Over the holidays, I was searching for a caricature artist and was lucky enough to connect with…read moreAlexandra (Alex) Cheek from Caricature Artists Group LLC on Christmas Eve. She patiently listened to my vision for a retirement gift and immediately put me at ease with her friendly, professional approach. Alex gave me a realistic timeline that allowed time for review and edits, which I really appreciated. She quickly delivered a draft that perfectly captured my colleague's personality, and the final inked and colored caricature exceeded my expectations! Amazing talent, great communication, and a wonderful experience from start to finish. Highly recommend!

I recently commissioned Audrey to create a caricature as a gift for a high-profile individual, and…read morethe entire experience was exceptional. From the very beginning, Audrey was incredibly patient and thoughtful. She took the time to understand the vision, asked insightful questions, and made sure every detail was handled with care and discretion. Her communication was clear, timely, and professional throughout the process, which gave me complete confidence--especially given the importance of the recipient. When it came to delivery, she exceeded all expectations. The final piece was not only beautifully executed but tasteful, polished, and perfectly suited for such a distinguished person. Aubrey has a rare combination of artistic talent, professionalism, and grace. I would absolutely work with her again!!!

I hired Samantha from Painted Palettes to hand letter mini pumpkins for a fall themed event and it…read morewas THE HIT FROM THE PARTY (even three months later, in the dead of winter my personalized pumpkin is still going strong and it's so beautiful I do not have the heart to throw it away). Samantha was easy to work with from start to finish and was able to stay professional despite the long lines at the party (I mean, how could you not want something so beautiful as a keepsake?). I could picture using her for corporate events, bridal showers, baby showers and any other celebration that could you a personalized twist. She can write on any material and even engraves on glass! I have not had the chance to check out her Intro to Hand Lettering classes yet but for now, I'll leave it to the pros. Painted Palettes is simply the best!

I first saw and met Samantha from Painted Palettes at a Yelp Elite event back in 2018. Then I…read morestarted following her work on Instagram (@painted_palettes). A couple months ago, my friend Kim and I took an Intro to Hand Lettering class with Samantha at Steadfast Supply in DC. Oh that rush hour traffic and $20 parking was sooo worth it! Turns out, Samantha used to be a teacher, and it shows in the way she articulates the class. It was easy to follow her instructions, and she was very hands-on with showing examples. Plus we got a pretty decent set of tools and goodies to take home with us! Since, I've purchased some of her watercolor artwork to hang at home. I am such a fan! The artwork can be found on her website or in various shops in the area. And her classes are actually affordable! Next I want to take her Pointed Pen class!

The Torpedo Factory Art Center is housed in a former WWI munitions plant along the waterfront in…read moreOld Town. This is a unique building with three floors of artist studios. Many of the artists are working and you can go in and watch them in their studio and ask them about the process. What I enjoyed was that that there were so many styles and mediums. We particularly enjoyed the 3-D sculptures and bought some pottery for a friend. We enjoyed our visit so much that we went back the next day. Admission is free. On the way out, I stepped on the scale -- oops! -- it was unfortunately, all too accurate.

3 floors of art studios, and many welcoming artists! This is a great place to get out of the…read moresummer heat, and there's free admission! While it's open daily from 10am to 6pm, the amount of studios closed/opened varies. I feel that there's more open on Fridays and through the weekend. There's a great variety in art here, and I'm sure everyone can find a new favorite artist!

Great family business. I've seen it driving past my husband's work but didn't realize they offer…read moreclasses until I googled. So glad my friend and I came to take a short project class. We really enjoyed ourselves and will be back. Great instruction, designs offered, and value. They also have small gifts up front if you don't have time for a class, but want something hand made locally.

Fiscus Glassworks is a gem in Alexandria. I have now taken all of their classes from beginner to…read morestructure/dimension and design and build. I even entered my pieces I created in these classes at the Arlington County Fair and won the Reserve Grand Champion for my division! I now frequent their studio during open hours with their studio time passes. Brad and Maré are kind, welcoming and extremely knowledgeable! They can help you create patterns and make your stained glass visions come true. Definitely check Fiscus out!

