Sit. Stay. Smile. Photography & Art

Christian the Lion - the full story (in HQ)

2008-08-15T21:22:00.001-04:00

This is so amazing...I got all teary eyed watching it..

I've Moved to a new blog!

2008-06-11T19:23:00.001-04:00

Please come visit me at my new blog www.sitstaysmile.com/blog. You should automatically be redirected there by this site...hopefully!

It must be summer...

2008-06-05T09:23:00.003-04:00

I know it must be summer when the beach portrait season begins...Here are a few from the other night...what cute kids and their dogs were a lot of fun as well. I had never seen a miniature bulldog before...I guess they are one of the new genetically engineered designer dogs that have become so popular lately. His name is Travis and he snorted like a little pig when he got tired...too darn cute.

I have been in the middle of home improvement hell for the last week...I decided it was time to put laminate down in my studio since the carpet smelled like dog and it was seriously grossing me out...What an undertaking. I have collected so much junk over the years and I had to carry it all out to the garage downstairs so we could lay the floor. I was so overwhelmed I did not know where to start. So after a lot of work, the floor is down, the studio is finally back together and I now have a nice clean, smell free studio....YAY! I will post a few photos when it is presentable...

We are having a heat wave here this week with temps around 99 for the next five days with high humidty...sounds lovely doesn't it? On the brightside, I have one of my best friends in town for the next few days visiting and I am sooo looking forward to seeing her and her family. She is a west coaster now, so we don't get to see each other that often anymore and I am looking forward to catching up in person...I hope everyone has a great day!

Sweet Lily

2008-05-26T09:27:00.004-04:00

I had the pleasure of photographing this sweet little girl last week...Her name is Lily and we went up to the produce stand for her photoshoot. She came ready to pose with several outfit changes...Little girls have the best clothes and Lily was a great model with endless energy. I don't photograph a whole lot babies but I always seem to enjoy it when I do...

We are off to the beach today...I am mortified that I have to put on a bathing suit but I guess it is time to take the plunge...my motto, if you can't tone it, tan it! Probably not the best theory but I am sticking with it for now. I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day...

Bailey

2008-05-20T09:45:00.002-04:00

Meet Bailey...she lives in Ghent and loves to go for a walk...I had the pleasure of documenting her last outing and she showed me all the hot spots on Colley Avenue. We stopped into the new doggie boutique there to get parmesan dog treats and she was mine for rest of the afternoon. I had her complete and total attention and the slobber was flying. Bailey was a great model and we had such a nice day for our photoshoot. I hope you enjoy her photos! Have a Happy Tuesday!

Clancy Painting by Two Dog Studio's

2008-05-12T09:37:00.003-04:00

Look at my new painting of Clancy painted by Wendy Crumbley of Two Dog Studios...I am so happy with the way he turned out! My house is slowly but surely turning into a shrine for my dog...I hope everyone had a great weekend and a Happy Mother's Day. I ate my way through the weekend indulging in bad things...my new addiction is Pineapple Upside Down Pie...OMG.

Here are a few photos of a dog named Rudy I took over the weekend along with a couple from the K-9 Carnival...The weather has been so bad here lately I have not had many opportunities to get outside and take pictures. We have had 3 tornado's touch down here in the past two weeks which is unheard of for us...weird weather.

Art Journal Pages

2008-05-05T08:41:00.003-04:00

Clancy Page

Clancy Page with flap lifted up...

Daisy Page

American Bulldog wearing a tutu...

Finished Journal....

What a wonderful feeling....my art journal is completed! This particular one covers about a year and a half of my life...I don't work in my art journal on a daily basis, it is usually more like once or twice a month. I wish I had more time to devote to it, but my photography business keeps me so busy that I don't always have as much time as I would like for art projects lately. The fun part now is that I get to make a new one! I think I am going to make the next one by hand this time because this one is in an old book and it is really starting to fall apart. In a way, that kind of adds to the charm of the book but it also means that it is pretty fragile and cannot be looked through quite as easily. It was really cool to sit down with this journal last night and slowly go through all of the pages...It really took me back to what I was feeling at those times in my life and it was interesting to see how my art and journaling style has evolved over the past year and a half. I am really proud of myself for sticking with my journal because I tend to be all over the map sometimes with projects so this is an accomplishment for me. I will post my new journal as soon as it is completed...Have a great Monday!

Miss Emmy

2008-04-29T18:55:00.002-04:00

Meet Emmy...she is a cockapoo and she likes walks in the park, car rides and she will work for treats...Is there anything more joyful than a dog who has his/her head hanging out of the car window? We could all learn a lot from dogs about finding joy in the simple things in life...They have it down to an art form. I hope little Emmy brings a smile to your face today...

Ollie

2008-04-25T14:53:00.003-04:00

This is a new portrait of Ollie the Schnauzer...What a handsome boy he is! I have had a really busy week here so I have not been posting as often as I would like...sorry. I have two different groups of friends visiting and I have been spending my time with them catching up and eating far too much food. Whenever we have company in town it seems to turn into a never ending food fest...why is that? I am going to have to do some serious dieting after this week and to be honest, the idea of another big meal leaves me cringing. It is time to step away from the table or at the very least, order a salad...

I also went on the local garden tour here this week and I have to say I love going through other peoples homes and seeing how they decorate, live, etc. It is always inspiring to me because I am not very talented in the home decorating department. I did not get that gene or the gardening gene...The theme of the tour this year was historic beach cottages and they were so quaint and homey. My favorite belonged to an artist of course whose eye for detail was amazing. She had this subtle wave theme that went through the entire house. The walls would have a curve to them or the railing on the steps had slats that were not straight, but slightly curved...The art was amazing and the colors in the home were sooo soothing. I would move in tommorrow if I could. I wish I could share photos but that was not allowed...I guess that is all for now. I hope you all have a nice weekend!

New Photobook Arrived today....

2008-04-18T15:17:00.004-04:00

Jamie over at Cowbelly Pet Photography told me I had to try out this book...I have been using Asuka books (which I love) but the turn around for the photobook is one week compared to four and the price is even a little bit better. The look is totally different than the Asuka...The photobook has really thick pages, kind of like a board book, and the pages are super glossy. I wasn't sure how I was going to like the glossy finish but I have to say it really is a stunning book...The colors are really saturated and the feel of the book is nice and heavy. It's build is more like a wedding album I think and it makes a big impression. I plan on adding these to my current line up of photo related products and look forward to offering them to my clients...I think they will be very pleased! Thanks Jamie for the heads up...Here is a sample I did for Clancy...sorry the photos are not better (shame on me) but I was so excited to post, I couldn't wait...I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Thank You Linda!

2008-04-17T10:11:00.003-04:00

I received the most wonderful, heart felt gift the other day from my dear friend Linda O'Neil over at Abby Creek Art...She took a photo of my dog Clancy who recently passed away and made me this beautiful collage. The photo does not do it justice..the colors and textures are so rich and it captures his spirit in a way I will cherish for a lifetime...Thank you Linda...

Here is a recent commission I did of a Shitzu named Rhett. His owner wanted him posed in front of the cherry tree in their front yard and after he held him in the air for me, I got this shot and turned it into a painting...How sweet is that face? I love spring and all of the wonderful flowers and trees in bloom. It always chases away those winter "blahs" and makes me want to get outside and enjoy the day instead of staying holed up in front of my computer all the time...It is supposed to be 70 degrees here today...YAY!

Benny

2008-04-11T17:53:00.003-04:00

Here is a recent digital pet portrait I did of a clients dog named Benny...he is too freakin' cute with a face only a Mama could love...he is a big, goofy, slobbery mess and bad to the bone. I am sorry I have not posted a whole lot of art lately...after being out of town and then being sick I have kind of been out of the loop. I will probably have to bore you with a few more Costa Rica photos but after that, back to my regular stuff...Have a great weekend!

Costa Rica...the rafting incident....

2008-04-07T10:36:00.005-04:00

While we were in Costa Rica, we decided to go white water rafting again since we enjoyed it so much this past summer...We had a great time even though I am convinced we had the Kamikaze raft guide from hell...he was really sweet and knowledgeable but a bit reckless when it came to the actual rafting part of things. Long story short, he pitched me from the raft while going down the largest Class 3 rapid of the trip by going over the rapid sideways...of course it was all caught on camera for your enjoyment...I was scared to death at first because I thought the whole raft had tipped and my nine year old was in the water as well...when I came up the first time and saw that she was still in the boat I felt 100% better until I started slamming into all the submerged rocks as I was sucked down stream. OMG, I am too old for that kind of abuse....every rock I hit, I was thinking "that's gonna leave a mark". By the time I landed in calmer water and was hauled back into the boat my knee was bruised and bleeding, my back was killing me and every other body part was wondering WTF? I can only equate it to a human version of a rock tumbler...Anyhow...I got back in the boat and had a great time for the rest of the trip, even though I was wondering what this madman was going to do next....he decided going down one of the rapids backwards and slamming us into a wall at the bottom would be fun and then doing the "washing machine" down another which basically spins the boat in circles while going down the rapid and into another wall...I think we are lucky to have survived Vladimir the raft guide. With all it's ups and downs (ha ha) it was a beautiful river and we saw wild Toucans and many other animals..the rapids themselves were really fun besides the almost drowning part...I would totally do it again, just not with Vlad...

