Hathaway Brown MS Pet Portrait Painting Class 2013
I hear those words a lot, or words similar to them.
I get it. You wish you were an artist, but you gave up the belief that you could be one when you were a kid.
Everyone has creativity within them, but truthfully, only a few have the combination of talent, skill and tenacity to bring it forth as persisting vocation.
You don’t have to make art your vocation, however, to create an artwork that you can display with pride. With professional guidance, pretty much anyone who has the desire can create a worthy artwork.
My first pet portrait painting workshop was with a group of middle school students. We met for an hour and a half each day for 5 days of a summer camp, and I guided them with my techniques to create some stunning artworks. Afterwords, I though, if middle school students could do this, why not try it with adults?
Instead of doing it as an extended class, I decided to do it in a workshop “Mini-Retreat” format. My first Pet Portrait Mini-Retreat debuted in October of 2014 and was a huge success, as were subsequent workshops. Participants have been amazed at their creations as they learn my techniques and colorful methods!
Although 6 hours of creativity is intensive, my studio is a relaxing environment, and it is a casual affair. There is no pressure, and participants enjoy creating with new and old friends. Groups of friends have registered and come together, and individual students have come and met new friends. All have had a great time!
You can see a slideshow of student work on the registration page for the next workshop, which is happening on April 25, 2015. Register before April 15, and get $15 off the regular price.
I would love to help you bring your creativity to the fore to honor that special pet who has captured your heart. I hope to see you on the 25th!
“Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” ~Alfred Lord Tennyson
We first met Joan through her mission to find a home for her beloved cat, Isis. Joan knew her life was coming to an end due to liver disease, and she wanted to make sure that Isis would be cared for after she left this world.
We knew when we first met Joan that we would lose her soon, but that didn’t matter. We wanted to give her the love of a lifetime in the short amount of time that she had left.
And that we did.
My good friend Dorian of Your Daily Cute first brought Joan and Isis to us through a plea for help on Facebook. Dorian had heard of Joan’s plight through an email from a rescue group who had been contacted by Joan. Joan was desperately looking for a home for Isis, as she had been forced to enter a hospice center for her own medical needs. Dorian jumped into action by alerting her expansive social network, and soon people from all over the world were sending love and help.
The first step was to find a temporary foster home for Isis, which happened relatively quickly. Then the search for a permanent home began. Eventually Isis did find a new home with a loving caregiver.
But the story did not end there.
We were all charmed by Joan and her sweet cat. Through a Facebook group, Dorian kept us updated on both Isis and Joan’s progress as she and other friends who lived near the hospice began to visit and develop a deep friendship with Joan. Isis visited as well, bringing great joy to this frail but spirited woman. Although many of us could not visit ourselves as we were too far away, we sent gifts and cards and messages of love to bring this woman the love she deserved.
“Isis” – digital pet portrait by BZTAT
My gift was this digital portrait of her sweet Isis, which I am told she kept by her bedside.
We all fell in love with Joan from afar, and we all hoped a miracle would happen so that we could keep our new found friend here on earth with us.
Sadly, the miracle we had hoped for did not happen. We lost Joan today. She left this world at 4:08 am with Dorian and and another friend holding her hands.
I have never met this woman in person, yet I am bereft with tears. We knew we would lose her, but no one wanted to. And now that we have, it hurts deeply.
Still yet, her final wish to find a home for her dear Isis was answered. And in the process, she found a worldwide family who loved and cared for her to the very end. We should all be so lucky. What more of a miracle does one need?
I have always believed Tennyson’s words to be true. Although loving someone, even through the virtual world, eventually hurts, it is certainly worth much, much more than what we give to it.
I know that I am a better person for having a connection to Joan and Isis and Dorian and everyone else who has joined Joan’s family. Thank you if you are among that family.
We often hear about how social media can bring out the worst in people – terrorism, cyber bullying, criminal flash mobs, etc. The stories where social media brings out the BEST in people maybe more silent and less headline grabbing. The story of Isis and Joan, though, proves to me that people are good, and they are loving, and they bring that out in social media in a much more profound way than the more negative aspects of humanity ever could.
Thank you Joan. Thank you Isis. Thank you Dorian. Thank you everyone else who has given and been a part of this human and feline drama. I love you all.
Whatever heaven is for you, Joan, I hope that it can bring you some of the peace and joy that you have brought to us. You have found the Rainbow Connection – someday the rest of us will find it too.
March was not a very good month for my Pet Portrait Painting Mini-Retreat. I had it scheduled for a weekend that turned out to be inconvenient for many people, and then, I caught a vicious head cold that incapacitated my voice. I rescheduled it for this past weekend, and again had to cancel, because my cold had not relented. I felt that my students deserved having a teacher who did not fall into coughing spasms every 10 minutes.
Those who remained registered graciously accepted my offer to attend my next one which will be on Saturday, April 25. I just HAVE to be well by then! You can learn all the details about the next Pet Portrait Painting Mini-Retreat here.
If you have been to one of my mini-retreats in the past, you know that having only one projector slowed things down. I am happy to report that I now have my own projector, so we will have 2 counting the borrowed one that ArtsinStark allows me to use. Things should go a lot faster on the front end of things now!
If you have not been to my retreats in the past, you are in for a fun, creative time. No previous art experience is necessary. Many of my students are beginners. It is a great opportunity to spend some time with a good friend or group of friends that come together, or you can come alone and meet new friends!
Make sure you register early. There is an early bird rate if you register before April 15. Also, the class is limited in size, so you want to save your space.