Recommend Nancy, she has a strong work ethic, the bands are all prompt and reliable, her talent on…read morethe web, social media, and graphics is outstanding! I love the way she has promoted and run my Dogue Cottage charity concerts

These bands under of the leadership of Nancy Lisi are top notch musicians and all have hearts of…read moregold. Three of the musicians, Nancy, Arthur and Robert Swain are also members of the Lions Club, and freely give of their time and talent to help raise funds to help the needy in the local communities. Many times, they have played at Cat Jams and not only donated their time but have dug deep into their own pockets as well, to help with the fundraising. All of this is done in the name of helping others. You won't go wrong by working with this group of individuals. The Lions of Virginia are very fortunate to be associated with these fine musicians. I would recommend them highly to anyone. Woody

Rosemary is an amazing artist. We saw her at her studio in the Torpedo Factory, as she was…read morefinishing up the Amethyst Deceiver. My wife and her had a great conversation about the piece. My wife loved it so much she purchased the 1st one, it has been in a tube since then as we have moved a few times. Now we are in our forever home and finally had it framed. A beautiful piece for sure. Thank you Rosemary you were very kind to us that day, at first we did not even know you were the artist, which makes you part of the memory story we have even better and glad you are a part of it.

From the owner: Earlier work has darker themes. Current work stresses the environment. Often has a scientific…read morebackstory.

They were able to complete my diploma framing project in under an hour! Really kind and great…read morestaff. Convenient parking out front. They texted me when my order was done for easy pick up. Highly recommend.

We had a very large painting, two separate pieces but commissioned by the artist as one large…read morecontinuous piece. Needless to say it was a challenge to get the two pieces to lie evenly. Well, Athena worked magic, added a gorgeous frame, secured the hardware needed to hang the painting, and it looks AMAZING!! It was expensive but worth the money to showcase our stunning piece of artwork. I appreciate their recommendations and they kept in contact with us to let us know the progress. Highly recommend!!

Their customer service is top-notch! They did a fabulous job painting the front of our brick…read moretownhouse -- it looked great and gave totally new life to the home. The painters were friendly and didn't need any oversight, were friendly, worked quickly, and cleaned up after themselves. We had two hiccups along the way, which both dealt with us adding on painting our front door which I offer as cautionary tales for anyone getting their front door painted: First, the powerwashing of the front door also broke our electronic lock. Patrick was quick to respond and removed the cost of the replacement lock from our invoice. (Very kind, thank you!!) Second, I don't think they told us the right kind of paint to buy because it has always looked too matte and stroke-y, and has lately started to bubble. In the future, I would do more research about what type of paint to buy rather than ask the guy who shows up -- I shouldn't have sprung it on them, even though they were more than happy to do it. Who knew that door paint selection could be such a process? Despite these two notes, I would definitely use Patrick's again in the future. It's hard to find a place that offers great customer service these days, and I am very grateful!

I hired Patrick's Painting for a small project to (1) repair and repaint a defect in a bedroom…read moreceiling and (2) repaint a bathroom. A reason for hiring them for this small job was to evaluate their ability to handle a large job - painting the exterior of our house. Based on my experience with the small job I will not consider them. A two-man team was sent. The person who repaired and repainted the bedroom ceiling did a good job. The person who repainted the bathroom did not do a good job. Specifically, the area below the bathroom mirror light fixture had a surface problem that was not addressed. Possibly an attempt to cover the problem was made by applying a very thick paint application. Not only did this not correct the problem but added to it as clearly visible paint brush marks were left behind. I do not understand why a clearly visible problem was not corrected at the time. It is not easy to contact Patrick's Painting but l eventually did and they sent someone to correct the problem. So, a problem that should have not existed was corrected. The outcome for Patrick's Painting is that I will not consider them for painting my house. The included photograph is of the defects as they were left originally. Whether the job was fairly priced or not, I do not know. I was not concerned with the price of this job, but rather the quality of work performed. They do not measure up.