Everything is going along fine here...

Then the swan dive...I give myself a "3" for style, form & grace

My sweet husband trying to save me while holding onto the child...impressive...

All I see is that really big rock and I am heading straight for it...ouch

Safe at last....Thanks Hansel!

This is Vladimir one on the rapids, just having "fun"...he was insane....

Caroline having fun at the end after she realised I wasn't going to drown...I will post more photos later when I get a chance...Have a great day! (P.S. - disregard my copyright on these photos, obviously, I wasn't taking these pictures...the photographer was from Hacienda Pozo Azul Rafting Company...like any good photographer he got the money shots!)

Back from Costa Rica....

2008-04-03T11:57:00.004-04:00

Sorry I have not posted in awhile...I needed a little break after a difficult month and we also took a trip to Costa Rica to visit my best friend who recently moved there. We had a really wonderful trip and I have a bunch of pictures to share with you of this beautiful country. The motto there is "Pura Vida" which translates into "pure life" and that is how the people there try to live. Costa Ricans are really warm and friendly and go out of their way to make you feel welcome in their country. We spent the first half of our vacation just outside of Jaco at Hermosa Beach with our friends the Dolsey's. Hermosa is a popular surfing beach and has a very laid back feel to it. The waves were huge, the black sand beach was beautiful and I met the coolest dog in the world there...her name was Buddy Girl. She was the ultimate beach dog who spent her days walking the beach, playing in the ocean, hanging out with her other dog friends and entertaining herself with coconut husks for hours at a time. She came along at a time when I needed a sweet dog to ease my own aching heart...Here are some photos of her and Hermosa Beach...

You can really get used to this kind of lifestyle...I didn't have a clue as to what else was happening in the world and I have to say it was nice for a change...just to unplug. I will post more photos tommorrow...Pura Vida!

Goodbye, Sweet Boy...

2008-03-21T14:09:00.008-04:00

Clancy

1995-2008

My sweet boy, Clancy, lost his battle with cancer of the salivary gland today. He was diagnosed with the disease less than one month ago. We thought that we were going to have 4-6 more months with him, but we found out this past week that the cancer had spread to his lungs. He started having trouble breathing and didn't want to eat his food anymore, so we knew the time had come to let him go. Our hearts are left broken today but we are grateful for the 12 wonderful years that we had with him. We could not have asked for a better dog...he always jumped in bed with me in the morning to give me kisses, greeted me at the door when I would come home and keep me company in my studio during the day. Things won't be the same without him and I know my other dogs will miss him as well. Clancy has probably given me 10,000 kisses over the past twelve years but it is 10,001 that I will miss the most.

This one of my favorite quotes...

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.

You are his life, his love, his leader.He will be yours, faithful and true,

to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

I hope he thought we were worthy...Here are some photos from over the years I wanted to share of Clancy...Thanks to everyone who has supported me for the past few weeks, your friendship has saved me...

New Banner and Photoshoot...

2008-03-17T19:13:00.002-04:00

So what do you think of my new banner??? I wanted to get rid of the Mixed Media Design heading and rename my blog after my business name...I am not sure why I did not do that in the first place? Anyhow...it's nice to have a new look and I thought I would share a few photos from a recent shoot...Have a great Day everyone!

New Victorian Sofa....I love antiques

2008-03-09T14:08:00.004-04:00

Isn't this just the coolest??? I have been looking for a small love seat/sofa that I can use in my photoshoots and this is the one I decided on...The minute I saw it, I fell in love. It cost me $250.00 and it's from the 18oo's in the Victorian style I am told. Overall it is in really good shape...it could use to be re-upholstered, but since I am going to be using it for dogs on occasion, I think I will wait on that major expense...The color is just what I wanted, with no tears, only a little bit thread bare on the front edge. Here are a few shots with my guys taking turns trying out the new sofa...

Brianna Graham Workshop

2008-03-04T08:26:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone...I am back from an incredible weekend in Raleigh. I attended Brianna Graham's Photography Workshop and had such a great time! I have to say, her workshop is one of the best I have ever been to. Brianna and her husband Patrick were so amazing. They were organised, the flow of the workshop itself went very smoothly, there was a lot of hands on experience both with indoor and outdoor lighting and they were both incredibly open and willing to share any information they could to help you. So many photographers out there act like you asking for their trade secrets when you ask specific questions...Brianna was very open with what she does and exactly how she does it. How refreshing to meet a confident artist who knows that what she does is unique to her and cannot be reproduced and therefore has no fear in sharing...I can tell you, they are not in this for the money. They earned every penny with the amount of work they put into this and I came away very inspired and somewhat overwhelmed, but in a good way! Thanks Brianna and Patrick! Here are a few shot from the workshop...I am still learning to work with the new post processing techniques...I can't wait to try out some of them with my dog portraits!

Journal Pages...

2008-02-28T13:26:00.002-05:00

Well, we went to see the Oncologist and the news was not good...He gave Clancy 4-6 months to live depending on how aggressive the tumor is and if it has spread to his chest. He said a very difficult surgery and radiation would only buy him a few months due to the nature of the cancer, so we have decided to let him live out his days until his quality of life becomes affected. Needless to say we are heart broken, but grateful that we have some time to spoil him rotten and say our goodbye's. I could not have asked for a better dog and he has brought so much to our lives. Thanks to those of you who have emailed me privately with your prayers and support. It is nice to know that we have friends who care...

On a lighter note, I am getting ready to head out to Raleigh for the Brianna Graham workshop...I hate to go with this dark cloud hanging over my head, but I think it will do me some good to get away and focus on something else for a few days. I have really been looking forward to this and I hope to learn a lot and meet some other photographers. I will definately share my work with you when I return! Have a great weekend everyone and send some love and light to my sweet boy Clancy!

Sad News....

2008-02-24T09:38:00.002-05:00

Sorry I have not posted in awhile...We have had a rough week here. My sweet boy Clancy was diagnosed with Cancer this past week and I am crushed. He is 12 years old and has lived a wonderful, happy life but I am not ready to let him go. I took him to the vet two weeks ago for a nail trim and the vet noticed a lump under his neck. She put him on anitbiotics for a week to see if that would reduce the lump and when that did not work, she decided to do a biopsy. The results came back postive for carcinoma, most likely of the salivary gland. When she did the biopsy, she said the tumor was surrounded by the Carotid? artery, the jugular vein and various other nerves and that removal would be very difficult and risky for an older dog. I think I am in denial at this point because he still seems so healthy and spunky right now. The only indicator I had that something was off was some pretty drastic weight loss that I thought was from the diet I put him on. I just don't feel like chemo is an option when the end result would be the same, only a year later with a very sick, unhappy dog. I am taking him to see an oncologist this week mainly to try and find out where we stand with the illness and how long we have before he starts to decline. I don't want my boy to suffer and I am concerned with how my daughter is going to handle his illness. I guess we will have to trust that Clancy will let us know when it is time. Please send your thoughts and prayers to my sweet Clancy...

Valentine ATC's and two new paintings....

2008-02-13T09:01:00.004-05:00

I received my valentine's from Randi's Valentine's Day swap yesterday and look at all of the beautiful ATC's! Randi created the cool little file folder at the bottom left that held the cards and she also included a fun project for everyone to do...Everyone included a favorite recipe and a self portrait along with their cards and I can't wait to try out a few of the recipes...Thanks to everyone who participated and to Randi for hosting such a fun swap and Happy Birthday!

Here are two new paintings I just finished for clients...The first one is of a sweet dog named Morgan...She loves to ride with her Dad on their jet ski, so her owner wanted a portrait of her wearing her life vest next to the water...Her owner actually chose a more subdued version of the painting, but I kind of liked this one with the bright orange dock....

This next painting is a little bit different from what I normally do...My clients dog is named Kiwi and she is an Australian Shepherd. She wanted Kiwi's portrait to include all sorts of Aboriginal symbols and motifs...I thought the best way to include all of the ones she wanted was to create a kind of Keith Herring inspired border to go around the portrait...I think it turned out pretty cool and Kiwi seems to approve, so that's all that really matters....

