Last night, I was going through zillions of photos of critters to use as reference images for the mural.
Then someone posted this sweet pup named Lorenza on my Facebook wall.
I thought, “She’s Perfect!”
Lorenza was found in Canton, OH and is looking for a home. The person who found her volunteers with Second Chance For Animals, and she has offered to pay the adoption fee for anyone who is one of my Facebook Fans.
Please let me know if you are near Ohio and are interested. I will connect you with the volunteer.
Now I need a cat…
Do you have a photo of a cat that is available for adoption that I could use for my mural along with Lorenza?
If so, post it on my Facebook Fan Page with some information about the animal and how it can be adopted byFriday September 3, 2010.
I will choose a cat to be featured in the mural from the photos I receive.
Since a big part of the BlogPaws mission is to Be the Change for Pets, it seems only right to feature pets in need in the mural.
I am looking forward to painting the mural, and I am looking forward to meeting you at BlogPaws!
BlogPaws West, the second conference this year put on by the great BlogPaws Team, is less than 2 weeks away.
And guess what? I am not only going to be there, I am going to be creating an artwork during the conference in collaboration with all of the attendees!
BlogPaws has commissioned me to create a Dialogues Mural as part of the BlogPaws West Conference in Denver, CO September 9-11, 2010.
A Dialogues Mural is a public artwork that I create on-site at an event with the help of event participants. Participants are encouraged to scribe their thoughts, ideas, reflections, drawings, etc. about the event’s theme, which I then incorporate into the mural using collage techniques.
A Dialogues Mural keeps the energy, inspiration and dialog going well after an event has concluded. Additionally, having an interactive artwork as part of an event creates a memorable attraction that lives on in the hearts of participants.
The theme for the BlogPaws mural is Hand to Hand – Paw to Paw: Celebrating the Worldwide Community of Pet Lovers.
I am very excited about creating the BlogPaws mural, as the organization and it’s purposes are very near and dear to my heart. I will get a chance to create an artwork with some of the most influential writers and entrepreneurs in the online pet community, and I will get to spend great times with friends who I have met online.
Are you coming to BlogPaws? If so, come prepared to share a thought, an image, a quote, or some other idea that will become a part of a collaborative piece of art. it isn’t hard. All you need to do is write your thought on a small piece of paper and submit it to be included with the thoughts shared by others in YOUR community.
I can’t wait to create and share dialogs with you!
BZTAT at BlogPaws (Photo by Brad Smith Photography)
“If you become the change you want to see, you change.” ~ Melissa Etheridgefrom What Happens Tomorrow?
Consider me changed.
Wow.
Spending time with Lynn Haigh, coordinator of the Pawpawty, Dr. V. from Pawcurious, Dorian Wagner from Your Daily Cute, Caroline Golon, staff to Romeo the Cat and BlogPaws cofounder, and Jane Harrell from Petfinder last week at BlogPaws was amazing in and of itself.
Being a part of the “Be the Change” movement that they unleashed at the conference, however, has been life-changing.
Not only has the effort helped to re-commit me to giving back to my community and to animals in need, it has broadened my network of people who are kindred spirits across the world.
Why does an artist keep writing about something that seems sorta non-art related on her art blog?
Because life changing experiences are at the heart of my art, and sharing a love of animals with others in such a deep and meaningful way inspires and motivates my creativity.
I came away from BlogPaws not only with a motivation to do things for animals. I came away with a renewed and invigorated desire to create.
One of the neat things about the “Be the Change Blog Challenge” is that I have discovered new blogs that I had rarely or never visited before. One of these Blogs is Pawcurious, written by Dr. V., a veterinarian from San Diego.
I got to meet Dr. V. at BlogPaws, and she is a very generous and interesting woman with a great sense of humor. I have been poking around her blog a bit and have found her articles heart warming and full of great insights.
“I’ve talked in the past about my issues with my daughter’s school and the zero financial support for an arts program.” ~Jessica Vogelsang, DVM
I rather like the fact that a doctor who is highly educated in the sciences realizes the value of the arts as a part of a child’s education.
Dr. V. was lamenting about how schools will spend a fortune to send kids on entertaining pseudo-educational trips to Sea World, yet not spend a dime on arts curricula that would be so much more enriching.
People think that an arts education only trains talented youth for arts related careers. In truth, it does so much more for all children, regardless of their specific talents.
Arts education inspires children to think creatively. It develops character; it motivates children to explore ideas beyond a television set or computer game set; and it stimulates creative problem-solving.
I am convinced that the arts-rich elementary education that I and my brother and sister received in Liberty, Mo. was responsible for not only my own artistic pursuits. It led my brother to become a pioneer in computer systems programming and my sister to become one of the best teachers in the Kanawha County, WV school district.
Arts eduction apparently helped DR. V. become a great veterinarian, and it helped her become a great writer who educates and inspires through her blog.
Here is something few people know about BlogPaws.
From the very beginning, the co-founders wanted to include an arts focus to this very non-arts event. Why?
Because they realized that art completes us. It colors our world. It makes things so much more meaningful. It inspires and moves us, making real-world experiences a part of our soul in a much deeper way.
The PawsArt Exhibit/Silent Auction was a part of the planning from the very beginning of BlogPaws in order to inspire the creativity of the participants.
Seeing the incredibly moving video created by Lynn Haigh, arguably one of the finest creative efforts seen by many in a long time, has inspired a movement that has exceeded the expectations of a very ambitious crowd.
Would it have happened had we not had the “art” to make it real for us?
I think not.
We are already talking about how the arts will be incorporated into the next BlogPaws event. Do you have any ideas for us? Please leave a comment below if you do.
How have you changed or been changed by art and/or by animals? How are you becoming the change that you want to see?
Lorenza was found in Canton, OH and is looking for a home. The person who found her volunteers with Second Chance For Animals, and she has offered to pay the adoption fee for anyone who is one of my Facebook Fans.
