MuseFire Art

Every paw print that I create in my shop starts by cutting out each toe bean from wood, rounding all the edges with care, and then sanding their surfaces smooth. Only after they are all shaped and ready, do I glue these to the wood ‘fur’ of the paw. Once the pieces are all securely bonded, I head back to my scroll saw to freestyle cut the shape of the newly built paw using the saw’s small and mighty blade. I gently round those freshly cut edges and then sand the whole paw until it too is smooth. This slow and intentional hands on process is why no two paw prints that I create are ever exactly the same. I pour a lot of love into making these paws and I’m grateful that they’ve helped people do everything from celebrate newly adopted family members to memorialize furry best friends who were taken far too soon.

I began making these when StellaBatly ( my own pup ) started riding with me on the (then very long) drive to the workshop and spending her days there beside me. The paws began as a celebration of our love and those shared hours. I had no idea way back then that making these would one day be part of me slowly getting used to the quiet emptiness of days without the world’s greatest retired shop dog and truck copilot sleeping on my feet. Being loved by her was one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever known. I hope that some of that endless healing love finds its way into the wood of every paw print I send out into the world.

If you’re in the Atlanta area, you are invited to come to the The Waldorf School Of Atlanta for their Holiday Fair. I’m very happy to be returning to enjoy the welcoming energy and creative spirit of this event hosted by the WSA community. Friday evening is the community night out for ages 21+. Saturday will see the school’s campus turned into an all ages wonderland of enchantment and activities to enjoy. I get a lot of my personal shopping done at this event; the vendors always have unique handcrafted offerings that make it easy to honor some of the folks on my list. Whether you want to shop or just get to know more about WSA and explore the fair, I hope you’ll come on by for a visit.