Forget-me-nots, and a Spring-themed Greeting Card
Posted: March 29, 2012 Filed under: animal artwork, cat artwork, cat photographs, cats, marketplace, sophie | Tags: cat gift items, cat greeting cards, cat merchandise, cat photos, cat tote bags, feline merchandise, pet photography, portraits of animals 7 CommentsThe forget-me-nots are beginning to bloom as they grow taller more quickly, an inch or two each day, in the pots in the windowbox under my dining room window. Each year when I transplant them from the yard and put the pots in place I remember Sophie and this particular beautiful moment. I’ll always be happy I managed to catch it in a quick little snap on my first tiny digital camera as I left the house one evening in spring several years ago.
Sophie was in one of the windows when I left and when I returned in all seasons, and she always managed to use the curtains to dramatic advantage. This is one of my fondest memories of her, nestled in the creamy lace, and now that she is gone the forget-me-nots have a special meaning for me.
Read more on Portraits of Animals Marketplace…
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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
Two New Daily Sketches on Etsy
Posted: January 14, 2012 Filed under: animal artwork, black cats, cat artwork, cat painting, daily sketch, feline artwork, marketplace, original artwork, portraits of animals shop | Tags: animal artwork, cat art, cat paintings, charcoal sketch, charcoal sketch of cat, charcoal sketch of two cats, daily sketches, original artwork, portraits of animals, watercolor 4 CommentsI’ve added two more daily sketches to my Etsy shop, both Purple Cats, Red Blanket from 1/6/12 and Sleeping and Bathingfrom 1/10/12. Looks like Mewsette and Jelly Bean are the winners this week! Read the post on Portraits of Animals Marketplace.
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Click here to see other daily sketches, and for a gallery of the ones available for sale, visit my Etsy shop in the “Daily Sketches” section.
All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
Happy New Year with Sparklies: From A Year Ago
Posted: December 31, 2011 Filed under: black cats, cat photographs, cats, daily photo, feline talent, holiday, mewsette, my household of felines, photographs | Tags: black cat with scarf, cats, dressing up cats, feline families, happy new year, pets, portraits of animals 17 Comments
A sparkly new year's wish for everyone!
Because we’ve been preoccupied with Cookie, we couldn’t create a new year wish for you, but Mewsette was so beautiful in her photo shoot last year she deserves another year of greeting our readers!
On behalf of my household of kitties, Mewsette wishes you and yours a happy new year!
She’s modeling my latest crochet scarf with vintage pin, and the little sparks of color and the shape of the pin brought to mind fireworks. She has the greenest eyes of the group, too, and I wanted to highlight that with the background.

