As Time Goes By... Woof!

As mentioned in the last blog,  it's been 8 years since we started to promote the idea of artistic personalized items. Bronson Hill Arts was hand-painting wine glasses before it became a hot trend from Lolita (available everywhere!) and the others who followed.

But like all things in life, not all paths lead to where you need to go. Sometimes a sharp right turn is needed!

Along those lines, I was asked for personalized items that were more precious to so many people: Pet Portraits.

The Updated Look for Our Pet Portraits

Who doesn't love their pet? Requests came from friends and a piece or two was commissioned for depictions of their beloved companions. Of course, I had to use my own furbabies as models, too!

Baby & Buddy ©Bronson Hill Arts/BEDeuel

The paintings started a little on the cartoonish style, but has evolved to a more realistic look. We've all seen hyper-realistic pet portraits, which are beyond amazing! But, that isn't what we're aiming for here. We are aiming for whimsical with a touch of love attached!

Walking Beth's Dogs ©BHA/BEDeuel

Buddies On a Blanket  ©BHA/BEDeuel

Jamie & Eliot  ©Bronson Hill Arts/BEDeuel 

Next week, I'll share a few sweet stories that inspired some of Bronson Hill Arts' other pet portraits.

Any furbaby portraits we can make for you? Visit us here!

Rescuing Love

Fun! for Playful Pups CollectionProceeds to go to Susie Q's Dog Rescue/A Second Chance
4x6 Watercolor on 140# Canson Paper
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts 2014

For as long as I can remember, I've been in a home with at least one pet. Primarily, cats with some dogs sprinkled in along the way. My early years were spent in apartments, as was my young adult life, so cats were an easier option  for that type of housing situation. And, though we would love to have a dog (or 2), our livelihoods require long shifts & we truly feel that it would be unfair to any pups to leave them alone that much.

Right now, we have 2 cats. We'd like to have more, &, except for my hubby's allergies, we would. But that allergy thing is awfully hard to ignore. We have had up to 3 at one time, but he does better with one less. Also, as our "babies" age, they need more & more attention & from us.

Somewhere along the way, we became rescue advocates on a limited scale. Anyone who has seen my Facebook page knows that I cannot stop myself from reposting calls for donations, adoptions & lost pet searches. Once a friend dubbed me "the patron saint of stray & lost animals".

Base drawing for "Fun!"

However, the amount of time, money, effort, & love that some individuals devote to homeless & sick animals is Homeric. The consensus is that I cannot foster furry beings as these people do: I would never be able to let anyone else take them away! We are in awe of the work these volunteers put into each beautiful little life. And, cannot fathom how they deal with the grief & tears when the battles are lost.

As a small contribution to the cause of a rescue,  up a couple of note card collections wherein a portion of the proceeds would be forwarded to various rescue organizations. Since I haven't been doing the local vendor routine this past year, or so, there hasn't been any  revenue coming in for donations. Not holding up my end of things very well, am I?

A photo posted recently by one of the great foster "mothers" gave me the perfect image to start getting started on a new collection (or two!).

Minions Photo Courtesy of ACPR

Kitty Kapers Collection for Another Chance Pet Rescue (in process)

The goal this time, though, is to donate 2/3 rds of the revenue to the charities. There are close to a dozen local charities deserving of support; I'm not sure yet if I'll pool the funds and divvy them from there, or specify the charity to which each card will contribute. Any thoughts on the subject would be appreciated!

For now, here are the starting sketch & the inspirational photo. I'll keep you updated on the progress! In the meantime, the original Note Cards for charity are available for viewing on this blog, our website, & the Etsy shop.

Do you have a favorite charity organization for which you could do something special to help? We'd love to hear about it! And, thoughts on our revenue distribution are welcome, too!

White on WhiteProceeds of Note Card Sales to Susie Q's Dog Rescue/A Second Chance
Ink on Smooth Bristol
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts 2012

Digital Doodles

A couple of months ago, a friend showed me a photo of her dogs. The angle of the picture inspired an idea! The image was from the perspective of the dog walker, looking down at the dogs on several leads.

Here's the result, after an evening playing with a paint program on my tablet:

Walking Beth's Dogs
Digital
BEDeuel ©2014 Bronson Hill Arts

After printing and matting it for Beth, another friend asked for a portrait of her cats:

Chilling with Vicki's Cats
Digital
BEDeuel ©2014 Bronson Hill Arts

They are fun to do and, obviously, wonderfully personal for the pet parents!

So, of course, I had to do one of one of our pet kids:

Our Mickey
Digital
BEDeuel ©2014 Bronson Hill Arts

There are many more photos waiting to be done, I'm sure! And, so enjoyable to do!