j. austinryan- "favorite thing" #9

If I could start over, and decorate Thom's room again, I would use J. AUSTINRyan paintings as my inspiration.

I love anything that looks like classic childhood toys, and these paintings are right up my alley.

Marnie Vollenhals is the mother of three sons and the artist behind J. AUSTINRyan. Before becoming a mother, she worked as the art director of a children's furniture company and developed a keen eye for stylish children's art. She sells her paintings to stores across the country.

Her pieces chronicle the life of her own little dog "Hawk", and his adventures with other animals. Marnie is also open to commission work, which really tempts me to have a portrait of Finnigan done, even though the beast ate my last two protein bars and tore apart a really great bow from Anthropologie while I was away today.

You can find more of J. AUSTINRyan art on her Etsy shop. I am amazed at how reasonable her prices are for original work. If you have a little someone in your life who might love a picture of "Hawk" on their wall, click on over and check out the shop. You can also check out Marnie's blog and see what she is working on.

Besides being a great artist, Marnie is just a really nice person. I love to read her blog entries because she has such a happy fun outlook on life.

Marnie is giving away one of her originals here on Suaviloquy! This piece is entitled "Red Red Fox". It retails for $30. Please leave a comment to be in the drawing. All "Favorite Things" drawings will take place on Dec. 15th. Check back in to see if you are listed as one of the winners.