Alicia McNally is a self taught artist, photographer and business woman. Wanting to be able to provide a portrait service to pet owners and wildlife enthusiasts, using her talent, skill, and knowledge, Alicia started Morning Hawk Creations. Attending several cat shows her first year, Alicia soon found a new use for her skills working with people, as many of her clients were ordering portraits of pets who had passed on. Being a pet owner herself, comforting those who are still going thru grieving the loss of their own fur children seemed as natural as anything you would do for a friend. “It’s important when you are trying to memorialize anyone whether they are animal or human that you feel safe enough to let your emotions out. Bottling it up never helps you heal. And that’s what this is all about. This is about the bond you share with the one you love; not about me, your friends or even your boss. It’s a very personal thing that my clients are here to do. It’s the stories, and the memories, the photographs. It’s the laughter and the tears. And it goes into every stroke on the canvas.”
“In this day and age where so many are opting for pets in place of children, when those pets pass on it is like loosing a child for that owner. And the way society views animals seems cold and empty when you compare your pet’s death to something no more important to that of a car. Owners are distraught. Some are looking for a reason, some need hope, others just feel as though they have in some way or another failed their pets because they died. It’s not a logical position, its an emotional one. And one that can fester and cause further damage to their own identities and egos if left unattended. When dealing with a grieving owner what I am trying to do is retrain them to think of positive times when both they as an owner and the pet as their friend were proud and as happy as they could be. It really become grief therapy. Because for the hours that I sit in my studio I would like my clients to remember the vacations, the play times and the nap times. Not the negative memories. What I hope when I turn over a piece to a client is that is reaffirms their commitment and passion for their pet in a positive way. We may not come the answers that once haunted their hearts, but in the end I want them to realize, they don’t matter. Pining over it doesn’t change the result. Only how we remember them. And that’s very important.”
Alicia is well versed in the numerous varieties of species and breeds of domestic, exotic, and wildlife animals. Having grown up around dogs and horses as well as farm animals and wildlife Alicia is comfortable in many areas of animal ownership and handling. As a current dog owner/handler, ferret owner, pet behaviorist, and former veterinarian technician; Alicia, has worked with animals her entire life and brings this lifetime’s worth of knowledge and skill to all her work. Her extensive experience and knowledge of both animals and art allows for safe and relaxed consultations with both the animals and their owners.
In the artwork Alicia creates, only quality named brand art supplies are used. In addition we are now providing care sheets which include tips on displaying and preserving your art; and a 100% satisfaction guarantyto ensure that your piece of art will last for years to come. During the initial consultation Alicia goes over the properties of the many different media she works in insuring her clients are able to make a well informed and confident decision before ordering. Morning Hawk Creations goes to great lengths to provide quality service for her clients. The artist offers many different mediums for a customer to select from, as well as a personal involvement in the creation of a piece. Morning Hawk Creations offers services that many other artists do not offer with customizable gifts and easy payment options. Most recently adding the “Heritage” to her collection adding the economic incentive of “time and space” to the equation.”Many pet owners will agree they never will only own one pet at any given point. The “heritage” is a way of putting all your pets in one piece together. As pet owners we teach each other a lesson about the value of life and the treatment of animals. That is the “heritage” we pass down to other people. It’s not all about who your parents are, it’s about how you were raised, and what you learned and in that respect what you can teach others.”
In addition to her work with Morning Hawk Creations, Alicia works in the Pet and Wildlife Artist Forum (Melanie Phillips) and the Networking for Pet Portrait Artist! group on facebook, and has recently started a blog on WordPress for animal artists, coaching them on everything from working with clients to art techniques, and tips on how to run a business. “Giving back to the art community is as important now as ever. In total I know about 900 pet portrait artists around the world. It’s not a big group. And we have a difficult job. Being an artist, business person, grief counselor, and animal lover all at once. Some people are good at some areas while others are just lost. And it would be nice if an artist who works in that field could just go online and be able to find a single resource where they could get advice instead of searching the web for days. That’s why I am doing it. Because in my own library I have hundreds of books for techniques, hundred of websites online where I get ideas and learn new things. It is a way of pooling them all into on site.
