Hard to Swallow Ostrich Print by AlexWijnen

When I stand behind my table at local art & craft shows, I always know exactly which print passersby are looking at when they burst out in laughter: my silly ostrich.

The illustration by AlexWijnen was inspired by a childhood memory where a couple free-range ostriches at an animal park in Australia kept swooping down their long necks to steal our petit-fours. And while I was an avid animal lover, even at the tender age of 5, all I wanted was for those darn ostriches to stop!

All grown up now, I'm a graphic designer and help out the Oregon Humane Society by designing their quarterly magazine. They're my favorite charity and the alma mater of Tucker, our golden retriever, who shares the spotlight with Pogo, our black lab mix. Coco the calico and Pluisje the mini coon cat round out our little fur family. Hubby Todd and I share our home in Portland with these four wonderful creatures whom we love so dearly.

Crow Print by AlexWijnen

This crow print by alexwijnen is one of my all-time favorites that I've created – and apparently others like it as well since my 8x10 limited edition is almost sold out (just one print left).

I love the mystery around this print, very moody and somewhat spooky with the full moon, yet I tried to make sure the crow himself still looks friendly.

I love animals and have created a cozy nest here in Portland, Oregon, with my hubby, two dogs and two cats, all rescues. As a graphic designer, I'm thrilled to help out the Oregon Humane Society by donating half of my design costs to create their quarterly magazine. They're also my non-profit of choice and $5 of all sales of my dog prints go directly to them. They are 100% privately funded (zero state or federal dollars) so it's even more impressive to me that last year they adopted out over 11,000 cats, dogs, and small animals.

Unraveling Print by AlexWijnen

Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast is one of my absolute favorite places to visit. I love relaxing in the shadows of Haystack Rock, listing to the sounds of crashing waves and sea gulls. And even though I prefer a sunny day at the beach, I can definitely appreciate the moody, stormy days as well, such as the one depicted in this print by AlexWijnen! (good thing, too, since in Oregon that's mostly what we get).

Our two rescue dogs, Pogo and Tucker, sure seem happiest at the coast when they can run free on a wide stretch of sand (we only allow them off-leash when no one else is around).

I donate a portion of the sales of my dog illustrations to the Oregon Humane Society, which doesn't receive any state or federal funds but instead relies 100% on private donations. They do such great work: last year they found homes for over 11,000 pets! They also happen to be one of my off-Etsy graphic design clients (I design their quarterly newsletter).

Dandelion Fluff Print by AlexWijnen

This lovely print by AlexWijnen is a wonderful celebration of nature's little beauties. Considered a weed by just about everyone, I personally love the beauty of dandelions. What starts out as a sturdy, squatty yellow flower transforms into this delicate, ethereal orb of fluff. That said, I do wish there were fewer of them in my garden!

In addition to creating the quarterly magazine for the Oregon Humane Society for the past five years and supporting OHS with personal donations, I also donate a portion of the proceeds from sales of my dog prints in my Etsy shop and at local shows. Our two dogs are rescues from the humane society while our two cats were strays that wandered into our hearts. I love them all dearly and wish I could provide a home to even more pets in need! (alas, I had to promise my husband that we've reached our limit – for now!)

Fishing in Oregon Print by AlexWijnen

Having lived in Oregon for the past 15 years, AlexWijnen is used to living with rainy weather and that's what inspired this illustration: it seems like there are times you simply cannot escape the rain, no matter where you go or what you do!

That's when I'm happy to simply snuggle with Tucker on the couch! Tucker is a Golden Retriever rescue from the Oregon Humane Society, which is one of my clients off Etsy (I design their quarterly magazine) as well as the non-profit cause that receives 20% off the sales of my dog illustrations. His big brother Pogo came from the Florence Humane Society and isn't as big a cuddle bums but our two cats (both strays that we took in) more than make up for that!

My Little Joker Print by AlexWijnen

Dogs, especially small lap dogs, make the most perfect animal companions! What better way to share some fun with your furry companion than to play dress-up like this pug in a print by AlexWijnen.

$5 of the sale of every 8x10 print and $7 of every 11x14 print is donated directly to the Oregon Humane Society, a non-profit near and dear to my heart since that’s where we got Tucker, our two-year-old little Golden Retriever. I do a lot of in-kind donation work in the form of graphic design for OHS (creating their quarterly magazine), as well as make annual financial contributions.

In addition to Tucker, our family also includes 9-year-old Pogo, a black lab/newfie mix and, up until last week, 13-year-old Cooper, a collie/shepard mix (sadly, he suffered internal bleeding last Wednesday and we had to let him go...). Our family also includes our kitties Pluisje and Coco.

Tis the Season Print by AlexWijnen

This little cardinal perched on snowy branches in a print by AlexWijnen is quite a literal representation of a winter wonderland!

My hubby and I have three dogs (all shelter animals) and two cats (both strays) that make us smile every day with their furry faces and silly antics.

We make personal donations to the Oregon Humane Society every year and additionally, I donate in-kind services. I'm a graphic designer by day and have designed their quarterly magazine going on four years now.

I've also started to donate a portion of the sales of one of my prints ("My Little Joker", a pug wearing a joker collar) to OHS and plan to add more cat and dog prints this year, all of which will have a portion of the proceeds go to OHS.