The other day on the Allison Shamrell Photography Facebook page, I posted a little sneak peek at a brand new San Diego art display in the process of going up… to be specific, a pet photography display in Kearney Mesa! Here’s the photo I posted:

 (please excuse the iPhone photos)

It turns out, this San Diego art display is a new addition to Lindsey Vet Care! Dr. Bruce Lindsey has been a veterinarian serving San Diego’s pets & their families for over 40 years; this is his newest practice and his lobby now features a custom creation by yours truly!

I’m so thrilled to have my pieces here in the lobby & exam room. Local businesses are so important; they are truly what keep America moving forward. By supporting small businesses, you’re keeping your money in the local community instead of a big-box executive’s pocket. (For example, when you shop at Target, you’re helping the CEO buy a(nother) personal jet, but when my clients make their purchases, they’re helping me pay my student loans & save for a down payment on a house here in the local community – not to mention allowing me to support & go out to eat at other Adams Avenue small businesses every once in a while.) So that’s why I never have much interest in patronizing large chain stores, whether they’re a pet supply shop or anything else. Dr. Lindsey’s veterinary clinic is a great example of a small local business that I’m proud to help decorate, so without further ado, here is the finished display!

It features Moose, a border collie/labrador mix. (And another happy face is in the exam room, too – but I’ll leave that as a surprise for visitors!)

The pieces are all individual canvas gallery wraps. Let me tell you, this kind of display isn’t easy to put together: it requires precise attention to each component’s dimensions & fitting them all within my lab’s ability to make certain sizes. Designing & ordering the pieces is challenging, and then putting them on the wall is a small battle all its own! Let’s just say it took me a little longer than I’d like to admit to put together, haha! (And I may or may not have pulled a muscle in the hanging process… don’t judge.)

Here it is with the rest of the lobby/reception area.

You can even see it through the front door!

I’m honored to have my artwork hanging on display in such an excellent clinic, and I hope it puts a smile on the faces of the visitors that come in! If you’re in Kearney Mesa, feel free to swing by & say hello! The clinic is at 7740 Clairemont Mesa Blvd San Diego, CA 92111. Moose will be waiting for you!  :)

I had the pleasure of meeting local San Diego labrador & cat siblings Abbey & Tori the other day, and I’m thrilled to introduce them to you! Tori is a gorgeous little feline, and Abbey is a bouncy, happy yellow lab!

Let me tell you: these pets are spoiled. And before you say it, I know what you’re thinking: all of my clients’ pets are spoiled! haha! Well that’s true, but these lovely girls are spoiled in a different way: their parents are opening a new pet supply store, so it’s safe to assume that Tori & Abbey are enjoying the best diets (and treats!) that are on the market for pets! I’m so excited to be working with the new Earthwise Pet Supply store, which is opening next Saturday! They’re located in the Torrey Highlands/Rancho Penasquitos area, just north of Hwy 56 at the Camino Del Sur exit, in the big shopping center with the Albertsons (their address is 7805 Highland Village Place, Suite G-101, San Diego, CA 92129). Their Grand Opening is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14 from 10 am – 4 pm, and you can find more details about it on the Earthwise Facebook page. I was able to visit the shop while it was still under construction, which was very exciting, and now they’re putting all the finishing touches together so it’ll be ready to open next Saturday! And as much as the owners would love to bring Tori & Abbey to be the “shop pets” every day, well, they don’t think Tori would like that very much, and Abbey would like it a little too much. (She’s a lab, after all!)  So they opted for the next best thing: having their photos hanging on the walls, so Abbey & Tori can be there in spirit! I love it when business owners want to incorporate a personal touch into their decor; it makes a place of business so much more home-y and fun.

Here’s Tori! Like I said, she’s gorgeous! (her favorite activities include hiding under the backyard shed & generally avoiding my camera.)

And here’s crazyface Abbey!  :)  We spent a bit of time at Kit Carson Park, but when we took her off the leash – just to see how she’d do – she decided to be a little more “free” than we wanted, haha – so it was back on the leash, and she was just as happy to be back at our side.

She’s so pretty… maybe it’s just me, but I think there’s something classic & timeless about a yellow lab.

Abbey, thank you for being a bouncy, wiggly, jolly San Diego labrador! Tori, thank you for gracing me with your presence for a few photos! And Norma, I can’t wait to show you the rest of our images! See you soon! :)

It’s a bit rare, but every once in a while my clients choose to have an entirely in-the-studio experience – and that was the case with Luke & Guinness! Their in-studio dog photography session happened completely within the walls of the studio, and I love it because their personalities totally came through in their photos! That’s the beauty of the studio; it’s clean and simple, and lets the subject of the photo get all the attention. So studio dog photography sessions focus completely on the pups in front of my camera; I think their beauty really comes out in a way that you just don’t get when you go outside and suddenly there are all sorts of visual distractions competing for your attention in each photo. Of course, that’s my job as a photographer: to make the background fit my subject and even mold it to help show off each dog’s best features. But in the studio, all those aspects of composition & contrast & color treatment aren’t there; they give way to pure simplicity. It’s really all about the dog!

And these photos are even more exciting (to me & the dogs’ owners, at least!) because a few of them will eventually hang on the walls of Highlands Ranch Animal Hospital! Highlands Ranch is a fabulous, brand-spanking-new veterinary clinic in northern San Diego, specifically the Torrey Highlands area on Carmel Mountain Road. I was able to help them celebrate their Grand Opening just a couple of months ago, and Dr. Myers recently asked me to help her to decorate – with art that has a personal touch! So these pups’ shining faces will be greeting the clients & visitors of Highlands Ranch very soon!

On the left is Guinness, an Old English bulldog with the goofiest happy face! On the right is Luke, a 9-year-old rescue border collie mix, who’s slightly shy but completely sweet.

We took photos on both the while & black backdrops! Which setting do you like better? (I think Guinness is skeptical of the black…)

Dr. Myers, I can’t wait to see which images you pick for the Highlands Ranch lobby! It was an absolute pleasure meeting Luke & Guinness; thank you again & I’ll talk to you soon! :)