Meet Pete!

2008-02-07T19:08:00.000-05:00

What a cool dog...My dogs sleep 23 hours a day....

Sweet Caroline....again.

2008-02-04T10:56:00.001-05:00

I do not envy the child of a photographer....they are so flippin' sick and tired of having their picture taken that they just cringe whenever they see the camera come out of the bag...To her credit, my daughter Caroline is almost always willing to humor me for a limited amount of time. It's kind of funny how she starts out real serious trying to pose in a very formal kind of way..wanting to please me and following directions really well...then boredom sets in and the goofy child I know and love comes out and I get photos like these....

I'm not sure who has it worse, her or the dogs...they are all sick of me. Oh, well at least I reward them all with either treats or Slurpee's. Bribery always has it's place.

You Suck at Photoshop #2

2008-02-02T10:36:00.001-05:00

This funny in a sick, twisted sort of way...watch til' the end.

Valentine ATC's...

2008-02-02T10:17:00.000-05:00

These are for a swap that Randi Feuerhelm-Watts is hosting for Valentine's Day...She wanted us to make ATC size Valentine's using pages from our journals. We also had to include a self portrait and a fun recipe...Here is my self portrait and a Pomegranate Mojito recipe...YUM!

I also wanted to post this funny Youtube Video I saw over at Suzi Blu's blog...I don't know why but this guys sense of humor just cracked me up...I can relate to the whole carpet thing...Have a great weekend everyone...It is actually in the 60's here today so I may have to go out and do some photography on this mild day...

Please Help Bernie and A Place To Bark....

2008-01-29T18:17:00.000-05:00

Time is almost out to help Bernie Berlin win a $50,000 grant for her "A Place To Bark" animal rescue foundation....If you would like to give a donation to this worthwhile cause, please click on the highlighted text above. If she raises $25,000 by January 31st, the Zoline Foundation will match her $25,000. Many of you out there are familiar with Bernie...her art and her wonderful animal rescue. Now is the perfect time to make your donation! She works so incredibily hard to help hundreds of animals every year and this grant would allow her to do so much more...Thanks for your help!

A Time to regroup....

2008-01-16T08:17:00.000-05:00

I love this time of year...the craziness of the holidays is past and things grow quiet in our little beach town. It is my time to regroup and get ready for the year ahead. I usually like to update my website, make new business cards, back up all of my files on the computer, etc. I always feel better after doing these mundane things, knowing that I am now finally somewhat organised. I guess it is the Virgo in me that seeks order and tidiness.

I am really excited about the months ahead because I have a few cool things coming up...First, at the end of Feb. I am attending Brianna Graham's photography workshop in Raleigh, NC. I LOVE her style and know that I can learn a lot from her. She offers a nice balance in her workshops...1 day of studio shooting, 1 day on location and one day of all photoshop and post processing techniques. Yay! Next, we will be travelling to Costa Rica to visit my best friend Caroline who moved there this past year...I have been once before and found it to be a magical, beautiful place. My husband and daughter have never made the trip so I am excited for them to see how amazing it is there. They want to go on the zip line's and white water rafting, so that should be a blast! After that is the Art and Soul retreat that comes here every year which I always enjoy...

Here are a few things I have been doing lately...

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T08:14:00.001-05:00

Wow. I did not notice how long it has been since I posted....Things got kind of crazy around here and I was swamped! We also took a three day trip to NYC right before Xmas so my daughter could see all of the holiday splendor that is NYC at Christmastime. We did it all I have to say eventhough it was a wind chill of 15 degrees while we there...OMG, I haven't been so cold in a long time. We went to Rockafeller plaza, the Rockette's Holiday show, carriage ride in Central Park, Ice Skating, FAO Schwartz and Macy's to see the #1 Santa who appears in the Macy's parade every year. He was so amazing...Here are some photos....

Here are a few paintings I did for clients for Xmas this year...The ferrets were a real challenge! I have never tried photographing two of them before and it was like herding cats...eventually they settled enough for a few shots...they really responded to my rubber chicken, dressed up like Elivis squeaky toy...who knew they would be Elvis fans...I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve and a great 2008!

Happy Holidays Everyone & Thank You's.....

2007-12-11T13:31:00.000-05:00

Click here to see the nice little feature Moira did about me and my photography business over at Dog Art Today...I am so grateful to all of the amazing people I have come to know out there in "internet land"....Many of you I have never met in person, but I count you among my friends and I am truly humbled by the support and friendship you all offer...You know who you are! So during this busy, crazy holiday season, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you from the bottom of my heart!

On the same note, I would like to say thanks to all of my clients who have let me come into their lives, if only for a brief moment over this past year. Without you I could not do what I love and I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year!

Busy, busy, busy....

2007-12-06T22:14:00.000-05:00

I feel like one of Santa's elves...The holiday season is in full swing here. I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but I have been working like a dog (no pun intended). This past weekend was my annual Holiday Pet portrait Day to benefit the Virginia Beach SPCA. I always enjoy this event because the dogs have so much fun and I love to see the cute holiday outfits their owners make them wear...always entertaining. I have also been really busy with regular photoshoots, everbody wanting to get photos made for their holiday cards or to give as gifts. I am hoping to get everything wrapped up by the end of next week so I can do some things that I enjoy like baking and decorating the house, etc. Here are a few photos for you to see...The first ones are from my SPCA shoot and the last three are shots I did for a client on a plain white backdrop. The mini schnauser was the best model I have ever had. She just sat there and cheesed for the camera like a supermodel...Clara was a cool little dog!

VERY. BAD. DOGS.

2007-11-21T11:43:00.000-05:00

The Suspects

As most of you who read my blog already know, I am an animal lover....Yesterday, I almost killed my dogs with my bare hands...They have done some pretty bad things in the past, but this one just about sent me over the edge. After having a difficult day already, I left the house to go to a photoshoot. A client was coming by to pick up a painting, so I told her I would leave it inside the storm door and she could just leave me her check under my mat since I was not going to be home. Well, she decided to pay with cash and didn't want to leave it under the mat so she decided to put it under my door...Big mistake! I have four dogs who go nuts when any one comes to the door in the first place and when they saw that envelope come under the door it was party time! They proceed to shred $200.00 in cash. I came home and found scraps of an envelope on the floor not knowing what it was until I went in my daughters room and found a pile of confetti cash...I almost cried. After a lot of cursing, yelling and blame casting I got out the scotch tape and spent a half hour trying to reconstruct what was left of the money. Thank GOD they did not eat it entirely...Here is my finished work...

Lucky for me...I went to the bank today and met with the nicest lady (who is also a dog lover) and pleaded my case...I had enough of the serial numbers from each side of the bills so they could accept it and credit my account. My dogs came pretty close to getting coal in their stockings this year....Never a dull moment, that's for sure. I hope everyone has a wonderful, safe Thanksgiving holiday!!!

Molly & Sam

2007-11-19T19:27:00.001-05:00

Meet Molly and Sam..I photographed them over the weekend and let me tell you, they were two cool hounds...Molly is the Brown and white shepherd looking mix and Sam is the black and white Pointer mix. Molly was the more laid back of the two...her ears had a personality all of there own. She was sweet and a daddy's girl I think...Sam was a bit more high energy with his Pointer blood...he loves his ball and did the coolest trick balancing it on his nose...My dogs are soooo bad compared to these two. But as the saying goes, there are no bad dogs, only bad owners. I am a bad pack leader, I admit it.

And lastly, this is their Sun Conure named Wally...he knew one song and sang it over and over and over....he was too cute. I just love his vibrant colors...

Crazy Lily, Journal Pages and Paris the little diva dog

2007-11-12T09:27:00.000-05:00

Here are some shots of crazy Miss Lily, my sisters dog, using my new Sigma 10-20mm lens...I LOVE it! It is basically a fish eye at the 10mm end of the zoom and it is fun to use with the dogs so they get that big snout thing going on...My old fish eye puts a black circular border around the image, so this is a nice change and much sharper (except on that last shot, which I was trying to blur for a dreamy effect). Lily loves to drool all over my camera and lick the lens, yuck!

These are two different color options of the same painting....not sure which one I like better??? This little dog is named Paris, and her owner had her decked out in everything from little leather shoes, to jewelry, doggles, shirt, etc. This is just one of Paris' many ensembles I am sure.

