Bugsy

This adorable boy is Bugsy, who may be part Maine Coon cat. According to his owner, Jane, Bugsy has a large, very fluffy tail, and tufts of fur on his feet which make them very soft. He's also a love bug. He's got great long whiskers. He is part dog as he likes to fetch things and bring them back so you can throw them again!

Bugsy is drawn in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum. This portrait is 8 x 10" in size.

What's New, Pussycat?

I love the Tom Jones song, "What's New Pussycat?" In fact, I love singing it to my own cat, who cringes when she hears my terrible singing voice. Enough of my babbling about my lack of singing ability. The purpose of this post is about what's new in my studio.

The blog has been stale lately. I apologize for that. I'm in the process of balancing my day job & drawing. It is an interesting challenge. I have been able to complete my custom portrait orders without a problem. I will be posting my latest work soon.

I'm also working on vintage-inspired jewelry, featuring my artwork. This probably sounds confusing, but I actually am making custom cabachons, featuring my drawings and mounting them on brooches and pendants. I found that I love vintage jewelry and would love some pieces that resemble cameos with animal artwork in them.

I've also decided to upgrade my custom magnets. Currently, I slide prints of my artwork into plastic photo-holding magnets that are already assembled. They are cute, but I would like to use better materials. I ordered some glass tiles on etsy.com and magnets. The plan is to glue my prints to the glass tiles & mount rare earth magnets on the back. The result will be a cleaner, upscale look and a better hold on your fridge!

I will also be using the same tiles and process to create keychains featuring my art. All in all, I'm working on expanding my options and ways of creating prints of my work. In doing so, I'm trying to think out of the box a bit, beyond your traditional matted art prints.

I also want to add more designs, because it's always good to freshen things up. I'm ready for some new portraits!

Artisans @ Mt. Monadnock, NH Made Show

Saturday's arts & craft show was a huge success! I met so many wonderful animal lovers and fellow craftspeople! My booth was at the Artisans @ Mt. Monadnock show, which I advertised in my previous post. The show ran from 10 am - 4 pm.

I would like to thank everyone who stopped by my booth! I even saw my high school art teacher, Mrs. Smith. It was nice to show her that I am still drawing and thank her for her guidance in high school.

Also, one of my fellow vendors has posted a link to my site on her blog. Golden Illustrations is featured on ClothPaperStitches blog. Please check out the fabulous work of Missy Blanchard at http://www.ClothPaperStitches.com & http://www.ClothPaperStitches.blogspot.com. It was nice to meet a fellow NH Etsy seller!

Artisans At Mt. Monadnock Show!

I will have a table at the show above with my fine art greeting cards, magnets, nightlights, and prints. This is a fantastic opportunity to support your local artisans and find a unique piece of country craftsmanship. I hope to see you there!

Truffle

The portrait above is a very special drawing. This lovely chocolate lab is Truffle, who belongs to my friends, Mike & Kira. I've known Truffle since she was an adolescent and she quickly became my golden retriever's doggy girlfriend. Sunny and Truffle loved to saunter together on walks. They were gentle friends.

A few months ago, I snapped some reference pictures of Truffle (and Belle, her black lab companion) while I was visiting Mike & Kira. Truffle has this favorite spot on the brown leather recliner. It's just the right spot in the sun & she looks like she is in absolute heaven when she's napping in this natural spotlight. I found my favorite picture and drew the portrait above from the reference photo.

Truffle's portrait is 11 x 14" and drawn in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum paper.

Introducing... Hershey (and other new news)!

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted artwork or random musings on my blog. In the time that I've been away, life has sort of completed a 180 degree turn. A month ago, all was quiet on the art front. I was a bit unsure of which direction to follow in my downtime. I was offered a fantastic job at MoCo Arts in Keene, NH. MoCo is a performing and visual arts company that holds fun & inspiring classes. I am a Front Desk person part-time and absolutely love my day job.

I am still working on portraits and giftware. It is my passion and is not going anywhere. I will be printing a new design for spring in the coming weeks. My bunny portrait will appear on cards and magnets. It's the perfect time, with Easter on it's way!

Also... we have a new addition to our family. We adopted a 22 month old chocolate lab named Hershey! Hershey found us through a co-worker of my father's who was fostering him. He is absolutely sweet and gets along perfectly with Sasha. We are still working on introducing him to the cat slowly. He's absolutely polite and ignores her when we are holding her. However, once she is loose, he is very interested in placing the chase game. We've read up on how to introduce a new dog to the family cat and are taking our introduction slow and with patience. Molly, in the meantime, is enjoying her vacation on the top floor of the house and is spoiled with extra kisses and love.

