Category: Events and Happenings

Welcome to the new cyber home for BZTAT Studios!

Custom Pet Portrait Paintings of Dogs, Cats and Other Companion Animals by BZTAT
“Thomas and Oliver” Custom Portrait by BZTAT

Welcome to the new and improved website for BZTAT Studios! It has taken a lot of work, but the website has been entirely rebuilt from scratch. Some things are reminiscent of the old site, but it is all restructured and redesigned with the goal of making it easy and pleasurable to navigate.

The emphasis of the new site reflects my renewed focus on creating custom pet themed artworks for contemporary minded pet lovers. Although my other areas of artwork (public art, non-customized paintings and drawings, and cards and other print materials, etc.) are still available, they are less emphasized on this site.

My custom work is where I do my best art, I think, and I enjoy making it. It has the most appeal to my collectors, also, so it makes sense to refocus the majority of my energy in that direction.

I have added new custom artwork options as well! I now have 4 different types of custom pet portraits:

Premiere Contemporary Custom Pet Portrait Paintings

West Highland Terrior Custom Pet Portrait by BZTAT
Premiere Contemporary Custom Pet Portrait Painting by BZTAT

Formerly called Pop Art style portraits, Premiere Contemporary Custom Pet Portraits are deluxe, highly customized contemporary works of art that appeal to the design conscious pet lover.

Contemporary Custom Folk Art Portrait Paintings

Corgi Pet Portrait Painting by BZTAT
Contemporary Folk Art Pet Portrait by BZTAT

Contemporary Folk Art Portrait Paintings reflect the characteristics of your pet in a fun, loose and whimsical fashion. Although less customized that the Premiere Contemporary Custom Pet Portrait Paintings, Folk Art style portraits capture the essence of your pet in a colorful and cheerful work of art.

Contemporary Custom Pet Portrait Drawings

Calico Cat Custom Pet Portrait Drawing by BZTAT
Contemporary Custom Pet Portrait Drawing by BZTAT

Contemporary Custom Pet Portrait Drawings are new for 2014! I have done these on occasion for special requests, but I have not promoted them a as standard option before now. If a painting is a stretch for your budget, or space on your walls is sparse, a drawing may be a more affordable option for you to celebrate the love you have for your pet.

Contemporary Custom Digital Pet Portraits

Boxer dog custom digital portrait by BZTAT
Contemporary Custom Digital Pet Portrait by BZTAT

Contemporary Custom Digital Pet Portraits are also new for 2014. Again, I have done these before on request, but I have not promoted them as a standard option before now. Contemporary Digital Pet Portraits are created from your photos in a contemporary digital style. Using a variety of digital apps and filters, I digitally manipulate your photo into a unique, one of a kind artwork.

I have 3 different styles of digital portraits. Check out the different options here.

With this new site, there is less clutter and softer colors in the background, all intended to make the customer experience more enjoyable. I hope you like it and will visit often!

If you followed the old blog posts, you will need to sign up for the new RSS feed or email delivery in the widgets on the left. Please contact me if you have any problems. All of the blog posts from the old blog have been migrated into this site, so you can still peruse old posts at your leisure.

Enjoy the new adventures. The best is yet to come! Thanks for following along!

Hey! Where did my mural go?

"Safe Animals Safe Kids Mural" by BZTAT
“Safe Animals Safe Kids Mural” by BZTAT

On August 5, 2011, my “Safe Animals Safe Kids Mural” was dedicated in a prominent place in the Canton Arts District on the side of the Imperial Room Lounge at 4th Street and Court Ave. NW. I was thrilled to have it placed in such a visible place!

I was also thrilled that so many Promise Keepers contributed to my Kickstarter campaign for the project. That was in the early days of Kickstarter (before movie and rock stars discovered it), and everyone told me I was crazy to think it would work. I guess I showed them.

Today, though, the mural is gone, and a new public art project has begun to emerge on the side of the Imperial Room.

Tommy Morgan public art

What’s going on here? Where did my mural go?

Here’s the scoop.

Although the Imperial Room is in a highly visible spot, it truthfully was not a good spot for my mural. First of all, the wall was too large for the mural. Although the mural was  a good 12′ x 8′, it was dwarfed by the size of the building.

Second, the mural was defaced within the first month by, of all things, birds!

The wall was not designed to be an exterior wall, and years ago, there was another building beside it. Because of this original design, the grout between the bricks was soft, and birds have turned it into a habitat, building themselves little cubbies between the bricks.  My beautiful mural was covered in bird poop within weeks, and it has further deteriorated over the last 2 years.

Robb Hankins, President and CEO of ArtsinStark, and I met a few weeks ago to discuss the possibility of moving it to a location more suitable for the size and care of the artwork. We agreed moving it was a good idea.

BZTAT Safe Animals Safe Kids Mural
“Safe Animals Safe Kids Mural” by BZTAT Future Home

The mural will soon be placed on the wall of the ArtsInStark building at 900 Cleveland Avenue N.W. This too is a highly visible place. It does not have much foot traffic, but there is considerable vehicle traffic in this location, and the mural is designed for distance viewing.

As for the old space, I am told that it will become the location of a mural/sculptural piece by artist Tommy Morgan.

Tommy Morgan proposed public art

Tommy has created many public artworks in Canton. I am not a huge fan, but not a detractor either. Many artists in Canton have a strong dislike for his work. Still yet, as you can read in my post about his “Shattered Expressions” piece from a few years ago, I felt then, as I do now, that some of their disdain is overblown.

Some think it is sorta creepy and disrespectful for him to Photoshop his image over mine in his proposed project, leaving part of my piece visible. They also have expressed dismay that he  started putting his piece up before mine was removed.

I won’t get caught up in the drama. I am simply happy that my piece will be in a more suitable location.

I am also thankful for the support of ArtsInStark.

It will take some time to clean and repair the mural. Be watching for the mural’s re-emergence in the next few weeks.

I look forward to the mural continuing the mission of spreading the word about Okey’s Promise.

 

Okey's Promise: Art Raising Awareness for Animals, Kids and Families

I started the fund raising campaign for the latest Okey’s Promise: Art for a Cause project many months ago. Several Promise Keepers have contributed to the project, yet it still remains way under the original fund raising goal.

I am still raising funds for the project, and I hope that you will consider contributing to the campaign. You can contribute here at the Okey’s Promise GoFundMe page.

Public Art Mural of a Boy Drawing
Design for Okey’s Promise Mural by BZTAT

The project will be scaled back if the goal is not reached, but it will be completed.

You can see what the project is about by watching the video. I think it tells the story better than anything I can write here. The overall mission for Okey’s Promise is to raise awareness to the connections between animal abuse, child abuse and domestic violence.

Public Art Mural of a girl and cat
Design for Okey’s Promise Mural by BZTAT

I have been working with an organization called Peace for Pets in Stark County, OH that provides foster care for the pets of families seeking shelter from domestic violence. We work closely with the Domestic Violence Project, Inc. to assist families in need so that finding safety for their pets is not a barrier to finding safety for themselves.

It is my hope that many other communities will adopt similar programs. It is so essential.

Public Art Mural of a Boy and a Dog
Design for Okey’s Promise Mural by BZTAT

Does your community assist families in domestic crisis with shelter for their pets? Please share in the comments.

And please consider contributing to the art project to raise awareness, and share with others.

Thank you for your support!