Pencil Drawing

Here's another finished graphite pencil drawing.  The reference photo was in the post prior to this one.  Image size is 2 3/4" x 1 3/4".

Reference Photo

This is the reference photo of the drawing I am currently working on.  I am about half way through right now, so I should be posting the completed portrait pretty soon.

Flash

This was definitely a weekend for the dogs!  On Sunday I met with Flash and his family to get these precious photos.  His 'cousin' Daisy was over visiting too, so of course we let her have her minute in the spotlight too!  :o)

Titan, Hunny and Baby

Last week I met with these three adorable 'siblings'.  They were so much fun to photograph, and the mention of treats always got them to pause for a nanosecond!  :o)  Here are just some of my many favorites.

Furry Friends

Our "children" come in all shapes and sizes.  Some have ten tiny fingers and toes and skin oh-so-soft, others have four legs and fur.  But whether they have skin, fur, feathers or scales, they are all very much loved by their families.  I had the pleasure to meet and photograph this handsome dog, Booker, this weekend.  He cooperated wonderfully, thanks to a few extra doggie treats!  :o))

My Little Artist

I just finished the latest pencil drawing I've been working on - my youngest daughter working on her own masterpieces.

Actual image size is 2-3/4" x 1-3/4". 

Foot in the Door 4 Art Show at the MIA

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts holds an art show every ten years called Foot in the Door.  I am excited to say I am one of the participating artists this year.  (okay, so I do have to admit that there are almost 5,000 other participants who consider themselves artists and brought works in too, but hey, it's still a pretty big deal!)  The show runs from February 18 thru June 13, and admission is free, so stop in and see if you can spot my entry!

Just us girls

Snuggles

Everyone needs a snuggle now and then...

A Child's Eyes...

"There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child.  There are seven million." ~Walt Streightiff

Holy Birthdays, Batman!

Look who turned 4!  Happy Birthday!

Photo Contest Award

Well, as my dear friend Sue so eloquently put it, I am now an "award-winning photographer"!  LOL!!  I just found out that one of my entries was picked to win in the Commercial category in the annual Cottage Grove photo contest.  To see the winning entries from the other fabulous photographers too, follow this link: 2009 Cottage Grove Photo Contest Winners

Mr C is turning 4!

I had the pleasure of taking Mr. C's 4 year photos yesterday.  It was challenging to coax a smile out of him at times, but I think we got some great shots anyway!  Happy Birthday!

My niece A

As an artist, I have an ongoing list of many fellow artists whose work I admire.  Some work only in graphite pencil as I do, others are gifted in color mediums that I personally find challenging.  My dear niece A has a marvelous talent for both graphite and color.  Thank you for allowing me to share some of your work here, A.  You've got an amazing gift, and I know you'll go far with it!

New Hat Designs

Buy these or order your own custom color and size.  Buy or order before January 31st and receive 20% off!

All hats are $22.00.  A portion of every sale will go towards St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Baby M drawing

Here is another drawing I did as a gift, so I couldn't post it before now.  Hope you like it, K! 
(image size 2x3")

Time for a new look!

I decided it was time to change the look of my blog a bit, so it may be a bit of a "work in progress" for awhile.  One new item I've added (besides changing the page design/layout) is the collage of crochet hat designs in my sidebar.  Check it out!

A little bit like Spring

It felt a little bit like spring taking these photos yesterday.  This cutie was so much fun to photograph, despite a little initial shyness and a few tears.  I think the duck was rather intimidating!

Here's one of my favorites from some more recent photos I took.

Hats, Hats and More Hats!

I’ve taken up a new hobby recently. I've taught myself how to crochet baby hats. I had no idea standing in front of shelves and shelves of yarns of so many colors and textures could be quite so much fun! LOL And there are so many simply adorable designs out there too. I am going to start taking custom orders for anyone interested. If you’d like one, just let me know what color(s) you’d like in it and what size child you want it to fit. I will post various patterns to choose from and a size chart in the sidebar as I create new designs, so stay tuned for that. Buy one for your own sweetie, or perhaps someone else’s cutie. Fellow photographers looking for something to adorn all those sweet newborns in? Lets talk!

New drawing

I finished this drawing of two brothers before Christmas but promised not to post it until after Christmas. I’ll be posting another one slated for a gift next week.

Happy 2010!

Happy 2010! It’s that time of year once again when people promise themselves that this is the year that they are going to stick to their resolutions. Many of these resolutions seem to make the list year after year, but unfortunately tend to get lost by the wayside rather quickly. Lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier foods, stop smoking, blog consistently… well, you know the list. I will admit that I have been guilty of making these repetitive lists myself. (In fact, I’m pretty sure that all of these except stop smoking were on my list for 2009!)


As many of you are aware, 2009 turned out to be a very stressful year for me, and because of this, many of my good intentions that I made at the beginning of the year (including consistent blogging!) ended up getting neglected and forgotten. Although I wouldn’t want anyone to have to struggle with the issues that fell upon me, reflecting on them now I feel I’m starting to become a stronger person because of them. Because of them, I have come to realize a most valuable life lesson; true friends and family do not judge you by the actions of others; rather they support you for who YOU are. They don’t take sides. They don’t abandon you. They intuitively know just when you need a little extra support and are there for you. For this I want to say thank you. You know who you are. Without the love and care and support of so many friends and family I don’t know that I would feel quite as confident in myself yet. Oh, I’m sure more issues will continue to crop up in 2010, but I know now that with the caring support system that is out there for me I will be able to face any issues with dignity and respect to myself.

And while ‘lose weight, exercise more, and eat healthier foods’ may continue to get added to next year’s resolution list, I am going to try my hardest to turn ‘blog consistently’ into a habit rather than just another meaningless item on list after list. And now I wish you success with your 2010 resolutions!