Laughing Fish Gallery

Laughing Fish Gallery Mother-daughter artists creating whimsical handmade art in Traverse City. We love sharing joyful art with our community!

Visit our gallery at the Grand Traverse Commons and enjoy our drop-in Art Café where you can paint your own wooden project.

09/03/2026

Happy Thursday friends and happy fall (well not officially yet but it's starting to feel like it!)! 🌻🍂 Thank for keeping us busy all summer long, now we're gearing up for a fun and busy fall season. We've got lots of exciting things in the works for ya 🤩

The gallery is open Thursday - Monday 11-4. Stop by and browse our colorful artworks and if you feel inspired, pick a project and paint right here in the gallery 🎨

If you haven't visited our new location yet, here's how to find us:

We're now located The Village at Grand Traverse Commons 📍

Enter 800 Cottageview Drive Traverse City MI into your GPS. 🗺️

Park anywhere but across from Pleasanton Bakery puts you closest to our entrance 🥖

Use the Kirkbride Hall/Historic Tours entrance. 🚪

Take the stairs or elevator to the 2nd floor and you'll find us right next to Kirkbride Hall 🌈

Hope to see you soon!
Kirstie

08/31/2026

Paint-your-own fish have been restocked on the website! It's also the last day for $8 flate rate shipping on US orders so it's a great time to stock up.

If you're in Traverse City today and need to escape the humidity be sure to stop by the gallery and cool down ☀️ and if you feel inspired, stay and paint your own happy fish ✨

If you haven't visited us yet, here's how to find us The Village at Grand Traverse Commons

Enter 800 Cottageview Drive Traverse City MI into your GPS, park across from Pleasanton Bakery and use the Kirkbride Hall entrance 🌈

You'll find us on the 2nd floor next to Kirkbride Hall

Hope to see you soon!
Kirstie

08/28/2026

What can I say? When we like a pattern we just gotta keep painting it! 🤩 You might remember Danika from our last drop..well, it turns out she has two sisters! Meet Desiree and Denise - just a couple of polka-dot lovin gals!🎨🌈✨

Happy Friday! I'll be at the gallery today rehanging the fish wall and doing a little end of summer tidy up around the shop. I'm hoping I can get a little painting in as well. I've been working so hard lately to photograph fish and prep for the drop that I haven't had much time to actually paint.

The gallery is open until 4 pm today, we hope to see you soon! We've got our Art Café tables prepped and ready for you if you feel inspired and want to paint. Just a little reminder that you can book your table online or just drop in. 🎨

If you haven't visited our new location you can now find our gallery & art cafe . Enter 800 Cottageview Drive Traverse City into your GPS. Park across from Pleasanton Bakery, and use the Kirkbride Hall entrance. We're located right upstairs next to Kirkbride Hall. 🌈

Kirstie

08/27/2026

I had really good intentions of making an awesome video to show off all of our newest creations but this morning has been a whirlwind and I just ran out of time. Now I need to focus on getting all of the remaining pieces on the website and rehang the fish wall!

I'm so excited for you all to see this collection, I hope you really like it! Shelly has been painting like a machine to get us some fish done for this drop. We had lots more fish planned for you but they sold right off our painting tables and before we could include them on the website 🎨

All of these (and more!) will be available online and in person August 29th. Web link is in our bio 🌈

Hope to see you soon!
Kirstie

08/24/2026

These happy pups are very excited for our upcoming art drop on Saturday!

If you haven't signed up for our newsletter yet - you definitely should! Just hop over to our website and drop your email into the pop up window.

You'll be the first to know when new art is added to our website and you'll get access to coupon codes and super special deals throughout the year 🎨🌈✨

Hope to see you soon
Kirstie ✨

08/21/2026

What a busy month! Thank you all for making it so great. 🥰 The gallery is open 11-4 but you can shop online anytime 🎨🌈✨ link is in our bio

Shelly is running the shop today and she's getting lots of paint your own fish fish stocked up so if you feel like painting today there will be lots to choose from.

Yes we're basically sold out of Art Cafe online - I'm working to get things restocked but we're also busy in shop so I'm not quite sure when that will be. I really hope to have a fresh selection of art cafe fish for our August Drop on the 29th...but we shall see! We're working as fast as we can 🥰

If you've emailed us about inventory etc, I'm working on getting through emails today so we will be in touch soon.

Hope to see you soon!
Kirstie

08/20/2026

Okay fine, sometimes we do use a template when we cut out our fish but does it count if we made the template???

I love telling people how Shelly carves the fish freehand, no pattern no template, BUT...every once in a while we need to get a very specific shape so we gotta make ourselves a template 😂

Anyways the point is, we make it all! We buy the wood, carve the fish, repair our band saw when it breaks, cut the fins, make the wire bottle cap eyes...it's all us. Just handmade happy art.

The gallery is open today and Shelly will be there slinging fish! Actually she will be finishing up this batch of new Art Café fish so if you've been waiting on a fish restock - today is the day! If you're shopping online - art cafe fish will be restocked on the website soon. I'm not exactly sure when but very soon so stay tuned!

If you wanna visit in person, here's how to find us:

📍 Enter 800 Cottageview Drive Traverse City MI into your GPS. This will take you to the correct parking lot.

Park anywhere around/across/near Pleasanton Bakery

Look for the Kirkbride Hall entrance (you'll see it next to Pepe Nero and the big sign that says Historic Tours!)

Take the stairs or elevator to the 2nd floor and you'll find us right next to Kirkbride Hall 🌈

Hope to see you soon,
Kirstie ✨

08/17/2026

Another pattern that we just can't quit - florals! 🤩 Shelly is the QUEEN of painting these flowers...I'm just so in love with them 🌼

All of these fish and more will be available online and in shop for our Art Drop on August 29th. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on our website so you don't miss it! Dogs will be added for this drop too...and I'm thinking we'll have to do another Art Cafe fish restock as well!

If you haven't visited us in person yet, here's how to find us

Enter 800 Cottageview Drive Traverse City MI into your GPS, park across from Pleasanton Bakery then use the Kirkbride Hall entrance. Take the stairs or elevator to the 2nd floor and you'll find us right next to Kirkbride Hall 🌈

Hope to see you soon!
Kirstie

08/14/2026

I just restocked Art Café fish online and at the gallery! We've got lots of fun shapes to choose from. 🎨

All of our paint-your-own projects are designed and carved by Shelly Drews right here in Traverse City, Michigan.

Reserve a table online or just drop in, pick a project and spend the afternoon painting. We provide all the supplies needed to paint a project and you can take your creation home with you the same day. 🎨

Hope to see you soon ✨
Kirstie

08/13/2026

Sorry I guys I use up all my creative energy making stuff that I don't have any left to make cool videos..so here's what Shelly and I have been painting lately!

The gallery is open 11-4, Art Cafe is stocked up with lots of projects and I have the AC running cause the humidity is a killer today.

Saturday, August 15th is Art Fair day so check that out on the front lawn then wander inside for some painting & happy art 🎨

New art (including these dogs in the vid!) will be coming to the website on August 29th as part of our Art Drop. sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know!!

Here's how to find us at our new location at The Grand Traverse Commons: Park across from Pleasanton Bakery, look for the Kirkbride Hall entrance (next to Pepe Nero), then take the stairs or elevator to the 2nd floor. You'll find us right next door to the historic Kirkbride Hall 🌈

hope to see you all soon,
Kirstie ✨

Address

Traverse City, MI
49682

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 4pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm

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