Oh, the things we do to our dogs! At least she was supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Lastly, a few journal pages...The first two are just for me in my own art journal and the third is for the round robin swap. You had to do a page about "What is your Muse"...Easy answer for me! I have set a goal for myself to complete one of my art journals by the end of the year...I am ready to bind a new style of book and think it would be a nice way to start the new year. I only have about 10 pages left in my current one, so it shouldn't be tooooo hard. If any of you have been thinking about starting an art journal, I say Go For It! It is one of my favorite things to work in...There is no pressure to create perfect, beautiful art. You can experiment, journal what's on your mind, get to know yourself...I love flipping back through my older ones to see where I was at in my life when I was working in it...it's kind of like a photo album of my art and life. The first step is to buy a journal and just get started! Go on YouTube and watch some of Suzi Blu's crazy videos...She is a trip and offers some prompts and demos that are fun to watch.

I guess that is it for me today....Have a good Monday!

Happy Halloween...

2007-11-02T08:42:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a safe, fun Halloween...My daughter Caroline was a vampiress and she had a blast. I love Halloween..it is the one holiday that is not all bright and frilly. It is bats and ravens, spiders and skulls, dark and mysterious...my kind of holiday! The only down side is all of the candy I feel obligated to eat so it won't go bad...ha!

On a different note. I bought a new collage book the other day that I am really enjoying. It is called The Art of Personal Imagery by Corey Moortgat. It is has both "how to's" and beautiful examples of her work. I can't wait to try out a few of her techniques in my art journal.

Lastly, for you photographers out there, I have just purchased a new set of Photoshop actions from a fellow photographer named Leah Profancik and they are AMAZING! I have downloaded many actions int the past that I never really use and these are worth every penny! Visit her site here if you want to take a look. Here is a before and after shot of Caroline using her color action.

That's all for now...I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Louis & Bandy

2007-10-27T09:23:00.000-04:00

Here is a recent commission I did of Louis & Bandy...they look like they really like hanging out together. I have started to get busy for the holidays so that is a good sign I suppose! I am working on a really funny Chihuahua??? portrait right now that I will post soon...The dogs name is Paris if that gives you any indication of what is to come...

On the topic of photography, here is the website of a really cool artist I came across the other day. His name is Joey Lawrence and he is 17 (yes ,17 years old) and he is really making a splash in the photog community with his interesting photoshop techniques and style. Check him out here: www.joeyl.com.

New Journal Pages and recent photoshoots...

2007-10-15T09:14:00.001-04:00

These are two new spreads for the round robin swap I am in...this persons theme was Italy so I decided to talk about our trip to Venice...It is hard to tell from the photo, but the archway is actually cut out so you see through to the photo on the next page. I haven't had much time for journaling lately and this project reminded me how much I miss it.

These are all images from some photoshoots I did over the weekend. I have not been posting as much photography lately since I have been so obsessed with my new digital portrait painting. I do have to share just one new one though...

This is"Jean" the Viszla...she came over with her brother "Jack" and we had a fun photoshoot. They were both beautiful dogs...

Teddy....He's a Superstar!

2007-10-04T09:52:00.000-04:00

This sweet little doxie is named Teddy. He is a virtual star over at Flickr where his owner Liz Kearley photographs him and his siblings daily in various costumes, etc. She was kind enough to offer up a few photos for me to paint. Check her out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/doxieone/

Gabby - before and after

2007-09-21T08:46:00.000-04:00

This one was a bit of a challenge for me because the original photo was really not that great as you can see. I had to make new eyes and try and make the whole image sharper with the paint. I like showing the before and after shots so clients can see how I can create an whole new environment sometimes....

Almost Famous....

2007-09-20T09:19:00.000-04:00

Hey there everyone....I just wanted to share a link with you all to a local article that appeared in the newspaper today here in Va. Beach. The article was about my pet photography business and my work with the local SPCA here. Check it out here if you have a spare minute:http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=132829&ran=201721.

Also, here are two new journal pages for the Round Robin swap I am participating in...The theme required you to use either metal or metallic paint in the pages. Two totally different "feels" to these pages, but thats OK. I am diverse....ha ha!

Meet Scout...

2007-09-17T09:05:00.001-04:00

This is my latest Painter portrait. I took this photo of Scout using my fish eye lens to get that goofy, big nose effect. I love these shots, they just crack me up! What do you think? Comments are always welcome! I hope everyone had a good weekend. We did!

Happy Birthday to Me & Fraidy Cat

2007-09-12T14:39:00.001-04:00

Today I turn the big 41! It is actually better than 40...not so much mental baggage/stigma attached to it. Ha! Ha! The only bummer is I am now forty-something and that sounds old. Wasn't that a T.V. show forever ago? Here is a new painting I like to call "Fraidy Cat". This cat was actually being held by Santa originally and I thought he was going to claw either mine or Santa's face off. His name is Pookie and Pookie was pissed. Hope everyone has a great day! Have a drink in my honor...

Lily & Party Animal

2007-09-06T13:57:00.001-04:00

"Lily"

"Party Animal"

Hey everyone...here are two more dog paintings that I completed this week. Lily is my sister's great dane and the bulldog belongs to another client of mine. I am pretty happy with the way these turned out. They are definately bright and cheerful. I can't seem to paint drab colored pets, I guess they just seem more fun this way. Thanks for dropping by!

Two new kitty paintings...

2007-09-01T14:30:00.001-04:00

My cat lover friends were beginning to complain and suggesting that I am biased towards dogs...well, yeah! Don't get me wrong, I really like cats and used to own five, but I am most definitely a dog person. My ego is too fragile for cat ownership I suppose. I need a pet that thinks I am the Queen of their universe and greets me like a long lost friend every time I come in the door. Anyhoo, here are two new cat paintings. I just hung my show at the VBSPCA yesterday and it looks awesome! It is a show of all my painter paintings blown up real big on canvas and framed. The feedback I received while hanging it was positive so that is encouraging. I am also getting ready to launch the digital pet portrait section of my website soon. There are a few bugs to work out, but soon I will be accepting commissions for portraits of your pets from your own photos! Come over and check it out when you get a chance and let me know what you think... Here is the link:http://www.sitstaysmile.com/digital-pet-portraits.htm

Back from Asheville

2007-08-24T08:40:00.001-04:00

Rafting the French Broad River

Chimney Rock Park

The Italian Garden at the Biltmore Estate

Caroline and I wine tasting at the Biltmore Winery...Her's was grape juice, mine was the fermented variety...

We had a great time on our little trip. Asheville is a very funky, cool, artsy kind of town. A lot of hippie's live here that are very low key and dog friendly which I like. We went to Black Mountain, the Biltmore Estates (which were amazing), Chimney Rock park (at 95 degrees which was unpleasant) and finally white water rafting down the French Broad river that was just cool! Good to be home though...our dogs really missed us and I missed my pillow. Remind me to bring my own from home when I travel next time.

Party Pug

2007-08-18T10:58:00.001-04:00

This little guy knows how to party with the big dogs...Another Painter portrait for you to critique. I am off for the next week for a little vacation...Yay! I soooo need it.

He's Got Stars in HIs Eyes or Not?

2007-08-17T08:13:00.000-04:00

OK, here is another Painter painting....Stars or no stars? I think I like the way the dog looks overall with the dark blue goggles, but I also think the stars are kind of fun...Maybe it's the red in the goggles that is bugging me...Opinions???

Meet Bella...

2007-08-15T17:34:00.000-04:00

This is Bella... I photographed her and her "Mom" the other day and thought this photo would make a nice painting...I did this digitally using Painter X. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out, I may go back and paint the flowers a bit more so they don't look so photographic. Any comments or suggestions??? Thanks for visiting!

New Journal Pages for Round Robin Swap

2007-08-07T08:51:00.001-04:00

Hey there! Here are three new pages that went into three different altered books/journals that are going around through an Altered Art Obbession Round Robin. This is my first RR and I have to say that I am really enjoying it so far. It's a little bit confusing figuring out who you mail to next and where yours are coimng from, but other than that it is a whole lot of fun. I can't wait to get my books back in December and see all of the cool artwork everyone has done.

I also wanted to take a moment and say THANX! to Rebecca over at Art Paw for featuring me over at her cafepress store as her artist of the month...Go here http://breedspecific.com:80/dogartist_review1.html to check it out and see all of her wonderful creations on different cafepress merchandise.

2007-08-01T16:56:00.000-04:00

These are two new Painter portraits I just finished...I had a really hard time with the flesh tones on my daughter Caroline's portrait, but I think it turned out pretty cool in the end. I LOVE Clancy's big purple nose! What do you think???

Get your T shirts today!

2007-07-27T21:12:00.000-04:00

Here is a Tshirt I have for sale over at my Cafepress store...Go over and check out the different styles, etc. here : http://www.cafepress.com/sitstaysmile1. I spent most of the evening tonight looking at my new Artful Blogger magazine and wow is it amazing! SO many of my blogging buddies are featured and It was really interesting to read everyones thoughts and experiences about blogging and what motivates them. I am felling REALLY guilty for my lack of blog motivation lately. I am chalking it up to summer and wanting to be outside playing. It is so hard to stay home and do art when you live at the beach! I have been working on a few Painter paintings and I will post them over the weekend. Have a fun weekend!

