Blog

When my dear friend Julia approached me to illustrate a Save The Date card for her upcoming wedding to Thomas, I was thrilled. They envisioned a design that encapsulated their love story and personal touches, from sentimental flowers to their beloved dog. Here’s a glimpse into the creative process b...

One of the things I am most passionate about is "bringing art to everyone". It's my mission to make art as accessible to as many people as possible. Art is a healing force, on many physical and meta-physical levels. I believe the more art touches more souls, the better the world will be. It's bec...

Many sincere thanks to guest blogger and superb marketing strategist Debbie Smith of Intuit Marketing for interviewing Chloe for this post! A Coach Street wall in Downtown Canandaigua will be donning a new look this summer. A mural, depicting Canandaigua's iconic imagery, is soon to be debuted fo...

Many sincere thanks to guest blogger and superb marketing strategist Debbie Smith of Intuit Marketing for Interviewing Melissa for this post! Five local artists were selected to paint five separate components of a mural highlighting Canandaigua’s rich history and iconic imagery. The culmination o...

There is a very large mural project, for which I’ve had the pleasure of acting as artistic director, which will be installed in Downtown Canandaigua (on Coach Street) very soon! Even though when it arrives on site it will appear to have developed rather quickly, the mural itself has been several mon...

Here we are on this, the (final hours of the) final day of August, which happens to have been American Artist Appreciation Month. I was asked by fellow illustrator and artist extraordinaire Patience Brewster to join her in writing a blog post about an artist by whom I am inspired. What a fun task!!...

The two canvas paintings I submitted to the Women Artists of the Finger Lakes Contemporary Show & Sale were accepted! First of all, I was so delighted just to have received the prospectus! I was honored to be considered for such an event. It will be the first juried exhibit of my adult career (I had...

  Many times, when I tell people I am an illustrator they say, “Oh…? What books?” Well, funny thing is, I have illustrated a LOT of things in the span of my career (wall murals, advertising, portraits, signage, etc.) but only one book cover! And this book cover was just completed recently,...

Earlier last year, I took my very first oil painting class EVER! Believe it or not, I attended a University for four years, and received a Bachelor of Fine Art degree, and I never took one oil-painting instructional class. My first oil painting since taking the class – here it is while in...

Completed mural of Canandaigua’s train depot circa 1916 I really didn’t think it was possible to paint a 658 square foot exterior mural in fewer than 10 weeks, beginning in late summer in Upstate NY (where the weather is so unpredictable) but, I have pulled off the seemingly impossible! Canan...

Local Artist Illustrates Canandaigua History in Mural Local artist Amy Colburn has been recently commissioned to paint a rendition of the old Canandaigua train depot, circa 1916, when it was bustling with activity. The mural, which is being funded by private donors, is approximately 658 square fe...

I painted a mural several years ago in a young boy’s bedroom, of a lighthouse on a beach. One edge of the mural ended at the corner of the room, and the other edge ended behind a tall, free-standing cabinet. This is how the mural looked when I finished it years ago. Well, fast-forward to...

Recently, I was hired to repaint some counter stool-style chairs. They accompany a kitchen island in a beautiful Rochester, NY home near Lake Ontario. This project was really fun, and I think they turned out cute. There were a couple of initial challenges, as with any custom project. I am really ple...

There are several ways to purchase my artwork for gift-giving this Holiday season. When you are doing your Holiday Shopping, please be mindful of where you spend your money. It makes hand-made artisans, and artists, gleefully excited when you purchase from us! It is sending a great message to the re...

It’s done! After many long months of planning, designing, constructing, painting, and installing, I have completed a new mural for the outside of the old fire station in Williamson, NY, located at 4122 East Main Street.  If you haven’t already, now would be a good time to read my previous post ab...

Recently, I had the opportunity to paint one of the most challenging murals of my career. It is a scene from Venice which originated as a photograph that the homeowners had taken on their recent journey abroad to Italy. The photograph was taken overlooking a small “street” (waterway) in Venice, from...

There are some universal symbols which young girls seem to gravitate towards: hearts, peace signs, flowers, swirls. I can’t explain this phenomenon, I just know it exists. I can recall when I was eight years old, possessing a shiny Trapper Keeper donned with heart bubbles, rainbows, and lots of Lisa...

I am occasionally hired by local interior designer and furniture refinishing guru Furniture Doctor to replicate hand-painting on pieces of antique furnishings. For over two decades, I have been hired by Furniture Doctor to hand-paint a myriad of items such as lampshades, chairs, trunks, tables, mirr...

You will not see me in line for the new iPhone 5 this week. I do not own an iPhone. In fact, I don’t even own a phone with a keypad. Yes ~ in keeping with true Amy Colburn Style, one could easily make the argument that even my cell phone is “vintage”! (Vintage is so much sexier than saying it is old...

Just about two years ago, I was asked to submit a proposal to the Williamson (New York) Charrette Committee. The proposal was for a large exterior mural that was to depict the history of the three area fire departments: Williamson, Pultneyville and East Williamson. After a looooong selection process...

I have two school-age children. It is summer. This poses a special challenge when you are self-employed and working from home. Also, I am filled with love and admiration for them. They intrigue me and inspire me. Here’s my son, being himself…

I wanted to let you know that Erin Howard of Streamline Marketing has written an article about the “business” use of Pinterest, a web site designed for users to collect images from the Internet and place them onto categorized virtual bulletin boards. This is a screen shot of one of the boards...

Yesterday, I finished and delivered a hand-painted sign for my dear friend Erin who has aReiki and wellness studio in her home. She needed a way for her clients to be able to find the door to her studio, especially since the studio is adjacent to her home’s main living space, but has a separate exte...

A friend recently brought up an interesting point, during a conversation we were having about home decorating. She was asking why it is that we own things that we had once loved and desired so much that we purchased it, brought it home, and displayed it prominently, only to – years later – discove...

Now I’m sure that DEVO, the 70’s punk/new age rock band did not have custom party decorations, hand-painted furnishings and mural proposals in mind when they wrote that song. But now that it’s stuck in your head… let’s “Go forward. Move ahead. Try to detect it. It’s not too late…” WIP actually st...

There are lots of Gift Guides out there! So, why, might you ask, am I compelled to add another one to your “bookmark” list? Because many lists I’ve seen are driven by either the recipient (best gifts for kids, best gifts for men, etc.) or price (under $100, under $25, etc.). Two very excellent consi...

So the Tiny Studio got some big excitement a couple of weeks ago! I had the delightful pleasure of hosting Jo Packham and Tiffany Kirchner-Dixon, who shot photos of me and my studio for a magazine called Where Women Create. Allow me to introduce them to you! Jo Packham, me, and Tiffany Kirchn...

When I received an e-vite last week from my friends at Finger Lakes Distilling asking me to come to their “Great Grape Pick-a-rama” to be held 10/10 (today – Columbus Day), three thoughts came to mind: 1. The kids are off of school that day, and it would be a wonderful opportunity to get them out...

Flashback Friday! Bringing back a piece from my past to share! This is an illustration that I painted in acrylics that was used for my wedding invitation, program, thank you notes, etc. This piece is proof that no one can accuse me of leaving off details. (Pun intended!) Autumn leaf, acrylic...

There are so many opportunities I have been blessed with on my path to the things I want to accomplish professionally. One of the most influential ones was being able to attend The Creative Connection Event this year in St. Paul, MN, from September 15th – 17th. Myself, Tamara Stopinski, and N...