Farm Dog Studios artwork

I’ve seen these decor signs in several homes I’ve shown to buyers and in a few restaurants in the area..I always wondered, where do you buy them?  Last week I was in 5B&Co Candlemakers in Brookside and…there they were, neatly displayed on a wall.  I tracked down the artist and found out all the details about yet another home grown Brookside business, Farm Dog Studios. 

Amy January in her Farm Dog Studios space

Farm Dog Studios is Amy January.  She grew up in Fairway, and earned a BFA at Miami of Ohio. After several years working in art licensing and graphic design, she left the corporate world to raise her three children while living in Brookside.  One day, inspired by a subway sign, she wondered aloud why Brookside doesn’t have similar landmark signage.  In her studio, Amy and a (former) partner came up with the artwork  emphasizing major streets in our neighborhood.  She sold one sign at a Visitation auction and had requests for more.  A company was born.

Each sign is handmade in her Brookside East studio.  The process is a stencil and mask system, going through several steps from start to finish.  Besides the subway-style signs, Amy creates wall decor for children’s rooms, sororities and fraternities, local sports teams and universities.  There are also tee shirts, pillows and tea towels with her unique designs–those are made elsewhere.  She describes her art as “modern yet broadly appealing maker aesthetic”.  She added: “This is so fun for me because everything I’ve ever done is here. I like all the quirks from hand painting to licensing. I love coming up with the designs involving painting and typography”.

Of course I had to ask her how she came up with the name for her business.  It’s a story every  mom will appreciate:  Amy’s husband grew up on a farm in rural Kansas.  She explained every farm has a ‘scrappy dog’ that works challenging, long hours despite some obstacle–perhaps he’s blind in one eye or uses only three legs.   Amy was determined to get the company going while raising her school aged kids and all the running around and organizing that requires.  Hence, Farm Dog Studios.

Cool Brookside stuff from Farm Dog Studios!

You can stop by Farm Dog Studios to browse and purchase the artwork–she’s at 633 E 63rd St in Brookside East, next to Golden and Pine.  Current hours are Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am-3pm.  You’ll also find her creations at 5B& Company, Stick Sisters, Made in KC stores and J’Adore.