch up with Tammy Crenshaw recently and have shared our conversation below.
Tammy , appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
When did I know? As soon as I saw my first box of Crayola Crayons. I have been creating things all of my life. I attended Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) from 1978 to 1982. After leaving school I was dedicated to my work and career as an artist and enjoyed life as a post-beatnick “starving artist” for a couple of decades.
I started my art career soon after graduation. From the beginning, I was a poster child for starving artist; working at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art teaching classes, working as a waitress, doing everything I could to get by and make art. I painted and dabbled in clay and fiber arts and was able to get into various shows, sprinkled around the country.
Eventually, while living in Vermont, during the late 80’s and 90’s I started a company called Happy House Furniture, designing, building and hand painting whimsical pieces with my husband Robert and Tom Bloom, a professor at University of Vermont. My work was inspired by animals along with some cowboys and cowgirls, but, mostly dogs (surprise, surprise).
Tammy , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Lately, I’m busy making custom pieces for people of their dogs. Sometimes it’s treat jars with their dog sitting on top of it, sometimes leash hangers with a bust of their dog. I’ve also been getting some more artistic orders for larger three-dimensional wall hangings of a dog barking at a squirrel in a tree, or some other of their favorite activities. Those can be creative for both me and the client.
Have you ever had to pivot?
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I think about this question a lot. I believe that making art helps you understand yourself better. Making art is really the only time I feel truly myself. All judgement comes from me, all the designs and decisions come from me. I know there are many things that inspire artists, but it all comes from within ourselves, from our own hands and personal journeys. Sitting down and doing it, is a completely individual process. I often struggle while making something, but it’s a time when struggling feels right. It’s the part of the process that brings insight to site, and concepts to fruition.
Contact Info:
- Website: cleoclaycreations.com
- Instagram: cleoandcompany@cleoandcopany22
- Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/cleoclaycreations