Featured Artwork: An Honorable Mention for “Studio Morning Shift”
This painting was honored with an Honorable Mention in the Winter show at the North Hills Art Center. Ironically, I wasn’t going to enter this painting, but Dr. Michelle presumed I would and I reconsidered.
Where Love Dwells benefits Hello Neighbor, a Pittsburgh nonprofit “committed to supporting our newest neighbors, recently resettled refugee families” by providing services and matching them with mentoring families who help them integrate, find resources, and socialize. Each piece of art had to be recent and incorporate the artist’s idea of ‘home’ somewhere in the piece. Looks like home to me!
The “opening” was last Friday. In a different time I would have gotten dressed up and driven to the art center for the opening, but instead they shared a little video of all the art and a listing of the awards online, no wine and cheese and chit chat with other artists. Someday soon we’ll do that again, but until then I’m so pleased to be able to participate in exhibits, even if they are online and not in person. I miss the company of other artists, but then I didn’t have to go out in the cold. I did get to see the artwork when I dropped mine off last week. I encourage you to visit the site and watch the video, and send in your choice for the People’s Choice Award. You can visit my post about the show on Portraits of Animals, and you can scroll down to read more about “Studio Morning Shift”.
About this painting
In January 2017 I participated in Leslie Saeta’s annual “30 in 30” painting challenge this month. This was my painting for day 15, and it’s the first cat sketch I’d done. I painted a number of portraits over the holidays so I moved to landscapes and other subjects first. I actually had a different image planned but Mimi, Mewsette and Mr. Sunshine were totally enchanting getting organized in the best cuddle pile on my drafting table by the window, the light was wonderful, and, well, here you are. I kept visualizing the three black shapes and tried to ignore them and stop visualizing a sketch. Good luck with that. I told myself that if they lined up, one-two-three, I would sketch them. It took a while, but, don’t you know, they did.
I wasn’t sure which crop I liked better on this sketch. Above I have the crop that preserves all the edges even though the windows aren’t right, the panes are each the same size. Below is the crop that includes the image area I’d wanted, but I like the black edges. Whatever, I guess I don’t really have to make a decision.
But then, I like this crop too, just the “important” area of the art.
This original painting is available framed on Portraits of Animals as well as various prints.
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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
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And sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and have fun!
Congrats on the award Bernadette! I’m always enchanted by your black cat art!
Thank you, Leah!
B; nice piece !!! conga rats on the award…are the cats actually part of the pastel paper and your drew “around” and “on” them…or did you draw the cats also…..am I making sense ?
I know what you meant–yes, I used black paper and worked up the highlights. With that much dark it’s more visually convincing that way, but it was very tricky to learn working up the negative space instead of the objects. A great life lesson though.