You’ll Be Seeing More Original Art in My Shop

For years, I created art simply because I enjoyed it. It wasn’t a business. I wasn’t posting every piece or trying to keep up with a release schedule, and I definitely wasn’t thinking about running an online shop. I painted what I felt like painting mostly being cowboys, skulls, rodeo scenes, military stuff, little studies, and oddball pieces that made me laugh. Because of that, I’ve built up a huge personal collection over the years. A lot of it has only ever lived in my studio or on my own walls.

When I finally decided to turn my art into a business, I didn’t upload everything at once. I didn’t want to overwhelm anyone visiting the site with twenty different directions or endless pages of listings. I wanted my shop to feel intentional, not chaotic. So I added a handful of originals, a few prints, and slowly started building from there.

But here’s the funny thing, every time I post a piece that isn’t available for purchase, someone messages me wanting it. Every time I share an older work I made years ago “just for me,” that’s the piece someone falls in love with. It’s a great problem to have, but it also told me it’s time to start opening the gate a little wider.

More Originals Are Coming to the Shop

So, here’s what’s changing: I’m going to be increasing the inventory on my website and making more of my original work available. I have plenty of finished pieces that have never been listed anywhere, and people have shown enough interest that it makes sense to give them a real home online.

For now, I’m focusing heavily on originals. Prints will still be part of my shop, but I want to prioritize the one of a kind pieces for a while. Prints take time with proofing, testing paper, adjusting colors and originals are ready to go. They’re also what people keep asking for.

More print options may come later, especially for some of my rodeo pieces and the cowboy portraits, but for the time being, originals will be the core of what I release.

What You Can Expect in 2026

If you’ve followed my work for a while, you know I’ve done a lot of monochromatic Rodeo Ink pieces the last year. While I’ll still do monochromatic work the Rodeo Ink pieces for 2026 will bring multiple colors back into my work.

One thing that’s not changing is the rodeo work. There will be more rodeo pieces, and the rodeo series is something I’ll continue to build on. I have a lot of reference photos from different events over the years, and plenty of ideas lined up that I haven’t even sketched yet. That series is staying.

Another shift you’ll notice is in sizing. I’m going to be offering more small scale originals. Not just ACEOs, those will continue as part of the Monthly Western Mini subscription, but more paintings and mixed media pieces ranging anywhere from 5×5 up to 11×17, and a lot of sizes in between.

Small originals are easier to ship, easier to frame, and more accessible for collectors who want something unique without committing to a huge piece. They’re also fun for me to create. I’ll still create larger work when the subject calls for it, but the smaller pieces will make up a bigger portion of my releases.

A Slow, Steady Expansion

I’m not dumping my entire archive onto the site at once, but over the next few months you’ll see the shop grow. More originals. More variety. More pieces that have been sitting quietly in my studio. If you’ve ever commented “Is this one for sale?” when the answer was no there’s a good chance you’ll find something you love in the new releases.

Thanks for sticking with me while my art shifts and grows. This next year is going to be busy, colorful and full of new work.

MERC