The growth of the Internet has meant Hyndman artist Paula Zan is able to stay home and do what she does best - create stunning, original artwork that is shipped around the world. "The Internet has opened up markets that I could never have reached any other way," she says. "It allows me to spend time in my studio rather than selling work out of a booth at a show." Zan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, but spent 28 years as a part-time artist and full-time social worker. In 1978 she opened Mythling Studio and began concentrating on creating intricate stained glass - much of it depicting dogs and other animals. She sells pieces on E-Bay and from her own web site - www.mythling.com. "Without online selling I'd have practically no business," she says.

She's found a niche in dog portraits - in addition to stained glass she also creates pen and ink drawings for 60 different American Kennel Club breeds each year that are used in Laurelwood Collector's Plates. Paula also produces note cards, and takes commissions for stained glass, pen-and-ink and other two-dimensional media. She says concentrating on animals was a natural outgrowth of growing up on a farm. "The first thing I ever drew was a horse," she remembers. She was drawn to working in stained glass during the 1970s, when "everyone was returning to old things and the art of stained glass was being rediscovered." Her work is incredibly detailed and has an unusual intricacy using many small pieces of glass to achieve subtle colors, expression and detail. She may spend 160 hours - or more - on large pieces. "I'm lucky to make a small living with my art," she says. "The art world is a strange and usually tough business. I always recommend that anyone going into art have a back-up career, a thick skin to survive rejection and be willing to work incredibly hard. The rewards can be immense, but they're often not financial."

Back to Opportunities