Artwork by Ashley C

This is probably largely self inflicted because of the kind of artists I followed at that time, but I also think that site had a habit of featuring and celebrating the more realistically rendered art pieces, at least back then. And I think that stuck with me somehow.

The borzoi national and silkenfest are solid options since a huge portion of my work revolves around coated sighthounds. I tend to do very well at these venues! And I am pretty involved in both communities. Buuut I need more than just two events.

I’ve been expanding my subject matter more and getting into more skeletal art pieces. I have a layered wood piece I’m working on now of a Norwegian forest cat/skeleton wrapped around a bunch of sunflowers and I’m excited about that one. Still very much a work in progress:

I’m really hoping to get into Oddities and Curiosities Expo next year; I applied for 2026 but didn’t make it, but I’m not surprised as again, I only had some relevant works.

It’s definitely a trip trying to find events that fit this weird little niche I’m in. I thought West Coast Crafts would be a decent option because they are all about funky art but got my rejection email this month. I’ll keep plowing along but if anyone reading this has suggestions, I am all ears!

An assortment of some favorites below

I think it’s perfect for casual creators. For people looking to incorporate laser work into an existing business, it’s a good option too. For people who are looking for a piece of equipment to produce larger products at high volume, they’ll probably quickly outgrow the glowforge.

Laser cutter/engravers are basically like a printer but instead of ink, they burn material with a precise laser beam. The laser can be used to cut through material, or it can be used to engrave material. Wood, leather, and specific types of acrylic are very common materials that people laser. I have both engraving and cutting videos on my facebook page.

The glowforge has a maximum depth for cutting and engraving, though some people have cut out the bottom of their machine to allow for bigger materials (like mugs). I have used it to cut out lace like patterns in leather, which would have otherwise taken me many many hours and hand cramps to do by hand. But more recently, I have been using it to cut out wood based on my line art, which I then fill with resin:

There are a ton of possibilities though! I have seen lots of people engrave photos into sheets of wood. I’ve seen people make clever tree ornaments, retail signs, earrings, and I’ve even seen people use it on food to engrave fun messages.

Here are some fun things I’ve made with the glowforge:

A commission of two resin australian shepherds!