This sums it up....

2007-07-19T09:36:00.001-04:00

This photo is from the Biker benefit for the Va. Beach SPCA I photographed a couple of weeks ago. This story has really hit a nerve here in Virginia and it has been the top story since April. We have been very involved with the situation at my shelter and VERY frustrated with the local officials dragging their feet and probably getting paid off to look the other way. FINALLY the federal government has intervened and taken over the investigation. I cannot tell you how bad some of the dogs were from this compound...most of them have been destoyed because they were so badly injured or to aggressive to adopt out. The bait dogs were heart breaking. I really try and keep my blog happy go lucky, but this situation really pisses me off to no end. There has to be a special corner of hell for people who electrocute, strangle and drown dogs....for people who tie female dogs up to "rape stands" so they can be constantly attacked by male dogs...Anyone who thinks he did not know about this and participate is deluding themselves. The only people living in that house were on food stamps, with no jobs. The money to care for (ha ha) and train 70 dogs is coming from some where...PLEASE take a moment out of your day and email the NFL and let them know that you want Michael Vick suspended from the NFL indefinately. Is this the image they want to send out to kids??? Click here to help:

https://community.hsus.org/campaign/US_2007_dogfighting_nfl2 Thanks!

SPCA Bike classic TTV shots

2007-07-02T19:21:00.001-04:00

This past weekend a group of local bikers hosted an event to benefit the VBSPCA. I went to photograph the event and was instantly captivated by all of the amazing motorcyles there. Most of them were like works of art that I could have photographed all day long. I really thought some TTV shots would be a great way to showcase some of the details of the bikes. These are a few of my favorites...I had a great time at the event and met a lot of really nice people. I hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend...be safe!

Me & Daisy

2007-06-15T10:35:00.000-04:00

Another Painter painting....I just joined up with this amazing online group called Paint Outside the Frame, hosted by Marilyn Sholin. It costs $25.00 a year to join the forum and I have to say I have gotten my $$$ worth in just one day! The environment is very supportive of beginners and you have access to tons of tutorials, brushes and other Painter info. Marilyn is very active in the group and she gives you great suggestions for your work...almost like have your own personal instructor! If you enjoy Painter, head over ther TODAY! I did this painting to use as my avatar on the site.

Trying to Learn Painter...

2007-06-14T11:04:00.001-04:00

I have decided to finally take the plunge and try my hand at Painter...I have been avoiding this for awhile, mainly because the program has always overwhelmed me in the past...So many brushes, variations, sizes, yada, yada, yada. I have a lot of customers who want paintings done from the photos I take. I paint well enough to get by, but I just don't have the time to put into a real oil painting that they may or may not like...So, here is my first attempt....I posted the original photo and my painted version. I know that they are fairly similar...I am still not real sure how to get the look I want...fur is tricky! I have a feeling the learning curve is going to be a bit steep, but I will post my efforts as I go along. What do you guys think? Too safe? Do my brush stokes look too mushy? That is my first impression...

Round Robin

2007-06-11T07:51:00.000-04:00

I just started a Round Robin swap through Altered Art Obsession and these are my two pages. This is my first Round Robin experience and I am really looking forward to it...I am signed up for two diiferent swaps. The first one is Altered Books and the second one is Altered Journals. Each person sets the theme of their book and mails it to the next person on the list and eventually it comes back to me full of wonderful artwork based on my theme. My Altered book theme is "Post Secret" where you tell a secret about yourself on your page. My Altered journal theme is of course "Cats & Dogs". I can't wait until the end of the year to get the books back!

New Postcard design for 2007 & journal pages

2007-06-06T08:32:00.001-04:00

I just ran out of postcards the other day so I decided to whip up a new one with some of my newer images. I like to show a variety of shots on the postcard because sometimes people think I only photograph pets when I do just as many portaits of families and kids. I think it turned out pretty cool and now I will have enough of them to wallpaper my house...Also a couple of journal pages to share. My husband and I celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary last weekend so I wanted to do a page about that. We kept it low key this year and he is taking me to see Steely Dan in concert this Friday as a present....Yay! I love concerts.

New Journal Page & Fish Eye Photos

2007-05-25T07:52:00.000-04:00

Here is a new journal page that describes my past week...I really don't like the person I become when I am stressed out. I get very short tempered and everything just seems to piss me off when normally it would just roll off my back. I think it is because I am a bit of a control freak and a perfectionist. I am such a stickler when it comes to getting things done on time and in a certain way. If I feel overwhelmed by something, I feel backed into a corner. That is why I try to avoid putting myself in these situations as much as possible, so my husband doesn't want to stangle me. Most of the time, things turn out fine and I realize I got all bent for nothing, but I guess it is who I am...some of us do better under pressure, some of us get bitchy. On a happier note, I have also added a few fish eye photos from my recent photoshoot. I LOVE big dog noses and could take these photos all day long and just crack up...I find that my clients either love them or think they are totally weird...I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend! Yay, summer is officially here and I can lay on the beach every weekend and relax...it sounds like I need to...maybe a Margarita would help?

SPCA Spring Pet Portrait Day

2007-05-23T14:25:00.001-04:00

Busy, busy weekend...I had my Spring Pet Portrait Day to benefit my local SPCA here in Va. Beach and it was sooo much fun. I met so many cool dogs (and one brave kitty). The weather was perfect and most dogs and owners were well behaved! I really love this event because I do not have to do it inside with a backdrop like the Xmas shoot. It makes me feel like Summer is almost here with all of the flowers and warm weather...These are a few of my fav's...I will post another group later of just fish eye shots that are pretty funny. Hope these photos brighten your day!

A few new journal pages

2007-05-14T11:30:00.000-04:00

Here are a few more journal pages from my Art Journal....I have also started a color journal after taking Claudine Hellmuth's class. It feels good to finally have a place to put all of those ripped out pages from magazines or photos...I just glue them in my book and then pull ot the colors I like in the photo and create a "palette" that I may want to use in a future piece. I don't know about you, but sometimes I just go blank when it comes to figuring out a color scheme for a new piece or in my journal. I hope these little swatches will inspire me to try some new color combinations...I will post a picture from that journal later...

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-13T14:54:00.000-04:00

Barbara Beninato

1928-1995

This my favorite picture of my Mom...It always makes me smile to see her so happy and carefree...Then she had 5 kids...need I say more. I always wish I had known her when she was young like this. She was so tired when I came along (#5) and then in poor health for many years before she died 12 years ago. My Mom was always my hero and the most amazing woman in the world to me...I wish I was more like her. I always miss her just a little bit more on Mother's Day....it reminds me of how much I miss sharing my life with her and how the world will always be a little less bright without her in it. Happy Mother's Day everyone! If you are lucky enough to still have your Mom, call her, tell her you love her. You never know when it may be your last chance....

K9 Karnival

2007-05-12T13:06:00.000-04:00

We went to a local event today called the K9 Karnival...It is a outdoor festival where you can see different events, contests, vendors and of course lots of dogs hanging out with their owners. Pupperoni had a really cute booth where you could take a picture of your dog sitting in the side car of a motorcycle against a southwest "route 66" style backdrop...very cool! I photographed my daughter Caroline with our dachshund Daisy and a really cool dog named Cody who was stylin' and profilin' in his doggles. What puppy fun!

Back from Art & Soul

2007-05-09T16:45:00.000-04:00

Now that the dust has settled from Art & Soul, I can finally get back to my blog...I have a few photos to post from my workshops that were all really great this year...I always learn something that changes the way I work at these workshops and I was so grateful to have Art & Soul come back to my area this year! My first class was called "Totally Plastered" and was taught by Stephanie Lee. She was a great teacher and very open with sharing her techniques and processes. We all got totally plastered with plaster and had a lot of fun...

It is kind of hard to see this piece, but what we did was apply plaster to a plywood substrate, paint it, collage on it and finally we added a few cast plaster pieces. I loved casting the plaster bird heads...they were very Edgar Allen Poe....

My next class was with Doris Arndt and it was called "mighty Mini Metal Journal. I loved this class as well and it was nice to go home at the end of the night with a finished little book. I learned how to emboss metal, color & stamp on leather and how to do a new binding style.

Next was "Adventures in Color" with Claudine Hellmuth. In this class we learned how to mix colors and to match ANY color that we want to just by using the three primaries. I have been mixing paint for a long time and thought I knew what I was doing pretty much, but this class really taught me a fool proof method of color mixing that I will use forever...This is a little tag I made in a color matching round robin we did in class.

