Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind. ~Seneca
Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT
What's on BZTAT's Easel? Custom Pet Portrait of Rocket the Dog!
Each of my pet portraits take many long hours to complete. This is because I use a process of layering multiple layers of color to get unique texture and color effects.
The process is also meticulous and time consuming because of my passion for ensuring that the portrait captures the essence of the animal depicted. Even though my style is somewhat abstract, it is very important to capture a likeness of the animal, as well as meet my my own exacting standards for a unique work of art.
I love animals myself, and I love sharing my love of pets with other pet lovers. What is unique about my portraits, I believe, is that each one depicts not only the animal, but the relationship that the animal shares with the people who love it.
I met Rocket and his person at Canine Action Sports, a dog training center and dog park where I often paint portraits on location. Rocket was a rescue dog who now lives a very joyful life, bringing much joy to his person. He is quite popular at Canine Action Sports!
When I first saw Rocket, I knew I would enjoy painting him. His coloration and facial structure play to my artistic style well.
But his playful, fun charisma made me fall in love with him! That love filled me with enthusiasm through the entire painting of the portrait.
Rocket and his person loved his portrait, as did his many friends at Canine Action Sports! They were so happy, Rocket’s person has commissioned me to do another portrait of a friend’s cat for a very special gift. Watch for the portrait of Leo coming soon!
If you are interested in a pet portrait of your animal, info about the process can be found here.
Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT
The Shorty Awards in New York City: What a Blast!
Everyone expected me to be at the Shorty Awards. I did have a pretty public appeal for help to get there, after all. And everyone expected @FrugalDougal‘s staff to be there too (nominated in the non-profit category). But it was a complete surprise for all of us when the phenomenal fund raising pooch showed up himself at the Shorty Awards!
I discovered that the CDO of the #PawPawty is no shrinking violet at human parties as well. What a good time we all had in New York!
Neither Dougal nor I came home with a Shorty Award, but we certainly had a good time celebrating as finalists. Dougal and I had a great time with his staff, Lynn Haigh, and Nancy Heltman (tweeter for @VAStateParks, who was nominated for a Shorty award in the Government category).
We met up with some other “tweeps” as well during our adventure to the Shorty Awards.
I also got to see my niece, who is studying costume and theater set design at NYU, and who I am convinced is going to be famous some day.
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to New York, and I took lots of photos to use for reference in making some digital art. Watch for my NYC series of works to come in the future.
I want to express my deepest thanks to all who helped me get to New York so that I could experience the Shorty Awards in person. It truly was a very special opportunity to be able to represent the wonderful pet community on Twitter at the Shorty Awards.
Although the Shorty Awards tended to favor recognizable Twitterers over creative users of the medium, and an unusual number of ties was somewhat disconcerting, I think the whole process was a fun and exciting adventure.
Thank you to all my followers who made the Shorty dream come alive for me.
Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT