"That's Napoleon," explained artist Michele Morrison, the gallery's owner.
Napoleon - and the octopus' sister, Natasha - are just two of a number of animal portraits scattered throughout the boutique which opened Saturday. The store specializes in affordable paintings for children "at the kind of prices a mother like me can afford," said Morrison. Paintings run as low as $48.
 Michele Morrison stands in the "Look: Art and Stuff" gallery in La Piazza. The former teacher opened her new business last week. |
"I started making coloring books and other things for kids, and I saw that they always liked the eyes," she said.
Indeed, all of her artwork is fixed on the eyes of her subjects, giving each colorful creature a cheerful, friendly appeal - much like the store itself. The gallery is a family affair and her sons Devon, Brody and Ethan work as assistants to their mother, pressing patterns on shirts, decorating tiles and learning the complex art of framing.
Many of the paintings have stories behind them. The five floating turtles in Morrison's oil painting "Sleepover" represent each member of her family. A painting of a crab called "Confucius" got its start not at the sea, but deep in the forest.
"We were at Big Basin when she started painting it," said Devon. "It was like heaven for her."
Morrison says that the new gallery has given her the chance to pursue her passion on her own terms.
"At the college, one teacher looked at my first painting of a dinosaur and said, 'What's this? Dinosaurs?'" she said, explaining that her earlier works were mainly landscapes and abstracts. "Now I'm working on the projects which I enjoy the most."
Last weekend brought plenty of foot traffic, leaving Morrison little time to arrange the store because she was doubling as cashier. But on a Tuesday afternoon things had settled down, leaving the artist time to relax and anticipate her new life as an entrepreneur.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," she said. "Working for myself - it's what I've always wanted."
Look: Art and Stuff is located at La Piazza, 604 Main St. in Half Moon Bay.
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