Next was Michael De Meng's "lightbulb Shrines" class...As you can see, I have not gotten to the light bulb part and probably never will. I think I like it on it's own. If you can't tell, it is a sculpture of a little dog that I made out of Sculpey combined with a bunch of found objects and then painted to look old and weathered. I used dog biscuits around the base to create a temple of the dog kind of thing...Michael was fun as usual and showed us his new book which is very cool. It is not due out until June, and I think a lot of people may be suprised to learn that it is not a "how to" book. It actually talks about different myths? I think and each piece in the book illustrates that myth along with some art journal style entries. It is really beautifully done with awesome photos and artful layout.

On Sunday, I took the "Pirate's Code" with Juliana Coles and that was a pretty good class as well. You either like her teaching style or you don't...This is my second class with her and each time she gets me to work outside my comfort zone and I really like that.

Last, I took Misty Mawn's "layers on Canvas".....WOW! She is such an amazing teacher and SOOOO open with sharing her techniques. I learned more from her in one hour than I learned all week probably. She makes everything look so easy and effortless of course, but everyone came away with some interesting results. Her approach is very fly by the seat of your pants and get real messy which I liked. She rarely uses brushes, mostly her hands in the paint. I will post my piece from her class when I get it a little bit more done...I have a headless woman right now.

So that was my week in a nutshell! Thanks to Glenny for putting on such a wonderful retreat and thanks to all of the wonderful people I met there this year for your friendship and company. Everyone was really nice and a lot of fun to hang out with!

Surfer Reunion

2007-04-30T08:39:00.000-04:00

Surfers - Va. Beach 1959 (courtesy of Pete Smith)

Surfers - Va. Beach 2007

TTV shot of Surfers 2007

This weekend I had the pleasure of photographing a group of the original surf pioneers here in Va. Beach. They were some of the first in our area to get involved in the sport and they posed for the above historic picture in 1959. This past weekend, there was a historic festival down on the boardwalk with many different booths celebrating the history of Va. Beach to go along with the big 1607, 400 year anniversary of the first landing here and in Jamestown. So, the Surfing Association had a historical booth and they asked me to take their photo again today with the all of the original people that they could round up. Some have passed away and some lived to far away to attend, but overall it was such a trip to see all of these old guys show up and exchange stories and laugh and enjoy seeing one another again. The two boards in the shot are two of the ones in the original shot believe it or not...It was a privilege for me to be a part of it. Of course I had to whip out my Ttv camera and shoot a few...they were laughing that the camera was current back when the original photo was shot! Thanks for looking.

Have you checked out "Wide Open"?

2007-04-24T08:23:00.000-04:00

This is Randi Feuerhelm-Watts new book called "Wide Open" and I am loving it! I met Randi on the internet about a year ago and she sort of turned me on to mail art....We swapped mail art and I bought a few of her zines and became a big fan of her work. Well, I just bought her new book the other day and I have to say it has really inspired me not only to work in my journal but also in my art and photography as well. Instead of being in a book format, it is in the form of a deck of cards and each card has an assignment or suggestion for you to try. The prompts really get you to start thinking outside of your box and lead you in directions you may not have taken on your own...If you like to journal or want to approach your art in a different way, I say get this book! Here is one of the assignments I just did...It was a self portrait challenge where you get a barbie doll and label it with all of you feelings about your body and then decorate the barbie how you want to express yourself or maybe how you would like to be...I never realised how many negative self images I had until I started writing on that doll...After you finish the doll you are supposed to photograph it and put the image in your journal and write about it. Here is my journal entry....Thanks Randi, you are amazing!

Art Journal Pages

2007-04-19T09:48:00.000-04:00

Here are some pages from my art journal...a little bit of everything, some older, some new. I really enjoy using my photos in my journals and it is fun way to use them in another way... I am not a daily journaler. I sometimes go for weeks without adding anything to it. I wish I was more disciplined, but I have come to terms with the fact that I don't really NEED to write about my day to day life. Words often frustrate me and I am much more likely to quote a verse from a song to express how I feel. I guess I am more a of a visual type of person. Anyhoo, here they are....thanks for looking!

A very sad day for VA and the rest of the country...

2007-04-17T10:34:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to take a minute and express my sadness over the events yesterday at Va Tech...What a totally useless, sensless and cowardly act. My heart goes out to those poor families who lost their kids yesterday...I cannot even imagine their grief. Va. Beach is a huge Hokie alumni spot...Many of my friends attended there or have kids there now and luckily all are safe. They are just blown away that something so horrible could happen at their school, but you know what, it can happen anywhere these days...Sad but true. Light a candle for those who lost their lives and for the families missing them...

New Ttv Shots....

2007-04-16T14:23:00.000-04:00

I am loving this new technique...it is very Holga-esque to me which is why I am diggin' it so much I think. The looks I get from people are pretty funny as well while taking the photos. The reason for this is probably because I have a cut up Fruity Pebbles cereal box attached to the camera to keep out stray light. It looks pretty goofy, but does the job. Maybe I will cover it in black duct tape so I can "look" more professional...ha ha! Like that will help...If you are interested in the technique, check out the Flickr group called "Through the Viewfinder" (Ttv)

and see what it is all about. Watch out, it's addicting...

Back from Orlando...

2007-04-15T11:31:00.000-04:00

Well, as you can see my husband and daughter had a blast...Two peas in a pod I tell you...I am not a roller coaster kind of girl. I would be yakking in the nearest garbage can. I did get talked into Splash Mountain which scared me to death and I also rode Pirates of the Carribean and the Haunted Mansion which I love. Overall it was a good trip, a little crowded, a little rainy, but also a lot of fun for my "two" kids". My husband rode every roller coaster he could find several times and my daughter went on the ones she was able to being 50" tall. We stayed at a Disney Resort eventhough we only went to the Magic Kingdom for one day. By the end of the trip I have to say, if one more person told me to "Have a Magical Day" I thought I was going to barf. They kill you with that Disney hospitality and after 5 days I was done...It's nice to be home!

First try at "TTV" shots...

2007-04-07T16:17:00.000-04:00

I just got my Argus 75 camera in the mail and was so excited to try it out shooting "Through the Lens". It is called TTV and typically you use a digital camera and take your photos while shooting through the lens of an old camera. I did some post processing in PS and converted it to b/w, hand tinted and a weird teal just to see some different effects. The Flickr group that I saw this on is called "Through the Viewfinder".... Check it out if you like playing around with alternative forms of photography. They suggest shooting through the Kodak Duaflex, the Brownie Starflex or the Argus 75 to name a few....

Happy Easter Everyone!

2007-04-07T13:09:00.000-04:00

Well, we had our first snow shower of the season here today....APRIL!!!! First time it has snowed here in Va. Beach in April since the 1950's....Thank God we leave for Florida in the morning! Off to Orlando for a few days for a Spring break getaway...It will be crowded but at least it will be warm! Have a great holiday to all my blog buddies out there!

Altered photo book

2007-03-29T18:32:00.000-04:00

Here is a little handmade book I just finished. I made it using two 5x7 canvas style boards that i painted and I added an altered photo to the front of it. I forgot to "fix" the black charcoal around the photo, so it smudged a bit when I sealed the whole thing with modge podge, but it still looks pretty cool I think. I plan on painting the inside pages and adding the altered photos to the book when I get a chance...Thanks Karen Michel for teaching me how to alter photos in your workshop...it is still one of my favorite techniques!

Hershey

2007-03-25T09:27:00.000-04:00

Meet Hershey...he was a sweet dog I had the pleasure of photographing over the weekend. We had a really beautiful day here on Friday...close to 80 degrees, a perfect day for a photoshoot on the beach. I love the shot of him sticking his tongue out...Have a great day everyone!

Greeting Cards

2007-03-22T07:58:00.000-04:00

I am working on a new line of dog/cat greeting cards and this is my first sample. The photo is handcolored and distressed with sandpaper, then mounted on a handpainted acrylic background. It measure's 5x7 and would be part of a series. In an effort to produce these with less time involved, I am going to try and scan the original hancolored photo and get prints of it already altered...that way I can sell them for less and create more inventory. I am probably going to leave them blank, eventhough I am tempted to put my little sayings on the art work (i.e.-"Home is where the dog is.") What do you guys think? I would love to hear your opinions !

One of my favorite things...

