Artist-Designed Purses Debut on ArtistHandbags.com

Online, September 1, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Two artists in the Dallas / Fort Worth area have launched a new website, ArtistHandbags.com, offering women the chance to "take fine art with them" with hand-painted exclusive art purses.

The artists, Joyce Moore and Barbie J. "BJ" Moore, have been successful painters for many years, but came across the concept of hand-painted handbags (or purses? The two are still debating which word to use) very recently.

"This required quite a learning curve," said BJ. "We spent a great deal of time testing out special paints that wouldn't crack on flexible, textured surfaces, picked up stacks of handbags to work with. After a great deal of research we've developed a blend of materials that allow us to create painted handbags that meet our artistic standards and have the durability to survive the rigors a purse normally endures on a daily basis."

Joyce and BJ paint each hand-crafted bag individually; every bag is an original piece of art, crafted with leather-specific paints and a protective finish. The artwork encompasses a wide range of themes; some painted purses feature abstracts, while others display whimsical subjects ranging from zebras to colorful fish, even hula girls. As an extra flourish, the handbags come with snippets, little stories that read like opening paragraphs to paperback novels written by BJ Moore.

To ensure the quality of the bag matches the art, Joyce and BJ start with exquisite Columbian leather purses; each handbag is large enough to carry a laptop computer, along with other essentials. The handbags are available in three styles: Medium, Large and With Pockets.

"Our hand-painted purses are fun, intended to make you smile," said Joyce. "Whichever one you choose, you'll end up with a conversation-starter purse that lets you take your art wherever you go, smiling all the way."

The new website, ArtistHandbags.com, allows visitors the chance to see the wide variety of First Series Artist Handbags purses. Online ordering is not yet available; however, interested customers can contact the artists through the site for more information or to order.

About ArtistHandbags.com

ArtistHandbags.com provides hand-painted purses and handbags featuring exclusive, original artwork by renowned artists Joyce Moore and Barbie J. "BJ" Moore. Joyce Moore has been painting since childhood, re-interpreting scenes from her travels around the world. She typically paints in oils on canvas, with realistic expression in vivid colors, and her works are featured in collections from Paris to California. BJ has painted under pseudonyms; her largest volume of work, over 500 paintings, was created using the signature 'coco'. She has shown for many years in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Galveston, Ft. Lauderdale, Kansas City and New York City, with large canvases of mixed media abstracts and female-based vision essays on "what's with that" from the female perspective. Between painting projects, BJ continues writing on her upcoming book Snippets from an Insane Person at Home Ironing. For more information and to see a selection of hand-painted purses, please visit ArtistHandbags.com.

Contact:
Barbie J. Moore
www.ArtistHandbags.com
[email protected]