BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) — Amber Barstow has turned local storefronts into unexpected canvases, building a growing presence for her art across South Mississippi.
“I never thought I’d be doing this, so it’s nice to have my work everywhere,” Barstow said.
She has painted about 80 different works of art over the past year at various businesses.
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Barstow officially turned her hobby into a business four years ago. She now operates Coco Laveau Art Co.
Barstow said art was introduced to her in many forms growing up, but she has taught herself many techniques and styles over the years.
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“My family is pretty artistic. My grandparents painted, my dad is a graphic designer, so I think it kind of runs in the family,” Barstow said. “I took art in high school. Other than that, I teach myself.”
Her custom work includes colorful floral drink designs, ice cream cones catching waves, and even Chick-fil-A designs. Barstow said it took practice and starting small to get to where she is today.
“I started out by painting rocks, and I started making door hangers for gifts for family and friends. People started posting my work, and ever since then, I have had more and more people contact me to do stuff for them, and it kind of just grew from there,” Barstow said.
Barstow said investing is a vital part of any business, and the more you learn, the better your business will be.
“I started out with cheaper products because I didn’t really know what I was doing. As I learned, I invested in higher-quality products, and it also reflects in my work. Higher quality paints are going to look better and going to be better,” Barstow said.
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Barstow said it’s easy to recognize her work, no matter the business.
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