Today we’d like to introduce you to Seton McGlennon.
Seton, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am a born illustrator and self-taught artist, though my creative career didn’t begin right away. Early on, I worked as a real estate agent on the New Jersey Shore and in the Outer Banks. While in real estate, I painted an ornament of a home I had just sold as a gift for my client. Their reaction was unforgettable and they absolutely loved it. Word quickly spread and soon clients were commissioning me to paint their childhood homes, first homes, churches where they were married, and other meaningful places. Before I knew it, I was painting almost full time.
My witty, whimsical style naturally evolved from ornaments into my signature concept in art, storytelling with my brush. Capturing moments from my clients’ lives on ornaments, canvases and even furniture, is a truly refreshing personal way of preserving memories and my original Memory Canvases were born.
Over more than 30 years in business, commissions for ornaments and Memory Canvases flourished, propelling my work into the national spotlight. My art has been featured in publications such as PEOPLE magazine and Southern Living, and on beloved television shows including Regis and Kathie Lee and The Home & Family Show. A defining moment came when I was invited to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show for her “Favorite Things” episode. Oprah interviewed me about my artistic process and featured a memory trunk that I created depicting her life experiences, calling my work “the gift of the millennium.”
That exposure led to further prestigious commissions, including being selected by the Office of the President to create and hand-paint 2,000 White House ornaments presented as official State Christmas gifts, in 2004 and 2006, as well as in 1999, as my ornament of the White House was chosen to adorn the Presidential Blue Room tree. Today, several of these ornaments are part of the historic presidential collections at the Bush Presidential Library in Dallas, Texas, and the Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.
In the future, I look forward to capturing many more original stories, adding to my print collections for hospitals and charities and working on a new children’s book series.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As a women-owned small business owner and a mother of two, I can easily say that no, the road has not been perfectly smooth. All businesses owners know the ebb and flow of business, and the navigation of various economic issues such as the worldwide pandemic, was a struggle, which stripped many artists of the art shows that we rely on so heavily for clients and sales. The support of family, and my Irish optimism, and with the help of God I overcame the many struggles, both big and small, and I now celebrate my 33rd year of hand painting stories.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My artwork can feature a hand painted ornament of a simple home image or a lifetime of memories, memories are what my signature artwork is all about. Refreshingly different in the art world, I hand paint the story of your life, with a bit of paint and my brush. My artistic style is light-hearted and not stuffy, as I feature the dynamic lives people have led and celebrate them. One client called her canvas “a hidden painting of their life” as the moments were tucked within the illustrations; Homes, weddings, travel, pets, as soon as I hear a client’s story and see their personality, I begin to design how the art will translate their special moments, and their story springs to life once again. Every commission brings immense joy and purpose to my life as an artist, and leaves the studio with a little piece of my creative self. The enthusiasm that goes into each piece of art can be felt, as I find myself visualizing where all the pieces are hung across the country. In homes, corporate headquarters, hospitals, schools, and that people are enjoying them makes me especially proud that I have assisted families see the power and beauty of their own life stories.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
As the saying goes, it takes a village, so I am always open to working and collaborating with community institutions, industry professionals and clients who need something special, always happy to think outside the box!
Process for Memory Canvases: require that you fill out a questionnaire which helps guide the collection of the most important information to be included within the artwork, a few photos for visuals, and our discussions will complete the process.
Process for the house ornaments: require a clear, color photograph of the home for me to use as a reference while painting your specialty ornament.
Website at www.setonmcglennon.com and peruse the various artwork and ornaments available for commission.
E-Mail for questions [email protected]
Pricing:
- Memory Canvases: $500.00 – $6,500.00
- House Ornaments begin at $110.00 – $225.00
Contact Info:
- Website: setonmcglennon.com
- Instagram: @setonmcglennon
- Other: [email protected]
Image Credits
r.larusso /setonmcglennon