2007-03-18T10:53:00.000-04:00

Almost every evening a group of Cranes or Egrets? settle themselves in this one tree for about an hour or so. I like to think they come there to watch the sunset before they retire for the night. I don't know why it fascinates me, but I am always awed when I see them together. Maybe because they usually seem so solitary, hunting for fish by themselves in the local marshes. I suppose there is some scientific reason for this gathering every evening, but I like to think of it as one of those things that do not need an explanation. To me it is one more example of natures magic. It truly is one of my favorite things here in Virginia Beach

Clancy & Wiley

2007-03-12T09:09:00.000-04:00

I am almost finished with this painting of two of my dogs, Clancy & Wiley. I need to work on Wiley's face (he's the one on the right) because he still looks really sad to me...I am quickly discovering that it is really hard to paint dogs! They seem much more diffcult to me because their faces have a lot more dimension than cats. Here are a few detail shots as well...

Art Journal Grunge Style

2007-03-11T16:29:00.000-04:00

My nephew just turned 18 and since he is a very creative, artistic soul, I thought I would make him an art journal of his own for his birthday....He sent me some of his poetry, artwork and favorite CD inserts to use as a background for the book. I decided on altering an old Time Life book on Central America that I first prepared with gesso. It was a fun project for me because I wanted to do a book that was a style that reminded me of him, but kept a part of me laced through the pages. I embraced my inner grunge and had at it...very cathartic and freeing after all my recent oil paintings...I sent it off to him with a note saying that I wanted him to make it his own....write in it, paint over stuff he didn't like, add more images, burn it if wanted too...but to be fearless and not worry about messing it up or doing something "wrong". Now, if I would take the time to work on my own....this week!

Last cat painting for the show...

2007-03-02T09:37:00.000-05:00

Here is the last one for the cat show....I tried to keep this one a little bit more simplistic...not so many patterns and details....He looks like one indifferent party animal...like "take this hat off my head before I scratch your eyes out"...

cat collage

2007-03-01T14:15:00.000-05:00

This is a cat collage that I did today....I used one of my photos that I cut out and glued down to a collaged background that I made...I used telephone book pages, dress patterns, acrylic paint, bird epherma and Lyra aquacolor sticks. I am thinking about sealing the whole thing with beeswax so it has that wonderful smell and a little bit more depth....

New cat paintings

2007-02-23T17:11:00.000-05:00

A local art gallery here in Va. Beach hosts a show each year called the Cat's Meow. All artwork must include a cat and a portion of the sales from the show go to benefit the Va. Beach SPCA. I figured I would take a break from the dogs for awhile and try my hand at painting cats so I could participate in the show...The first on is called "The Gift" and anyone who owns a cat is familiar with this phenomenon...The second is called "Purple Cat" because I have no idea what else to call it. I enjoyed painting the cats and will probably do more in the future. I feel bad that i haven't posted anything in awhile. We have been sick around here lately and I have not felt like doing much of anything...I can't wait for Spring!

Daisy the dachshund

2007-02-11T16:33:00.000-05:00

I dragged my poor little dog outside yesterday in the feezing cold to make her pose for me wearing a scarf...As with most dachshunds, she was playing up the drama, shaking like she was going to freeze to death, etc. until I got the peanuts out...Brand new dog, most willing to please. I had to fake the snow since we rarely get any here in Va. Beach...My husband wants to know what I am going to do with all of these dog paintings.....yard sale?

Schotzie

2007-02-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is a painting of my sisters seeing eye dog, Schotzie...I really struggled with this one and I am not really happy with the way it turned out, but I think when you are learning to paint you get to a point with a certain piece that you know it's time to stop and move on to the next one...I am happy that I worked through some challenges along the way that I think were resolved, it's just something about his expression that is bugging me...the eyes I think...On to the next one, maybe a dachshund this time....

Painting Class

2007-02-04T07:45:00.000-05:00

Well, in an effort to combat the winter blahs and spark my creative slump, I decide to sign up for a painting class...Since I photograph dogs and cats, I thought it would be fun to learn to paint them. This is Lily, my sisters dog, and I did this painting for her birthday. I think it turned out pretty good considering I haven't painted in quite some time. The important thing is, I really enjoyed doing it and can't wait to do some more! I have so many photos that I think could be fun paintings now...I tried water based oils for the first time and I love them. You get the effect and feel of oil paint, without all of the smelly chemicals and difficult clean up. Whoever came up with this paint is brilliant! Thanks for looking and any constructive criticism is appreciated!

Sanctuary Fatbooks are on their way!

2007-01-26T16:11:00.000-05:00

Here is a shot of the finished book...I used Catherine Moore's beautiful bird paper for the background of the front and back cover. It's hard to see in the photo, but there is a small twig glued on the front of each book along with some green moss to give it a more natural feel. The artwork for this book was really wonderful as you can see in the images I've posted below. I will be auctioning off one of these books on Ebay soon to benefit Bernie Berlin's A Place to Bark. Check back in a few days to see when the book is up for auction if you are interested.

Kimber Kline &Wendy McGowen

Kara Klein &Ellen Gray

Ellen Gray & Kimber KlineChrysti Hydeck & Connie Senyitko

New Journal Spread

2007-01-24T08:15:00.000-05:00

I got this cool little point and shoot camera for xmas this year and I have to say that I am loving it. As a professional photographer, I always felt like I had to haul around my big digital camera if I wanted to take photos...more often than not, I would leave it at home because I did not want to carry it, worry about it, etc. Now, with this new little point and shoot that i keep in my purse, I am taking a lot more spur of the moment photos that are much more spontaneous...it is kind of "freeing" in away...

This new journal page is reflective of my current state of mind which is blah lately...I always seem to get really depressed during the winter months for no real reason, I must have seasonal affective disorder. It felt good to put it down on paper and I must credit Evanescence for the quote "breathe into me and make me real"...seemed fitting.

Sanctuary Fatbook page

2007-01-21T18:30:00.000-05:00

I am currently hosting a fatbook called "Sanctuary" that is all about birds...This is my page for the book, which I have since further embellished with a piece of black tulle??(spelling?) I think the book is going to be really nice. I have had some really great pages come in for this one. I will post a photo of the finished book in a day or so when I get them collated and bound.

I think I am going to take a break from hosting for a little while. I am definately getting a little burned out on fatbooks...I mean really, after awhile how many do you need? I have enjoyed hosting and participating in them for the past year mainly because it gave me a project to do. I really need deadlines and prompts to get me going in my art sometimes and fatbooks really fit the bill. Now, I am looking for something new to inspire me...mail art is something I have been playing around with which I really enjoy...maybe that can become my new obsession? Or maybe I should get back to my art journal??? I always do well with it for a few weeks, then slowly but surely I lose interest...Does anyone else out there have that same problem?

I have definately been in a creative funk lately so I have been concentrating on projects that are more business related...new website, order forms, postcards, etc. It makes me feel productive to get something important accomplished when the creative juices aren't flowing...It must be the time of year, I just want to curl up and read a book. Anyhoo, thanks for listening to my rambling thoughts!

Happy New Year Everyone!

2007-01-08T13:13:00.001-05:00

Well, I am so excited to start off the New Year with a brand new website! Karen Michel has just re-designed my pet photography website and I would love for you all to go and check it out and tell me what you think. Any constructive criticism would be appreciated....Is it easy to use? Do the links and buttons work for you? Do the images look good on your browser? Here is the link to the new site. Sit. Stay. Smile. Photography. Thanks everyone!

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas...

2006-12-20T08:24:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in awhile...I have been busy with the usual holiday stuff, but now finally the dust has settled, the gifts are wrapped and I can now sit back and actually enjoy the season. I love it when everything is done and I can relax and do the holiday things I enjoy like baking cookies and spending time with friends and family. This is our Christmas tree this year...we have made the change to colored lights for the past two years and it is growing on me...I used to be a white lights only kind of girl, but my husband and daughter are slowly wooing me to the other side. My tree is of course slowly going tothe dogs....I have more dog ornaments now, my collection growing each year it seems. Luckily everyone else in my family shares this passion or they may think I am starting to obsess...
We are staying home for Xmas and then going to visit the In-Laws in Baltimore after that...I am looking forward to the visit since we still have a lot of friends there that we are excited to see and hang out with. I hope that everyone has a safe, magical holiday season and a very Happy New Year!

This one of my favorite ornaments...it looks just like my Daisy!

This a recent cabinet card that I altered...I sent out a few as xmas cards to some of my online friends....maybe you will get one soon?

Pet Portrait Day at the VBSPCA

2006-12-05T09:07:00.000-05:00

What a fun weekend! I met a lot of really cool cats & dogs, some crazy pet owners and survived the weekend without getting my eyes clawed out by a few cats that were less than happy to be there. It is always exhausting since the appointments are every 20 minutes and you don't have a whole lot of time to get the perfect shot. By 5pm, I am usually pretty fried. The photos I have posted above were a few of my favorites...