Mewsette Coquette (are you actually going to give me that treat or just wave it so I'll look at it?)
I’ve never been one to dress up my cats, but I’ve been handling Mewsette and her brothers since they were three days old and somehow decorating this family of nearly solid black cats seems like the natural thing to do.
This extemporaneous photo shoot developed after I tried to photograph the scarf but certain kitties decided it was meant to be a toy—I have to admit they have a few toys that resemble this—and in the ensuing activity someone ended up wearing it.
And they tolerate it, in part because they inherited their mom’s sweet personality and are the nicest family of kitties I’ve ever known (in a lifetime of kitties), and perhaps also because I’ve been handling them all their lives. They put up with a lot of stuff from me, but of course, the benefits are many.
They are now three years old, so it’s time to put them to work!
I think Mewsette has a true career as a model—I’ve included a few more shots from this session along with Mewsette’s comments.
Her brothers were spared the indignity of having to wear this thing, but their day will come.
It’s a little difficult to tell, but I’ve included the extra space on the right of this last photo so you might see how l-o-o-n-n-g Mewsette’s whiskers are.
I hope your 2011 begins on a bright note with colors, smiles, purrs and happiness, and continues to become more beautiful every day!
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To see more daily photos go to “Daily Images” in the menu and choose “All Photos” or any other category.
All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used in any way without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
Senior Pet Adoption Donation Program
Posted: November 21, 2011 Filed under: animal artwork, cat artwork, cat painting, feline artwork, marketplace, peaches, pet portrait, senior cats | Tags: adopt a senior cat, adopt a senior pet, cat artwork, feline artwork, giclee print, peches and peonies, portraits of animals, senior pet adoption program, senior pets 4 Comments
Peaches and Peonies, pastel © B.E. Kazmarski
I pledge to support senior adoption programs at shelters by making a donation from the sale of every full-size or half-size gicleé print of “Peaches and Peonies.”
I’ve told many stories about Peaches on this site so you know her story of losing her person and entering my life when she was fifteen as a foster, and that we shared a very fulfilling five years before she passed though others were afraid to adopt her for fear she’d die soon. That was not in Peaches’ plan, and not in the plan for most older pets who need homes!
For Adopt a Senior Pet Month I’m featuring this donation offer involving prints of the portrait I painted of her. She’d like the idea that she’s still helping people adopt senior pets and helping shelters help senior pets, and I like the idea that I help to spread her memory through my artwork.
Neighborhood Blockwatch Cats
Posted: February 5, 2011 Filed under: black cats, cat photographs, my household of felines, photographs | Tags: blockwatch kitties, cat photographs, feline photographs, pet photography, photography, portraits of animals, three black cats, three cats looking out window 4 Comments
Blockwatch Kitties
It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. On this shift, it’s Giuseppe, Jelly Bean and Mimi at their post at the front window, watching the front street.
The others may change, but Mimi takes her role in this very seriously. After all, she lived out there and knows the evil that might be lurking on a sunny suburban street.
“Look, Eli and Emma are going to school.”
“There’s that daredevil squirrel walking on the top wires again.”
“Who’s that? Mom calls those strangers ‘busway people’.”
“I see the Willards have gotten a new computer desk—neat box! Wish we got new things like that.”
“Oh—hey—there’s that big tabby cat who was on the deck yesterday!”
“He’s coming right across the street!”
“That @#$^&%*& intruder had better watch his step!”
“Let’s go get him!”
And with that their shift has briefly gone on break as they and most of the rest of the house run from window to window to watch the intruder cat brazenly walk through our yard and even up onto the porch, yowling and threatening and hitting each other, and that *^#%@@#!$ tabby cat with white paws stands outside the window leering in.
Happy New Year with Sparklies
Posted: December 31, 2010 Filed under: black cats, cat photographs, cats, feline talent, mewsette, my household of felines, photographs | Tags: black cat with scarf, dressing up cats, feline families, happy new year, portraits of animals 6 Comments
A sparkly new year's wish for everyone!
On behalf of my household of kitties, Mewsette wishes you and yours a happy new year!

Faraway Expression (I'd rather be birdwatching than wearing this thing around my neck).
She’s modeling my latest crochet scarf with vintage pin, and the little sparks of color and the shape of the pin brought to mind fireworks. She has the greenest eyes of the group, too, and I wanted to highlight that with the background.

Mewsette Coquette (are you actually going to give me that treat or just wave it so I'll look at it?)
I’ve never been one to dress up my cats, but I’ve been handling Mewsette and her brothers since they were three days old and somehow decorating this family of nearly solid black cats seems like the natural thing to do.
This extemporaneous photo shoot developed after I tried to photograph the scarf but certain kitties decided it was meant to be a toy—I have to admit they have a few toys that resemble this—and in the ensuing activity someone ended up wearing it.
And they tolerate it, in part because they inherited their mom’s sweet personality and are the nicest family of kitties I’ve ever known (in a lifetime of kitties), and perhaps also because I’ve been handling them all their lives. They put up with a lot of stuff from me, but of course, the benefits are many.

