© 2008 Omand Original.
Website last edited on 1 February 2010.
Omand Original came about as a result of my mid-life crisis.
I was just about to turn 40 and stuck in an office job that I had stopped enjoying when I got invited to my school reunion. Meeting up with old school friends and hearing about their fulfilled lives and exciting jobs made me realise that I wasn't having enough fun!
So that was it. I handed in my notice at work, much to their surprise, and decided to start my own business. I have been painting as a hobby for a long time now and had made birthday and Christmas cards for friends and family. Everyone had been very complimentary about my work and said that it was good enough to sell. Maybe this was just because they got fed up of being given pictures as presents, but I've taken them at their word and the result is Omand Original.
My paintings are done in acrylic, varnished to give a more robust finish, on canvases of many different shapes and sizes. They cover a large range of subjects so, hopefully, everyone should find something to suit. I also produce limited edition prints from these paintings using heavy grade textured paper and a high quality digital printing technique. Each print is displayed in a card mount, ready to frame, and is individually numbered and signed.
I am very keen on stationery (does this make me weird (or was I weird already)?) and can spend hours browsing through reams of papers, cards, office supplies and packaging, marvelling at the colours and textures. I also think stationery always make nice gifts for friends, family or just for yourself! My stationery boxes contain notelets, cards, writing paper and envelopes, all decorated in a matching theme. Another of my passions is reading and I always have several books on the go at the same time. I found that I never had enough bookmarks to keep up, so I decided to make my own. The bookmarks contain a small print of one of my paintings and are made from coloured acetate plastic to give a pretty result that is also very hardwearing.
To complete the package, my greetings cards are produced on quality cardstock using the same printing technique as the prints and are supplied individually wrapped with an envelope. Some cards contain original verses and others are left blank for any occasion.
I hope you enjoy browsing the website and will come and visit the Omand Original stall at the next craft fair. See you soon!