Six Feet Under Fatbook has gone postal

2006-11-30T09:05:00.000-05:00

Front Cover

Back Cover

Inside Spread - (left) Debby Beheler (right) Debbie Dischley

Inside Spread- (left) Nancy Donaldson (right) Lucy Lee

Overall, I thought the book turned out pretty well. There were a lot of last minute flakes that are always kind of annoying. I know that things happen sometimes and you have to flake, but I don't think it is fair to wait until the last minute to bail. I usually have a wait list of people who could have filled in. Oh well, so it goes when hosting a project. My last one for awhile is due in January and it is called Sanctuary. It is a fatbook all about birds which I am really looking forward to. After that, I think I am done for awhile!

Now I am off to get ready for my holiday pet portrait day that I have every year at the Va. Beach SPCA. It is always a really fun, exhausting day but totally worth the effort as it raises money for the shelter. I will post some photos from the event next week. Wish me luck!

Pointed Party Hats

2006-11-22T08:47:00.000-05:00

I just did these ATC size fatbook pages for a swap called Pointed Party Hats. The only criteria was your image had to have a party hat...so of course I had to take a bunch of my dog photos and party them up a bit. They make me smile. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Caroline & Daisy

2006-11-16T08:30:00.000-05:00

I have been playing with an old lens that I forgot about in the bottom of my camera bag...It is an 85mm portrait lens and i love the blurred background that you can get with the wider aperatures...Both of my subjects were less than thrilled about being my models once again.

Goodbye Toby...

2006-11-12T14:52:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine had to put his dog to sleep last week. He was the coolest Dachshund I have ever met and his name was Toby. He was also the fattest Dachshund I ever met...he weighed in at 25 lbs. and reminded me of a foot stool. You know how some dogs that you meet just make a special impression on you? That was Toby...he lived his life on his own terms, nose to the ground, always on the snoop. He was never to busy to roll over on his back for a nice tummy rub (which was everytime you went to pet him) or never to tired to chase the chickens in his owners backyard. He loved to burrow in blankets...I was often amazed at how he could tuck himself into his dog bed with a blanket so you couldn't even see him...I will miss Toby and I sincerely believe he is enjoying unlimited dog biscuits in Heaven.

Holga/Woca shots from Italy

2006-11-09T19:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, I promise I am done with photos from my trip...

I just love my Holga and had to post a few more.

More photos from Switzerland & Italy

2006-11-03T14:16:00.000-05:00

Cable car ride at the bottom of Mt. Titlis

Cable Car at the TOP of Mt. Titlis!!!

From Lucerne, we traveled by train to Lake Como Italy...Along the way we stopped at a really cool town called Bellinzona which has three castles, each one higher up the mountain than the next...My daughter loved the medieval toilets the best (ha ha)

Bellinzona Castle

Lake Como was really beautiful, but unfortunately no George Clooney sightings...However, Tom And Katie are getting married right near the hotel we stayed at in Cernobbio...

View form our hotel room in Lake Como

Next, we were off to Venice...WOW what an amazing city...I know people either love it or hate it. I thought it was beautiful and fascinating...a photographers dream. The way they have perfected life without cars, only boats or your own two feet is really interesting. Trash removal, getting goods in and out of the city, fire and rescue operations, an entire island set aside for a graveyard...Not to mention the fact that the city is sinking and whever it rains the entire St. Mark's Square floods and you have to walk on raised boards. I think Venice is something everyone should see before they die...it is truly unique. We took our daughter on a gondola ride through the back canals along with her grandparents. Our gondolier was named Eros after the God of love...my husband thought he looked like Colin Farrell , which is not a bad thing...Eros and Caroline

Grand Canal

Us on the Gondola

St. Mark's Square flooded

That's the highlights...What an awesome time we had...I love Italy so much and can't wait to go back...next trip will be to Florence, Tuscany and Cinque Terra I think. Thanks for looking!

Back from Europe!

2006-10-28T09:24:00.000-04:00

Wow! What an amazing trip we had...Everything went very smoothly, only one train mishap and that 's not to bad for me planning the whole thing myself...My daughter, who is eight, did really well. I was worried it may be too much for her, all of the travelling, strange foods and foreign languages, etc. but she did great. She can speak better Italian than me! We started off landing in Milan, Italy. We got immediately on a train and went to Lugano, Switzerland where we stayed for our first night to recover from the long trip and get acclimated to the new time zone. Lugano was a beautiful city which felt much more Italian than Swiss due to it's location so close to the Italian border...The town itself had great shopping, wonderful food and was very picturesque sitting on the edge of Lake Lugano. Here is a photo from the boat ride we took around the lake.

This the beautiful town of Morcote on Lake Lugano

Next, we travelled by train to Lucerne, Switzerland. Lucerne is a lovely city with a really beautiful Old Town section. The langauge turned to German here, which we are not very familiar with unfortunately. We found some people who spoke English, but not many...We had a terrible nights sleep our first night there...some soccer team had TIED some other soccer team and I kid you not...drunk Swiss men stayed up until 4am in the morning singing victory songs outside our window...what a trip that was...they definately know how to party!The town of Lucerne

We took a day trip the next day to two different mountains...One is called Mt. Titlis and the other is Mt. Pialtus. Mt. Titlis is 10,000 feet high and is covered in snow 365 days a year. You start out at the base in green meadows and end up at a frozen glacier! The temp. on the ground that day was 65 degrees and 28 degrees at the top. This was my first cable car ride since I was a kid and OMY it scared the living daylights out of me! I am afraid of heights so I don't know what the hell I was thinking...The first cable car was the worst because it is really small and only seats about 4 people. It swings and rocks a lot...The second and third ones to the top weren't so bad because they held about 25 people and felt much more substantial....Once we reached the top it felt like you were in heaven...above the clouds! Very cool and worth the near heart attack.

I will try and post some more photos later...for some reason Blogger will not let me upload any more photos right now....

Arrivederci

2006-10-12T06:52:00.000-04:00

I am off to Italy & Switzerland today!!! I will post some photos when I return...

Holga and Infrared shots

2006-10-05T09:31:00.000-04:00

I went out to a local cemetery yesterday to play around with my infrared filter on my digital camera and to check out my new Holga "Woca" camera. I have been using my old Holga 120S for years but I recently came across the Woca and had to check it out. It ROCKS!!! Don't get me wrong, I still love my old faithful, but I have to say the Woca is just a little bit sharper and offers more contrast than the 120s. Not everyone wants that from their Holga, but being a professional photographer, that little extra detail makes me LOVE this camera. The infrared filter worked great on my Canon 30D digital camera as well. I really like the fact that you don't have to wait and see if your shots turned out. Infrared can be really tricky to expose properly with film and this takes that right out of the equation. I used the Hoya R72 filter which is pricey but will pay for itself in one outing when I don't have to buy film and pay to have it processed and printed...I love new photography toys!

Virgin Mary Fatbook page

2006-09-30T16:39:00.000-04:00

Here are my finished pages for the Virgin Mary Fatbook...I used a photo of

the Virgin with Jesus and handcolored the b/w image and then stamped

and collaged on top....The back page is pretty simple, I just hand colored

a stamp that I have of the Virgin and added my name and email info...

Mail Art

2006-09-22T08:08:00.000-04:00

I just sent this mail art out to my friend Randi Feuerhelm-

Watts. For those of you not familiar with her work check out

her website at http://randifeuerhelm.com/index.html. She

is an amazing artist...She is the one who introduced me to

mail art and now I really love making fun little postcards to

mail out to friends. I can't help but think it brightens the day

of whoever receives it and also gives the postal workers

something fun to look at for a change. I send them in clear

plastic envelopes with bright labels and fun stamps. Try it!

On a different note, I am hosting a new fatbook over at

Chubbyville if anyone is interested... The topic for this fatbook

is "Six Feet Under" - 4x4 pages that pay homage to cemeteries.

Anything graveyard related goes...tombstones, statuary, crypts,

shrines, etc. If you are interested and want to play, you can either

go to the polls section of the Chubbyville Yahoo group and sign up

or leave a comment on this post and I will contact you. The

due date for the book is Nov. 17th. I have always had a morbid

fascination with graveyards...whenever I travel, I look

for cool graveyards to photograph. New Orleans, Savannah, GA

and France have been my favorites so far...

Altered Cabinet Card Fatbook finished!

2006-09-18T22:10:00.000-04:00

This is the cover for a fatbook I just
hosted over at the Chubbyville Yahoo
Group. The theme was altered cabinet
cards and the art work I received for the
book was really amazing. I will share
some examples of the artists work who
participated below...

Lisa Martinez

Maija Lepore

Beth Kelsey (left) & Lucy Lee (right)