Wednesday, March 26, 2008

The Fabric Softener




Yeay! I'm finally managing to keep up with my blog. In between making prints, cards, and magnets, I've found time to work on some new artwork for my portfolio. Since I enjoyed drawing the previous long-haired cat so much in charcoal, I decided to create another black and white cat drawing.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one, but I gave it a clever name. It may be a bit corny, but it makes me giggle. The "Fabric Softener" is my own kitty, Molly. Do your cats like to nap on laundry? Mine does. If I have a pile of clean laundry spread on my bed, ready to fold, she will curl up in a nest of clothes that smell like Morning Fresh scent. I don't enjoy little black cat hairs on my fresh light clothes, but it happens. And, it's cute.

I snapped a pic of my kitty caught in the act of filling my clothes with cat hair. Then, I drew a piece based on the photographic image. The drawing is 11x14" landscape in size. It's drawn in pressed charcoal sticks on smooth, white vellum.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Suncatcher



Here is my latest pastel drawing, "Suncatcher". I've been in the mood to draw wildlife lately. It's not a surprise, considering that I am surrounded by beautiful trees and nature in my studio. I'm tired of snow, though, and drawing summer animals helps me look forward to warmer weather.

The reference photos for this piece were taken at the Beaver Lake Nature Center in NY. There is a group of turtles that likes to sun themselves on a log on the "Bog Trail". On a sunny afternoon, I felt inspired to photograph these fellows. They were posed in such unique positions.

The drawing itself is 11x14" on smooth, white vellum. It is drawn with soft pastels. I've been using different brands of pastels lately, but most of the piece is completed using my grandfather's set of pastels.

Enjoy!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Kermit



I've been steadily working and am in the process of opening Golden Illustrations in NH. While I am waiting for my registration to be accepted, I've had some downtime to draw. The piece above is my latest pastel drawing.

The piece is titled "Kermit", because Kermit The Frog holds a special place in my heart. I thought that this lovely guy deserved a name fitting of his easy-going personality. I took the reference photo for this piece at the Beaver Lake Nature Center in Baldwinsville, NY. Beaver Lake is a park that I loved to frequent for some quiet time in nature.

I visited Beaver Lake on this particular day, because I wanted to release some sadness over the passing of my godfather. There's nothing like nature and cute critters to pull a person out of a difficult time in their lives. As my husband and I walked on the wooden pathway on the "Bog Trail", we came upon this fellow. He was basking in the sun and allowed me to walk right up to his webbed feet to take close pictures with my new digital camera.

I was so amazed that he didn't hop away. It was as if he didn't even sense me. Either that, or he wanted to show off for the camera : ) I took several photos and decided to create a drawing based on this photo shoot.

"Kermit" is 11 x 14" landscape. He is drawn in pastels on smooth, white vellum paper. I'm sure that he finds it not easy being green.... with brown spots.

Friday, March 07, 2008

Art Show At The Dog Show Results


Best Entry Depicting A Golden Retriever

Fourth Place, Drawing Category

Last night, I received news that I won two awards in the 2008 Art Show At The Dog Show. I received a Fourth Place award in the Drawing category. Also, I received the "Best Entry Depicting A Golden Retriever" award for the second year in a row! The portrait that won in the Golden Retriever category featured my beloved Sunny and the award is a wonderful tribute in his memory. I couldn't be happier!

The winning pieces are featured above. For more information on the Art Show At The Dog Show, click on the link on the right side of my blog. The Art Show At The Dog Show is a national juried competition of dog art held every year in Kansas.

Monday, March 03, 2008

In Memory of Sunny





Sunny, my beautiful golden friend, died on Friday. He was the first golden retriever that I have owned myself. I grew up with goldens and as each passed in my family, they were just gone one day. I wasn't with them as they passed. Sunny was in my arms as he passed from a long bout of illness.

I think he was the oldest golden retriever that I have ever seen, let alone owned. The vet in NH estimated his age at between 15-17 years old. In golden years, that is an astronomical age.

He was a happy gentleman, always willing to flirt with the ladies. I think he was the only dog that I have come across that actually liked going to the vet. He would nuzzle against the female techs and give them gentle kisses. They would fuss over him and cuddle him with every visit. He would just lay on the floor of the exam room and never complained. What a ladies man.

He was a happy gent that liked to chew on toys and let them hang out of his mouth like a cigar. It was as if he was saying, "Hey Toots, would you like to snuggle?". He was the kind of guy who would call a woman "Toots". And he would crawl right into your lap if you were sitting on the floor.

He was Sasha's best friend and that's saying a lot. Sash doesn't care much for other dogs. She's perfectly obedient and likes to play with little, spunky dogs. Big dogs make her nervous. At first, she and Sunny had some minor territorial tiffs. In time, they shared their space well. They sort of resembled Kermit and Miss Piggy, with Sasha being the flamboyant diva.

Sunny is very missed. The house feels empty and it's hard to imagine life without him. The last year was quite a struggle and you can probably tell through my portraits that he was not feeling well. I cared for him like a child and documented the peaceful moments in pastel. Two pastel drawings of Sunny are hanging in this year's Art Show At The Dog Show. The show opens this week, a perfect memorial to my favorite gentleman. I love you, Sunny.