My name is Susan, Cat Hair Studios is, in a nutshell, my creative playground. I create digital images made from photos for both fun and formal clients to use on websites, blogs, promotional material and publications. This blog displays some of the personal images I began creating in the summer of 2009.
Susan Weller Design Studios - Creative Aide
I am also the Creative Director and owner of a graphic design studio – Susan Weller Design Studios. My design firm offers both graphic design services and digital imaging services.
I’ve been a professional graphic designer for just about 30 years working with a variety of clients including General Electric, Welch Allyn, Lockheed Martin, American Library Association, Audit Bureau of Circulations, Colgate University and assorted other large, medium and small organizations. Projects I’ve worked on include just about everything from advertisements, brochures, direct mail and branding as well as interactive and web projects.
I’ve always had an interest in photography. I remember entering a competition held by my town’s local photography group back when I was in grade school. I entered a black and white photo of my local duck pond and, much to my surprise, won the Junior Division with that photo! I was thrilled and continued to photograph everything around me. I continue to carry my camera with me just about every day.
Cat Hair Studios began as a sideline venture after I purchased my first digital camera in 2001. The new digital camera let me bring together my professional design training and photography hobby.
My original images were recreations of motifs from the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements. I was heavily into collecting pottery and tiles from that era at the time. I created and self printed note cards and greeting cards and also designed motifs for use on ceramic tiles.
Cat Hair Studios - 2001 - 2004 - named for the cat shown on the layout above!
A short break to start a design studio.
Cat Hair Studios was fun, I met a lot of people by designing and selling note cards, and an interesting thing happened along the way — more and more people began asking for my note cards and also graphic design services – logos, brochures, websites etc.
Having worked full-time for other design firms and ad agencies in New York and Chicago for 20 or so years I felt the time was right to start my own firm. Which I did and continue to run today.
My break to build the business lasted three years. Now that the business is up and running, and I have of team of creative professionals working with me, I found that I could take time for myself once again and start experimenting with my camera.
The return of Cat Hair Studios
In September ’08 I joined Flickr so I could share pictures with distant family members. During the summer of 2009 I became interested in some photos posted on Flickr that were digital manipulations. Having never really experimented with this for fun – even though I’ve often created manipulations for professional clients – I never created images just for the heck of it. So I started playing, and playing and playing…
I’ve been having such a great time with digital imaging that I decided to reopen Cat Hair Studios as a showcase for the images I was creating, and as way to once again sell greeting cards and prints of my work – please visit my Prints page for details. And hopefully if time allows I’d like to add additional instructional information to demonstrate how my images are created.
So I’ve come full circle and very glad to be back – meaning back to where CHS all started – me, my camera and Photoshop! Sadly the two cats who were responsible for the name of the studio are no longer by my side, but their spirits live on in my heart and as the heart of this studio.
If you are interested working with me on an original digital image for a publication or corporate presentation material – on-line or offline — please contact me here or at my main site susanwellerdesignstudios.com
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Susan Weller Design Studios - Creative Aide
I am also the Creative Director and owner of a graphic design studio – Susan Weller Design Studios. My design firm offers both graphic design services and digital imaging services.
I’ve been a professional graphic designer for just about 30 years working with a variety of clients including General Electric, Welch Allyn, Lockheed Martin, American Library Association, Audit Bureau of Circulations, Colgate University and assorted other large, medium and small organizations. Projects I’ve worked on include just about everything from advertisements, brochures, direct mail and branding as well as interactive and web projects.
I’ve always had an interest in photography. I remember entering a competition held by my town’s local photography group back when I was in grade school. I entered a black and white photo of my local duck pond and, much to my surprise, won the Junior Division with that photo! I was thrilled and continued to photograph everything around me. I continue to carry my camera with me just about every day.
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Cat Hair Studios – a bit of history
Cat Hair Studios began as a sideline venture after I purchased my first digital camera in 2001. The new digital camera let me bring together my professional design training and photography hobby.
My original images were recreations of motifs from the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements. I was heavily into collecting pottery and tiles from that era at the time. I created and self printed note cards and greeting cards and also designed motifs for use on ceramic tiles.
Cat Hair Studios - 2001 - 2004 - named for the cat shown on the layout above!
A short break to start a design studio.
Cat Hair Studios was fun, I met a lot of people by designing and selling note cards, and an interesting thing happened along the way — more and more people began asking for my note cards and also graphic design services – logos, brochures, websites etc.
Having worked full-time for other design firms and ad agencies in New York and Chicago for 20 or so years I felt the time was right to start my own firm. Which I did and continue to run today.
My break to build the business lasted three years. Now that the business is up and running, and I have of team of creative professionals working with me, I found that I could take time for myself once again and start experimenting with my camera.
The return of Cat Hair Studios
In September ’08 I joined Flickr so I could share pictures with distant family members. During the summer of 2009 I became interested in some photos posted on Flickr that were digital manipulations. Having never really experimented with this for fun – even though I’ve often created manipulations for professional clients – I never created images just for the heck of it. So I started playing, and playing and playing…
I’ve been having such a great time with digital imaging that I decided to reopen Cat Hair Studios as a showcase for the images I was creating, and as way to once again sell greeting cards and prints of my work – please visit my Prints page for details. And hopefully if time allows I’d like to add additional instructional information to demonstrate how my images are created.
So I’ve come full circle and very glad to be back – meaning back to where CHS all started – me, my camera and Photoshop! Sadly the two cats who were responsible for the name of the studio are no longer by my side, but their spirits live on in my heart and as the heart of this studio.
If you are interested working with me on an original digital image for a publication or corporate presentation material – on-line or offline — please contact me here or at my main site susanwellerdesignstudios.com