I've posted some pictures of Hershey above. There will be more posted in the future (and of course lots of portraits)! Hershey is my first labrador retriever and I am loving every bit of his personality!

: )

Mia

Letting Go

Do you ever find the same messages repeating themselves in your life? I have noticed the theme of "letting go" popping up in various places. I've been having trouble falling asleep and decided to listen to some meditation podcasts on my ipod to help me drift off peacefully. The "Letting Go" meditation seemed to say, "Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!"

Then, we had take-out Chinese for dinner and I ended up getting one of those preachy fortunes. This was the kind of message that teaches a lesson, instead of describing the fabulous period of abundance that you will soon be entering. Once again, the "Letting Go" message popped up on my fortune cookie. I ate the cookie and didn't think about the message.

Today, I received a forward about a "Thought For The Day" from a friend. Can you guess what the theme was? Of course, it was about "letting go".

Since this theme keeps popping up over and over again, I've decided to reflect on what this means. I think that my meditation podcast sums it up well. Letting go isn't always about letting go of a feeling. It can be about releasing a thought that is occurring over and over again in our head. Sometimes, our minds start playing the same soundtrack on repeat. We want to relax and we keep worrying about our job interview or the laundry that needs to be done. Letting go sometimes means releasing an experience that we keep holding on to. Some of us may keep replaying a happy memory over and over again until it is an obsession. If we could just let go of the experience, we would open ourselves up to more cool experiences.

The same thing applies for the dreams that we really want to live. We may really want to travel to Peru. If we wish it and then release it, we leave the experience an open possibility. If we worry about how the trip will manifest or our crummy finances, we create a roadblock for realizing our dream.

Gracie

The drawing above was a holiday commission for my lovely friend, Nancy Downs. This adorable girl is Gracie, the Miniature Schnauzer. We decided to draw Gracie on her favorite chair in charcoal. The wicker of the chair proved to be a challenging texture, but I honestly love a new drawing challenge. It helps me grow and I feel confident drawing wicker texture now! The pattern of the upholstery was very fun to draw. Floral prints translate very well in black & white.

Gracie is drawn in Conte brand pressed charcoal crayon on smooth, white vellum. The drawing is 8 x 10" in size.

Goofy

This adorable fellow is Goofy, a black and tan coonhound mix. Goofy's portrait was one of my Christmas commissions. This portrait was a delightful distraction from the December ice storms! I finished drawing Goofy just before power was restored to my studio in Jaffrey. I had taken my portrait commissions on the road with me to NY, which was a savvy decision. Had I left them to work on in NH, it would have been days before I could finish them (due to the power outage).

Goofy is drawn in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum. The finished portrait is 11x14" in size.

The Brightest Bulbs

I hope that everyone had relaxing holidays. I've been offline for a while, spending time with my hubby and family. Now that the holidays have passed, I can post some of my commissions that were presented as gifts!

I'll start with this pastel portrait that was given as a gift to my in-laws for Christmas. This particular piece has meaning to them, as they belong to a hunting and fishing club in Pennsylvania. The club has a few tame rabbits that wander the grounds and children are offered 5 dollars teasingly if they can catch one. The rabbits are released if they are caught, of course. I thought it would be fun if I captured three of the rabbits in a portrait. I think that the club owners owe my in-laws 15 dollars!

This drawing is 11x14" in size and drawn in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum.

Merry Christmas From Golden Illustrations!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone out in cyberspace! I apologize for once again not updating my blog in an efficient manner. We had a huge ice storm a few weeks ago, and our town, Jaffrey, was hit especially hard. We were fortunate to have power within a few days, but a live wire lay across our driveway. The power company accidentally cut our cable when they fixed the live wire, so we went without phone and internet through the holidays. It was a bummer, but we honestly didn't have circumstances as bad as many in the area.

Now that my internet capabilities are restored, it's time to get back to business! It's time for postings of my most recent work! Yeay!

The piece above was my holiday card design for this year. The dog featured was my beloved boy, Sunny, who passed away last February. Sunny loved the snow and would spend most of his outdoor time eating it and wearing it on his whiskers afterward. He had the most kissable snow nose. I love his expression in this drawing. He looks so debonaire.

