Old Friend- Amazing Talent!

 I am a very fortunate fella!

Through a series of expertly negotiated one year contracts, I have managed to stay married to "She Who MUST Be Obeyed" or as she's commonly known- The Real Artist- for more than 52 years.

In addition, I have been able to stay in contact with several friends I have known for over 60 years! And while we live far apart, we communicate regularly- sometimes via video conferencing so we can confirm the others are actually still alive (heh,heh). I cherish those friendships.

One such friend, Cheryl, is an amazing photographer and dog lover. Recently, she revived her interest in pastel portraits- mostly of animals. Her work is stunning!

Use of high quality pastels and other materials along with her unique technique, enables Cheryl to capture the subtle variations in fur and hair that all animals have. Her skill in capturing the expressive eyes makes her portraits seem to come alive.

Years of photography and attention to detail enable her to capture not only a pet's likeness but also its personality.

Recently I decided to put Cheryl to the test. Our daughter Lisa loves all animals but especially cats. She volunteers with the animal shelter in Freeport, Grand Bahama and has proven to be a complete failure as a foster mom- failure in the sense that she rarely gives them back (she blames her husband)! Lisa has a passion for Maine Coons which led her to become mom to Duke. To say that Duke (named after a famous Hawaiian surfer) was a large cat would not be doing him justice.

Duke was massive and eventually tipped the scales at over 30 pounds! When he died, Lisa and her husband Jarrod were devastated and since their anniversary was coming up, we decided to commission Cheryl to do a portrait. We sent her a photo...and got this back:

Lisa was both ecstatic and deeply touched because Cheryl had captured the essence of her dear pet- right down to his damaged ear!

So if you have a cherished pet or know of someone who does, why not check out Cheryl's web site at www.somewhere-in-time.net. There you will find testimonials and pricing (very reasonable) along with tips on how to photograph your pet(s) and all the info needed to commission what will no doubt become a treasured family heirloom.

Doodling on Steroids!

At one time or another, I'm sure most of us have doodled. But I doubt very many of us have ever "doodled" quite like this.
Our daughter Lisa volunteers with the humane society where she lives- in Freeport, Grand Bahama. The society is having a 50th anniversary fund raising gala (as with most such ventures they are chronically underfunded) and Lisa asked Vickie if she would donate a piece of her art for auction as she has in the past.
Vickie agreed but then the creative juices took over and not only did she come up with an art idea, she hit on a real promotional opportunity. The theme of the gala is "Black and White and Gold" so she decided to do something in keeping with the theme and work they do.
A big part of the humane society's work is rounding up local wild dogs- called Potcakes- to be spayed and neutered. So Vickie decided to draw a Potcake- in her own unique way.

This is a drawing method called Zentangles and it is a real skill to choose patterns that won't obliterate what the image is.
Since she and Lisa liked it so much and since the humane society also handles a lot of cats, Vickie decided to do a cat as well.

So now things have expanded somewhat. The images you see are going to be used to silk screen       t-shirts that will be sold by the society and then Vickie will add some shading and a bit of gold to the final art that will then be used to produce sets of cards and finally auctioned off at the gala.
So if you like to draw, give it a try. It is supposed to be very relaxing although I think choosing the patterns would drive me nuts!
And if you ever want to donate to a worthy cause, check out the Humane Society of Freeport.
I have been working on ear rings recently and the next blog will show some examples.
The days are getting longer and it is almost time to put the sign back up by the road and open for business. Hope to see you at some point.
Cheers!