The holidays and gift giving season will soon be upon us. By the time this issue of Owensboro Living hits the stands, there will be holiday decor up in lots of places. Some of us will have started shopping, and others will wait until the last minute. If you’re searching for something unique, personal, unusual, or delicious, here are some great ideas for gifts made by local artists and artisans. These local craftspeople and their wares were nominated by readers who chimed in to a query posted on Facebook. Have a read, have a look, and have a good time shopping!
Brittany Samsil
A native of Vero Beach, Florida, Brittany Samsil found herself in Evansville and then moved to Owensboro “for the scenery.” She has been running Art by Brittany full time since 2020. Offering a wide range of artistic creations, Samsil regularly sells to customers in all fifty states, and her work has been purchased abroad, as well.
Her artistic creations are nearly as varied as her customer base. She makes charcoal drawings, acrylic paintings, prints of both, custom hats, and custom jewelry. Painting is her “main thing,” and Samsil says, “if you can think it, I can paint it.” She needs at least four weeks to complete a custom painting, but she does have prints of some of her popular ones, like bourbon bottles and the blue bridge.
A wearer of hats, Samsil says she wanted to add her own twist to hats, so she started wood burning and painting different designs, then moved on to ribbons and feathers. “No two hats are alike,” she says, which is remarkable, considering she makes one at least every other day.
In regard to what are her best sellers, Samsil—who frequently donates her art to non-profit fundraisers—says that what sells in person is the opposite of what sells online.
Check her out at art-by-brittany.square.site or on Facebook.
Zaneta Riley

If you’re looking for an edible gift, Zaneta Riley likely has exactly what you didn’t know you needed via her Cop a Pop bakery business. The mom of two young adults, who works at the hospital by day, started her side hustle in 2021, though it was something she had wanted to do for years. For Riley, who bakes out of her home and often sets up as a vendor at local events, baking edible treats is about “blessing people’s tables” and being creative. “I am very particular and detail oriented,” she says, explaining that the detail that goes into creating miniature cakes on sticks suits her.
Riley can make just about any type of cake pop, cake ball, or cake puck anyone requests with about a week’s notice. If it’s something more niche, she needs about two weeks notice. She has lots of character molds, but can always order more. She says the most unique things she has done so far are motocross wheels and baby bottles. The treats range from $12 – $30 a box, and each box has six treats. In addition to the cake products, she does dipped treats, such as Oreos.
Look for her new “decadent” line soon, which includes a Snickers homage (vanilla cake with chunks of Snickers, dipped in chocolate and drizzled in caramel) and Fruity Pebbles (lemon and strawberry cake coated in white chocolate with the cereal sprinkled on.)
Reach out to Zaneta Riley via her Facebook page or at [email protected].

Dave Walker
Dave Walker, a beloved art teacher at Owensboro High School, has been creating and selling ceramics (if he has told me once not to call it “pottery,” he’s told me 500 times) for nearly as long as he has been teaching.
Catch Walker and his creations at Kraftucky on November 8, 9, and 10 at the Owensboro Convention Center, or reach out to him to set up a visit to his studio in Philpot to see the pieces he has in stock. “There’s no commitment or pressure to buy if you come out,” he says. Coffee mugs are both his bestsellers and his favorite pieces to recommend as gifts. “A lot of people that have them tell me they love to have their morning coffee from a handmade piece,” he says. “It takes a daily routine and makes it a ritual.”
Contact Walker via his Facebook page or at [email protected].
Shelby Rhoades

Shelby Rhoades has been painting things to give as gifts since she was a middle schooler. About six years ago, she started selling ornaments personalized with names. Those were popular, she says, “and then someone asked me do a pet and I did it, and it just took off.”
Recently, she has expanded to commemorative bourbon bottles, as well. “Really, I can do anything you want – I’m open to new ideas and whatever people want painted,” she says, mentioning that people also often request their homes on ornaments as well. Prices vary from $20 to $100, depending on whether she has to purchase an item to paint on (such as bourbon.)
The turnaround time on her work is around two weeks. She markets and communicates through her
Facebook page, listed under Shelby Rhoades.
Emma Pearcy

Emma Pearcy credits her time at the Helen Sears Child Development Center when she was very small with “sparking something” in her. She got her first sketch book in middle school and “it’s evolved from there,” she says. Inspired by artists ranging from Picasso to Aaron Kizer, Pearcy specializes in portraits and sketches.
For a while now, she has been drawing things as commissions. More recently, she has partnered locally to sell on a bigger scale. Her drawings will be on sale at the Marsh Hen at Preservation Station, a booth by David and Cheryl Henderson. “I usually work on a couple pieces a week, so you’ll always find something there,” she says. Pearcy loves to put emotion into her work and encourages “anyone who wants to create something special with someone or something in mind” to reach out to her at [email protected] or @arts_by_emmap on Instagram.