From Pet Portraits to Sold-Out Products: Katherine Griffin’s Art Business Story

Every so often, a Leverage Your Art student shares a story that beautifully captures what building a creative business can really look like. 

It is not always a straight line. Sometimes it looks like returning to your art after years away, learning through difficult seasons, and choosing to keep moving forward one thoughtful step at a time.

Katherine Griffin’s journey is one of those stories.

Katherine is an oil painter who creates custom pet portraits and wildlife artwork, “all AI-free since 1983,” as she likes to say. Her work is inspired by the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the love people share with their animals.

I am so excited to celebrate Katherine as one of our Leverage Your Art Hometown Heroes.

Meet Katherine Griffin

Katherine creates expressive oil paintings of pets and wildlife. Her artistic influences include the colors of Vincent van Gogh, the painting techniques of Paul Cézanne, and, more recently, the compositions found in Audubon’s bird prints. 

Through her work, Katherine hopes to capture both the beauty of the natural world and the deep connection people have with their pets.

You can explore her artwork at katherinegriffinstudio.com or follow her on Instagram at @katherinegriffinstudio.

Choosing Art After Corporate Burnout

Like many artists, Katherine had always created art. But when it came time for college, she felt pressure to pursue something “more” and did not initially earn an art degree. 

After graduation, she spent a decade working in the corporate world. The stress eventually began affecting both her physical and emotional well-being. Throughout that time, she continued drawing and painting, eventually returning to school to pursue a BFA while still working full-time.

Then, during a particularly difficult season at work, Katherine casually told her husband that she could paint pet portraits.

His response was immediate: “Yes, let’s do it.”

With his support, Katherine left her corporate job and decided to pursue her art.

When Life Changed the Plan

Shortly before Katherine was set to begin the final year of her BFA, a family member moved into her home and required hands on care. 

Katherine stepped away from school, put away her paints, and helped with the care alongside her mother-in-law for the next six months.

Katherine continued accepting commissions and showing work in galleries when she could, but consistency was difficult during the early years of raising two children.

When her second child entered kindergarten, Katherine suddenly had six hours available during the school day. She was ready to put the work and focus into her art business, but she was not sure what to do next.

An Audience Without a Clear Offer 

Katherine already had a website and an older art blog where she had written about her paintings and shared art tutorials.

She had not updated the blog in nearly a decade, but it was still receiving approximately 3,500 visits each month.

She knew that attention was valuable, but she did not know how to guide those readers toward her website or give them something to purchase. Commission work required significant time, and there were only so many custom paintings she could complete.

Katherine began looking for an art marketing program, but nothing she found felt like the right fit.

Then she discovered one of my free workshops.

The workshop provided enough useful information that Katherine knew she could begin making progress even without joining the full program. That was what convinced her that Leverage Your Art was different.

When Katherine explained the program to her husband, he told her, “This sounds like the missing piece.”

She took the leap and enrolled.

From Commission-Only Work to Products 

Through Leverage Your Art, Katherine began expanding her vision for what her art business could become.

Instead of creating only commissioned paintings that were sent to individual clients, she began developing original artwork that could later live on through greeting cards and other products.

She also started a newsletter and launched her first greeting card collection during the holiday season.

The cards sold out twice.

Katherine is quick to admit that she made mistakes during the launch, but she also learned from them. More importantly, she proved to herself that people were interested in purchasing products featuring her artwork.

She is still working through Leverage Your Art and has intentionally slowed down so she can implement each lesson before moving forward.

That steady pace is part of what makes her story so relatable. Progress does not require doing everything at once.

A Milestone for Her Wildlife Artwork 

Katherine also reached an important gallery milestone.

She was accepted into what she describes as “THE show for Utah artists,” and her artwork sold during the first week.

Both the gallery sale and successful product launch helped validate the direction of her business, but Katherine says the accomplishment she remains proudest of is having the courage to take a risk on herself and pursue her art.

52 Pets in 52 Weeks 

Katherine’s largest project this year is 52 Pets in 52 Weeks, inspired by my own 52 Dogs in 52 Weeks project.

Each week, Katherine paints a new pet portrait. People can submit photographs of their animals for consideration, with no obligation to purchase the finished artwork.

The response has already been significant, she was quickly booked through June 2026!

In addition to strengthening her creative practice, the challenge is helping Katherine build a collection of original artwork that she can eventually develop into products.

For an artist who previously focused primarily on one-of-a-kind commissions, this represents an entirely new way of thinking about the long-term value of her work.

Katherine’s Advice to Other Artists 

Katherine’s advice is wonderfully direct: get the right support before spending years trying to piece everything together alone.

She says that having access to Leverage Your Art ten years earlier would have placed her in a very different position today. Rather than feeling discouraged by that realization, she feels motivated and excited about what she can create over the next ten years.

Katherine’s journey is not about overnight success. It is about gaining clarity, building momentum, and creating a business that can grow alongside her life.

We cannot wait to see what she makes next.

Ready to Build What Comes Next for Your Art? 

Katherine joined Leverage Your Art because she wanted a clearer way to market her work, connect with her existing audience, and create income beyond one-at-a-time commissions.

Inside Leverage Your Art, artists learn how to build a stronger foundation for marketing, audience growth, product development, and selling their work.

Just as Katherine is doing, students can move through the program at their own pace, applying what they learn as their businesses grow.

Learn more about Leverage and join the waitlist

Frequently Asked Questions About Leverage Your Art 

What is Leverage?

Leverage (or Leverage Your Art) is a creative business program created by artist and entrepreneur Stacie Bloomfield. It helps artists develop a clearer plan for marketing their work, growing an audience, creating offers, and building sustainable income from their creativity.

Who is Leverage for?

Leverage is designed for artists who want to approach their creativity as a business. Students join at many different stages, from artists creating their first products to established business owners looking for a clearer growth strategy.

Do I need to sell products before joining?

No. Leverage supports artists working across a variety of business models, including commissions, original artwork, physical products, wholesale, print-on-demand, and art licensing.

Do I have to complete the program quickly?

No. Students can move through the material at a pace that allows them to understand and implement what they are learning. Katherine initially moved through the program quickly, then intentionally slowed down so she could apply each lesson to her business.

Are student results guaranteed?

Every artist begins with different experience, resources, goals, and available time, so results will vary. Leverage provides the education, tools, and strategy, while each student decides how to apply them within their own business.

About Stacie Bloomfield

Stacie Bloomfield is the founder of Gingiber, a surface pattern design and art licensing brand she built from her dining room table into a multimillion-dollar business with products in 1,400+ brick-and-mortar stores. She has earned $500K+ through art licensing and has taught 5,000+ artists how to build real income from their work.

She is the author of The Artist's Side Hustle (Hay House), a Moda fabric designer, and the host of the Art + Audience podcast. Her programs, including Side Hustle Society, Leverage Your Art, and the Art Licensing Pitch Playbook, help artists at every stage turn their creativity into consistent income.