Dignified (I'm just letting you know that I'm done with this thing around my neck now).
They are now three years old, so it’s time to put them to work!
I think Mewsette has a true career as a model—I’ve included a few more shots from this session along with Mewsette’s comments.
Her brothers were spared the indignity of having to wear this thing, but their day will come.
It’s a little difficult to tell, but I’ve included the extra space on the right of this last photo so you might see how l-o-o-n-n-g Mewsette’s whiskers are.
I hope your 2011 begins on a bright note with colors, smiles, purrs and happiness, and continues to become more beautiful every day!
Bodie and Bear Bear Are Ready to Go Home
Posted: December 19, 2010 Filed under: animal artwork, bodie and bear bear, commissioned portrait, dog, dog portrait, pastel painting, pet portrait | Tags: commissioned pet portraits, dog portraits, pastel portraits, pet portraits, portraits of animals, two dogs 6 Comments
Bodie and Bear Bear final portrait
I have completed and framed this portrait, and it’s off to its people to be a surprise holiday gift.

Bodie's face
You can read more about the background on it in my first post, and the fact that the husband is returning the favor to his wife, who commissioned me to do a portrait several years ago.
I had gotten a pretty good start in the first draft, but if you look closely you’ll see a lot more fur this time, and more detail generally.

Bear's face
The portrait is 18″ wide by 14″ tall, and the dogs’ faces a pleasantly big, large enough to work good detail around the eyes and on their noses. Working the fur on subjects this large is a little more time consuming, especially with long-haired animals such as these. I start with general areas of color to mark where the shadows and highlights are, but then I layer other tints and hues over that and the final top color in wisps, blended with my fingers. This is what gives the fur the depth and texture while maintaining the right coloration.
I really enjoy dog’s noses—there’s so much going on there! And in an extreme close-up you see so many different-colored hairs and whiskers of every length.
Read the details of building the portrait and the people who commissioned me in my first post.
I can’t wait to hear what the recipient has to say, and I’ll be sad to see them go so soon!
Read more about my animal portraiture.
The New Portrait Final
Posted: December 13, 2010 Filed under: animal artwork, cats, commissioned portrait, feline artwork, pastel painting, peaches and amaryllis, pet portrait, portrait, senior cats, what's on my easel | Tags: commissioned pet portrait, painting of cat with flowers, pastel painting, pastel portrait, pet portraits, portrait of peaches (other), portraits of animals 11 Comments
The final version of the portrait.
Well, at first glance there’s not much difference between the second post on this portrait and this final version until you look a little closer at the details. At this final stage I add textures where necessary, even out the highlights and shadows, make sure the color palette hasn’t shifted and make sure all subjects are the right shape and proportion.
It’s surprising how easily these details can throw things off if I’m not careful. Up to the final passes for details, I was working over the entire portrait each time, mostly to work out the palette and settle the details of shape and proportion and keeping an overall vision for the portrait. Getting down to details focuses on one are or another and that’s when things move and change.
Here Peaches not only has patches of color, but she also has fur, divining her texture from the blanket. However, in working the highlight from her chin down her chest and adding the nice soft haze of white fur I managed to work the leading edge of her fur out too far and in the process added a few pounds of weight! Poor Peaches, she doesn’t need that sort of thing, but when I removed it I had also drawn over the hazy trees outside the window and had to redraw them.
I clarified the flowers to see each of the petals, and went back and forth with the shade of pink. I had originally used a brighter pink which was not accurate and was too bright for the painting, so I toned that down with a slightly browner pink. I also shifted the blanket from the original bright blue to more of a teal shade to coordinate with elements in the curtains, which would also be in the person’s room, and the blanket’s highlights are blended so it looks fuzzy and soft. The highlights on the vase had made it look very shiny though it wasn’t, and those extreme reflections were also a little harsh for the soft tone of this portrait, so they got toned down.
The most important detail, the sweetest part of the whole image, was Peaches’ face where she has it happily pressed into the flower, her eyes closed, the sunlight shining through the flower petals coloring her fur. That had to be perfect, not photographically so, but in spirit. I enjoyed working many other areas of this portrait, but capturing the gentle shadings and gentle details of her face, her chin and neck and her ear were my favorite part of this portrait.
It will be given as a gift a little before Christmas, and I’ve shipped the framed piece to my customer. I can’t wait to hear what she thinks, and then how her friend reacts. I’m always honored to be trusted with another’s gift, and so happy to be a part of its giving.
Read all the articles about this portrait:

Smelling the Flower.