Artsy Octopus

09/04/2026

🎉🐙 WE’RE ALMOST THERE! 🐙🎉

Artsy Octopus is just 12 followers away from 1,800! 💜

So now we have to know… WHO will be our 1,800th follower?! 👀🥳

We’ve loved watching our little Artsy Octopus community grow, and we’re so grateful for every single person who follows along, supports our amazing local artists, joins us for a class, stops by the shop, or simply shares and likes our posts. 💜

If you’ve been following along but haven’t hit that Follow button yet… now’s your chance! And if you have a friend who loves local art, handmade treasures, unique gifts, and a little creative fun here on the Outer Banks, invite them to join us!

🐙 Only 12 to go… let’s see who makes it #1,800! 🎉

09/02/2026

🎨 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT SERIES #18
MEET PHOEBE JANE/PINAY LINES

Born and raised in the Philippines, Phoebe moved to the Outer Banks in 2017 and quickly fell in love with the area, proudly calling it home for six years. Although she now lives in Virginia Beach, the Outer Banks still holds a special place in her heart, and she returns often for inspiration.

Phoebe creates beautifully illustrated coloring books featuring some of her favorite Outer Banks locations, along with designs inspired by the natural world around us. Every illustration is drawn by Phoebe herself, capturing the coastal beauty, local charm, and sense of community that make the OBX so special.

📚 And there’s another fun surprise in Phoebe’s space — Blind Date With a Book!

Choose a carefully wrapped mystery book without knowing the title or author. No spoilers and no peeking — just unwrap it and trust the vibe! Each package includes a surprise book, face mask, tea, cute stickers and other little goodies, all wrapped up and ready for a cozy night of reading.

These make such a fun treat for yourself or a unique gift for the book lover in your life. ❤️

Stop by Artsy Octopus to discover Phoebe’s beautiful Pinay Lines coloring books and take a chance on a Blind Date With a Book. You never know—you might just find your next favorite read!

💜 Shop local. Support artists. Celebrate creativity.

08/30/2026

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT SERIES #17
MEET JENNIFER ASHBY | SLEEK & SALTY 🐚

There’s something beautiful about finding a new purpose for the pieces the ocean leaves behind!

Jennifer Ashby of Sleek & Salty began creating after collecting buckets of broken shells from our OBX beaches and seeing the beauty in every single piece. She transforms those coastal treasures into unique, handcrafted jewelry featuring shells found along the Atlantic Coast, primarily right here on the Outer Banks. 🌊

Jennifer’s creations aren’t just pretty—they’re thoughtfully made, too. Her jewelry features hypoallergenic earring findings, stainless steel chains, plated gold and silver snake chains, and even real pearls! ✨

And it’s not just jewelry! Jennifer also creates beautiful shell nightlights, turning real shells into colorful little works of art that bring a touch of the coast into your home. 🐚💡

From seasonal and sporty to beachy and coastal, Jennifer creates a little something for everyone—and custom pieces are available, too!

Stop by Artsy Octopus OBX and check out Jennifer’s Sleek & Salty collection. You just might find the perfect little piece of the Outer Banks to take home with you. 🌊🐙

08/24/2026

Thank you Ami!

Think you're not artistic? Perfect. 😂🎨

That's apparently something Maria Monds hears ALL the time at Artsy Octopus — right before people make things like these. 🌊🐢

Tucked inside this Nags Head artist market is a classroom where complete beginners are making resin ocean waves, sun catchers, frames and charcuterie boards — with everything provided and someone walking you through the whole thing.

Kids can do it. Adults can do it. Three generations of a family have done it together. You can even book the whole thing privately for a girls' weekend, birthday, team outing or post-season staff get-together.

And then there's the story about the student whose beautiful ocean-wave project got accidentally blasted with hand sanitizer. 😬

Somehow, that disaster ended with a turtle — and one of my favorite stories in this Local OBX Spotlight.

🐢 You have to see how it turned out.

👉 https://www.localobx.com/blog/art-classes-in-nags-head-inside-the-workshops-at-artsy-octopus

08/20/2026

Look who’s back!!!!

08/19/2026

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT SERIES #16
Meet Jen Sparks
Nature Notes & Tidal Touches

Jen Sparks of Nature Notes &Tidal Touches is a coastal photographer and shell artist who finds peace and solace in nature and the nostalgia of the ocean. She believes the beauty and breathtaking bounty of OBX is meant to be shared, which inspires her to share her images and seascape art created with natural elements she personally collects on these shores.

Jen’s overarching purpose is to help connect people to nature and each other. She does this through offering OBX notecards of her images and one-of-a-kind coastal gifts such as seascape frames, candles, textural journals, driftwood and shell art, and shell jewelry dishes and trinket bowls.

Jen’s images and textural creations that you can see, touch, and “feel” are designed to take you back to the true contentment experienced when standing by the ocean. A ‘moment capturer’ at heart, she particularly loves the OBX in off season because of the picturesque surprises it brings. Many of the shells and driftwood used in her art are from the winter tides.

Find Jen on Facebook -tidaltouches and Instagram , where she shares beautiful images and videos of the ocean and moments in nature, as well as the stories behind her creative process.

08/19/2026

Another beautiful Ocean Resin Wave class! 🌊

Nine boards, nine completely different creations — and every one of them turned out amazing! 💙

From surfboards and turtles to traditional charcuterie boards, each person chose their own colors, wave placement, and design. That’s one of my favorite things about teaching this class — no two pieces ever turn out exactly alike!

Everyone goes home with a one-of-a-kind piece of functional art they created themselves. 🌊🎨

Want to make your own? Check out our upcoming Ocean Resin Wave classes at Artsy Octopus OBX!

08/15/2026

🔥 NEW CLASS — Encaustic Painting Workshop with Doreen Nadolny! 🎨

Come discover the ancient art of encaustic painting — a fascinating technique using heated beeswax, damar resin and pigments to create beautiful layers, texture and depth.

📅 October 10
⏰ 10:00 AM–3:00 PM with a 30-minute lunch break
💲 $160 per person

Doreen will guide you through the encaustic process, giving you hands-on experience and plenty of time to practice techniques while beginning your own 10” x 10” wooden panel.

Everything is included — instruction, encaustic medium, brushes, wooden panel and use of all heating equipment. You’ll also receive a handy reference sheet so you can continue practicing at home.

Please note: The pictured artwork is an example of a completed encaustic piece. Because encaustic artwork is created through multiple layers and can take several days to complete, you’ll leave the workshop with your own work in progress — along with the techniques and knowledge to continue developing it at home.

This is something completely different, and we’re excited to bring it to Artsy Octopus! 🐙

Space is limited, and registration closes September 26, two weeks before the class. Reserve your spot early at www.artsyoctopus.art

08/10/2026

Ocean Waves on Charcuterie Boards! 🌊

Another fun afternoon of creating waves at Artsy Octopus! We had a full class of eight, and everyone put their own spin on their boards. They turned out absolutely beautiful! The turtle was done by an eight year-old. Congratulations to her 💙

It’s always fun to watch the same blues, whites, and resin turn into something completely unique in every set of hands.

Thank you all for spending part of your day creating with us! 🐙🌊