Daily Photo: Autumn Lights
Bella made a nice silhouette as she watched the birds at the feeder. She is in silhouette, but all the turning leaves were in sun outside the window.
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Photos from previous years…
Bean Basket, 2017
I felt that I was being watched. I never know what pile of stuff I will find my cats looking out from.
He takes another look.
One crazy whisker.
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Photos from previous years.
Finally, Outdoors, 2015
It looks as if Mimi may have gained a little girth in the nearly full week—how did that happen?! —that she had to stay inside as I got work done and prepared artwork for my display in the Wings & Wildlife Art Show last weekend (more on that below). Really, on the left, it’s just her tail curled back in a circle, one of her lifelong and endearing habits. She’s also sitting a little lopsided because, even though you can’t see it, she has that…yes…dreaded harness and leash. You can see a tiny bit of pink above her red plaid collar. I actually had to coax her to join me in filling bird feeders and birdbaths, though I will admit the frost was still melting and everything on Mimi’s level was pretty miserably cold and wet, even for all the sunshine. Last week it was unseasonably warm, and we missed it. But we did get the work done. And I’m so glad we had this morning to enjoy.
Mimi has had another thing to complain about too. Below I’ve shared a few of the images of my fine feline family I shared on Facebook over the weekend, and below that I’ve included a few new images I had in my exhibit. On the flipside of all this I’ve been working on my e-commerce site, PortraitsOfAnimals.net, which will ultimately replace the Portraits of Animals Marketplace blog I’ve used since 2010 and will become my main site to sell merchandise, though I’ll keep my profiles elsewhere and still offer things here. The new site will include all genre and media of my creative efforts, and it’s a big job! I don’t even have a template I like yet and have only been working on the back end, but I’ve begun using the blog because that will transfer no matter what template I use. So I’ll be linking to the blog on that site to showcase new items, specials and events.
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Featured on Facebook November 8, 2015
I was missing my kitties for my third day at the show!
Hard to leave this little face this morning, little Simon.
My steadfast Mimi, my constant companion has shared many late nights in my studio providing purrs and headbutts when I needed them. Thank you, Mimi, for taking care of me as only a kitty can.
Much as I love to be out in the public with my art, it’s hard to be away for three days, and the preparation for one of these shows takes more time than the show itself. They want to know when they are going to eat on time again, and when we’re going to get a good night’s sleep. There is nothing more relaxing after a day on my feet and a night of printing and framing and packing than when I lie down and they all tuck themselves on and around me and PURR.
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The Wings & Wildlife Art Show
I took a small space this time so I didn’t have to carry too many things in and out. I could set up and take down in record time. It’s good to learn that you don’t need to take every last thing you have to a show!
“Safe”
This painting is entitled “Safe”, 15″ x 20″, done in soft pastel on Strathmore pastel paper, done pastel from my photo references. It’s the two does who have visited my backyard for the past two years. They would often scurry through my woodland garden to the overgrown area between all our yards when I came outside, and though they were in plain sight of about six houses they apparently felt they were safe—and they were, really, because when I looked at the reference photo for this I wondered why I’d taken a photo of the brush at the end of the yard, and then I saw the ears. You can find the original in my Etsy shop along with framed and unframed prints.
“Colorful”
This painting is entitled “Colorful”, 11″ x 15″, done in soft pastel on self-prepared board with marble dust and gesso. “Colorful” is one of my favorite duck images on Chartiers Creek from my walks to Main Street. I took the photo several years ago of the mallard balancing on one leg with morning sun reflecting brightly off off an orange brick building on the other bank of the creek as well as the blue winter sky. Winter can be drab in moments, but it is often quite colorful with the warm browns and reds and the cool deep green of the mallard’s feathers and the reflections of all the colors of the day on the gently rippling water. Alas, though I had wanted to paint it en plein air, neither the ducks nor the lighting were cooperative so I finally decided to rough in a background and shapes on site, but finish it from the photo.
Martha
Martha is a demonstration owl with the Animal Rescue League’s Wildlife Center. She lost a wing and could not be released, and she has a curious and docile nature. She’s also a great photo model. I’ve never done anything with these photos I’d taken of her though I did use a few from the series as the basis for illustrations.
Below is a gallery of images of works in the exhibit.
Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals
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Feline Artwork from Portraits of Animals!
So Bella is an avid birdwatcher. She spends long hours by the big north window watching the birds at the feeder. I spend long hours studying her profile while she does so. I decided to finally sketch her and thought of the toned paper with white and black charcoal, and I also added a bit of pale yellow green in her eye. Read more and purchase.
Copyright
All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.
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Weekly schedule of features:
Sunday: Essays, Pet Loss, Poetry, The Artist’s Life
Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters
Tuesday: Rescue Stories
Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork
Thursday: New Merchandise
Friday: Book Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy
Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats
And sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and have fun!
I LURV owls…Martha appears to be a Great Horned Owl. Did you know that the females are bigger than the males?
The image of Bella Birdwatching is exquisite!
Yes, Martha was a Great Horned Owl. She had been injured and sent to the wildlife center, but her wing would not heal so she became a demonstration owl. I think all female owls are bigger than males? I’ll have to look that up.