The drawing is rendered in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum. It is 8 x 10" in size.

On The Drawing Board - Holiday Card

Phew! The holidays are certainly moving along quickly. I hope that everyone had a good Thanksgiving weekend. I was in Pennsylvania, visiting my in-laws and attending my hubby's ten year high school reunion. The weekend was the calm before the storm. Now, I am up to my eyeballs in artwork and loving every minute of it!

The drawing above is my current project. There are other portraits being created simultaneously, though. I can't post their pictures, since they are holiday gifts. I can, however, show you my holiday card design. This year, I decided to create a golden retriever holiday card to send to friends and family. The golden in the drawing is my dear boy, Sunny, who passed away last February. He looked so adorable in the snow and is the perfect holiday mascot for Golden Illustrations. I'll post another photo once the portrait is complete!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my blog readers! May your travels be safe and your holiday filled with memories and yummy food!

I took the photographs above in my yard this fall. My hubby and I returned from a shopping trip to find a couple of turkeys poking around our lawn. The amazing thing was that later that evening, we were visited by four deer. It was a super day for wildlife-viewing!

Happy Holidays From The Checchi Retrievers!

The piece above is my latest drawing in pastels. My parents commissioned me to draw their two golden retrievers for the holidays and print custom holiday cards. These two fellas are Shadow (on the left) and Buddy (on the right). Both were rescued from Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue in Massachusetts. My family has raised rescue golden retrievers since I was in high school and it makes sense that these two boys are the family's holiday card mascots.

The pastel drawing is 8x10" in size and drawn in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum.

Alstead PTO Christmas Bazaar Recap

On Saturday, I had a booth at the Parent Teach Organization Holiday Bazaar. The event was held in Alstead, NH (my hometown). This was a trip down memory lane for me, since the show was held in my junior high gymnasium. A lot of my former teachers stopped by my booth to show support. It was wonderful seeing such important figures from my childhood.

All in all, the day was a success! I met a lot of new people and reconnected with familiar faces. There was even a charity raffle and an adorable young girl went home with one of my framed prints.

I've posted some pictures of my booth above. This was the first event where I tested out new packaging for my magnets and nightlights. I was pleased with the end result.

: )

Mia

Alstead Christmas Bazaar

Just wanted to let everyone know that I will have a booth at the Parent/Teacher Organization Holiday Bazaar in Alstead, NH on Saturday. The event begins at 10:00 am and will be held in the Vilas School gymnasium. This event features holiday and every day crafts, food, and a charity auction to benefit the Parent/Teacher Organization. I encourage you to stop by and consider buying handmade items for your friends & family this holiday season. I look forward to seeing you there!

: )

Mia

Mother & Child

There is a magical bond between a mother and her newborn child. It's a connection that is instinctual, primitive, and beautiful. These were the emotions that I attempted to capture in the portrait above, which is my latest commission. The drawing is completed in charcoal on smooth, white vellum. It is 11x14" in size.

The Ellis Bunch!

The picture above is my latest commission. These adorable poodles are snuggling up in a festive fall orchard. It's the perfect piece for fall. You can almost smell the leaves and apples...

The drawing is rendered in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum. It is 11x14" in size.

Where's My Dinner?

The piece above is my latest pastel. I felt that it was time to satisfy my interest in drawing a Persian cat. I took a lot of reference pictures of Persians at a cat show in Nashua this past spring. There was something about their cute, up-turned noses that gave me the giggles. Their expressions are priceless and their coats are absolutely stunning.

I decided to call this piece, "Where's My Dinner?" in honor of the high-maintenance cat. To this cat, it's owners are the "staff". Dinner will be served promptly every evening in a crystal bowl with a brocade tablecloth underneath. The high-maintenance cat lives to luxuriate. This particular cat is on the verge of a feline tantrum. Dinner is late and that is unacceptable.

This drawing is rendered in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum. It is 11x14" in size and available for sale.

Art In The Park Award

I just received the latest newsletter in the mail from the Monadnock Area Artists Association (formerly the Keene Artists Association). There was a write-up on the Art In The Park festival with a list of award winners. After browsing through the list of winners, I was surprised to see that I won an Honorable Mention in Category Three (pastel, colored pencil, charcoal, pen & ink, and original printmaking). I was standing at the main tent when the awards were announced and didn't hear my name announced. I thought that I hadn't won anything. It was a fun surprise to see that I won an honorable mention in my first year of participation. The piece that won is posted above.