Grey Squirrel

I absolutely love grey squirrels. They sort of resemble cartoonish characters. There is always a rolly-polly grey squirrel in every yard that I've owned. They are perpetually scavenging for nuts and then bouncing across the lawn with their treats. It's amazing how such a chubby critter can remain acrobatic.

When I was young, I had a stuffed grey squirrel toy. He was a special surprise after I underwent surgery on my adnoids and had tubes placed in my ears. I always found him very comforting and I used to give him to my brother for comfort when he needed a plush, fuzzy toy to hug.

In honor of my plump, fuzzy squirrel friends, I have created this drawing. It is 8 x 10" in size and drawn in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum. I hope that he brings you much joy in the midst of the current snowy weather!

Northen Cardinal

When I was young, my grandparents' home was one of my favorite places to spend time. It was cozy and my grandfather always invented creative projects to calm my energy. One of our special activities was birdwatching. My grandfather had a birdfeeder in his yard, and we would sneak peeks at the feeding birds through the curtains.

One of his favorite birds was the cardinal. I always thought that the Bluejays were equally fascinating with their bright blue feathers and crested head. Dziedz, my grandfather, would remind me that the Bluejays are the bullies of the feeder. They use their size to intimidate the other birds and keep the food to themselves. The cardinals were equally beautiful, but gentler in nature. It was then that I began to appreciate the Northern Cardinal.

In honor of Dziedz, I drew this Northern Cardinal female. I also researched the traits of this beautiful bird. They are known for their song, which can sound like they are saying, "purdy, purdy, purdy". If you want to attract them to your yard, make sure that you have winter and fall fruits on your property, as well as plants, vines, and shrubs. They prefer American Bittersweet, Sumac, and Conifers for cover and food. (Information provided by wikipedia.org)

This drawing is rendered in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum. It is 8 x 10" in size and available for sale.

Red Spotted Newt

The idea of drawing a newt has been on my mind since the summer of 2009. I tend to want to draw wildlife that I have an attachment to, and newts certainly have a special place in my heart. When we were little, my brother and I would walk along the dirt roads in Alstead hunting for newts. We would carry a plastic bucket & slowly check the roads for the orange beauties after a rainstorm. Newts always seem to come out after it rains.

I have to admit that I did not take the reference photo for this drawing. I did try to photograph newts during the summer, but I could never zoom close enough to capture the perfect picture. In my head, I kept seeing the newt face-on, crawling on rocks. So, I scoured morguefile.com and found reference that ended up fulfilling the composition in my head. Photoshop helped me fuse background and subject photos together to create the best reference.

The drawing is rendered in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum. It is 8 x 10" in size.

Great Horned Owl

About a year ago, my family and I attended an Outdoors Show in Worcester, MA. There was an excellent Birds of Prey live exhibit at the show and I was able to see this Great Horned Owl from only a few feet away. I made sure to take lots of reference photos of this particular bird.

There is something absolutely amazing about the eyes of an owl. It is no coincidence that the bird itself is a symbol of intelligence. When you gaze into its eyes, it seems as if the bird is looking through you. It is sizing up your movements as a bird of prey.

The feathers presented a fun challenge with this drawing. There is so much pattern involved on the wings and back. It was difficult to indicate the detail of white and still blend the texture enough that the feathers looked lifelike, rather than white specs on a dark background. The drawing is rendered in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum. It is 11 x 14" in size.

There's No Place Like Home!

With Thanksgiving arriving tomorrow, I've continued to think about what I'm thankful for. There are so many moments that warm my heart. Without them, my days would be dull. I am thankful for my family, which includes my pets.

Hershey, our newest addition, can be a handful. He is very high energy, yet the happiest chocolate lab that you will ever meet. One of his bad habits includes jumping on the windowsill to observe our neighbors passing by. He also will wait by the window when one of us leaves. After all, there's no place like home. Especially when it's filled with cuddly dogs and a cat.

This 8 x 10" drawing is completed in soft pastels on smooth, white vellum. I have been working on this piece in between work shifts since September. It probably took me about 2 hours total to complete. Lately, I've only had a few minutes at a time to draw. I'd like to change that!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

: )

Mia

Custom Portraits Notice

Since I haven't gotten a chance to update my site, I figured I would post this notice to my blog. I am taking a break from doing custom pet portraits for a while. I've just received a promotion at my day job & am adjusting to a new schedule. This makes it very difficult for me to devote the time needed to my custom work.

I will still be selling original pastel drawings, exhibiting in shows, and selling my giftware. My Etsy store will remain open as well. When I am ready to begin working on custom projects again, I will post to my blog & site.

: )

Mia

Art In The Park 2009

I will have a booth at Art In The Park at Ashuelot River Park in Keene, NH this weekend. This is one of the area's largest art festivals for fine artists. There is always a diverse selection of work to view! Please stop by my booth to say hello. I will be selling original pastel drawings, as well as greeting cards, nightlights, and jewelry featuring my artwork. Hope to see you there!

Information can be found at http://www.monadnockareaartists.org/