Interview with Whip-E-Wu Designs

Shannon Holzem

Whip-E-Wu Designs

Hand Painted Purses and Award Winning Grooming

www.freewebs.com/whipewudesigns

www.flickr.com/whipewudesigns

I would like to introduce everyone to Shannon of Whip-E-Wu Designs. Shannon is a fellow member of my Flickr Dogs and Art Group and a fellow animal lover. First let me start off by saying that Shannon has two of the most beautiful Whippets Lisa and Elliot (photo below). They are absolutely gorgeous dogs and she also cares for five cats -- now that's a lot of loving! Shannon also paints purses, jackets and other items with her original artwork of various dog breeds. They are truly lovely creations. I hope you'll stay for a moment, get to know Shannon and stop by her website to see more of her very special items.

1) Tell us your name. How many dogs do you have, the name of your dog/s and how old are they? Shannon Holzem. Right now we have 2 Whippets. Liza and Elliot. Liza is 2 and Elliot is 4. We are getting a Springer puppy this summer. He was just born this past July 2nd.

2)How long have you had your dog/s and how did they come to be your dog? I got Liza when she was 13 weeks from a breeder and Elliot came to us after he was returned to the breeder by his owner. I started showing Liza a bit. I started her off in UKC for practice. She earned her UKC Championship in one weekend. Now we will be showing in the AKC.

3)Do you find that you've come to favor a certain breed of dog and if so, what are their unique characteristics that you've found to be so wonderful? After having mainly sporting breeds I chose the Whippet because of the lack of grooming. They are really a great breed. Very cat like. Very quiet, clean and for the most part lazy. They love to go out and sprint in the yard but then right back on the couch.

4)Are there any other pets in the home other than dogs? Yes, We also have 5 cats. Two have a disability. One has 3 legs and the other has one eye. We also have a cool bunny named Sally.

5)What kind of art do you create, i.e., paintings, plushies, photography, sculpture? I do paintings. I started painting on purses, then did some jackets and other clothing. Right now my most popular item is the hand painted sports chairs.

6)Is your main focus on dog art and if so, what made you choose the dog as your main subject for creating this type of art? Yes. I mainly do dogs. I have done some horses and I love kitties. For some reason I love to try to capture the expression in dogs. It is behind those eyes that you can see so much. And find so much to love.

7)Do you create or make anything other type of art/craft that's not dog related?
Not really. I am a dog groomer, so I guess I "make" dogs look better.

8) If you sell your artwork, where can we find your pieces for sale? I just made a website, and a lot of my pieces can be seen on my Flickr page.
www.freewebs.com/whipewudesigns
www.flickr.com/whipewudesigns

Thanks so much Shannon for doing the interview!