Art meets life

Portraits make great gifts!

I love working on portraits. I especially love when someone commissions a portrait as a gift - holidays, anniversaries, weddings, even memorials of those who we've lost. I love working on portraits because of the love that flows from the giver, through me, to the person who ultimately receives the gift. I feel that love when I'm working on the project, and I like to think that love shows in my work.

Just finishing up on two new projects - see below.

David&Meghan

Cook-Lady

Loads of commissions

What a treat! I've always loved painting portraits and this season kept me really busy! Here are a few of the finished commissioned works.

All I need to create a portrait is a good photo of the subject. In focus and with good lighting.

[nggallery id=47]

Collage paper / Gifts / Pet Portraits / Portraits from photos / Watercolor - 01/12/2014

My friends at Felines & Canines

Last month I wrote a post when I completed a series of pet portraits I planned on donating to my friends at Felines & Canines. I wanted to give them something to help decorate their soon-to-be-completed, totally renovated, new and improved pet shelter. Well - the long year of construction is finished - and now they have a totally gorgeous, warm and happy, no-kill shelter for cats and dogs. They moved in this week. They took an old house and made it into a state of the art, clean and friendly place where they can house 2-3x the pets they could before. Not to mention prior to the move they took in only cats - but now with all the extra space they have become a cats and dogs shelter. They are an amazing team and truly wonderful people. I can't say enough about them. If you are a pet lover, you must stop by. Adopt a pet, donate to a very worthy cause, donate some of your time, or just stop by to say hello. You will be as impressed with them as I am.

The photo above was taken yesterday - only a day after they moved in. They are posed in front of my donation - featured in their fabulous new adoption room. Abby Smith and her partner Kelly Thompson run this amazing place and Marie-Clare Balabanian pictured at left is one of the many dedicated and warm-hearted staff members who take such excellent care of these pets. The lovely canine front and center is Knuckles - Abby and Kelly's dog and a favorite at the shelter. Knuckles is featured in one of the portraits, upper right.

Congrats, my friends, on the fabulous new place, and the beginning of a new era for Felines & Canines!

Pictured above, from left: Marie-Clare Balabanian, Knuckles Thompson-Smith, Kelly Thompson and Abby Smith

To get a better view of the portraits, click the thumbnails below.

[nggallery id=34]

Pet Portraits / Watercolor / Watercolors - 12/21/2012

Felines & Canines - a very worthy cause

Last year I met some wonderful people. An amazing group of people who dedicate their lives to taking care of cats and dogs who have found themselves without homes. And they were right around the corner from where I've been living for the last 6 years.

Tink

Felines & Canines is a no kill dog and cat shelter headed by Abby Smith and Kelly Thompson, located on Chicago's far north side. Their current temporary location is at 1962 W Peterson Ave. Chicago - but only until their year-long renovation of their real home is complete. At that time they will move back to their place at 6379 N. Paulina St.

As a donation I just completed a series of portraits of their residents - some with heart warming stories. There is Tink - short for Tinkles - who is the sweetheart of the people who work there and pretty much everyone who walks in. He came to them at 6 months old having been hit by a car, leaving the back half of his body paralyzed. He has found a warm and nurturing home with F&C - he runs and plays and is cherished as one of the family.

Nana

Then there is Nana - their first canine rescue. Felines Inc had been their name since the 70s but with the renovation they have expanded their space and therefore are now a cat AND dog shelter. Nana came to them off the street and everyone fell in love with her instantly, and she found her forever home within days of being taken in by F&C.

Then meet Thelma - a long term resident of F&C. She is not friendly with humans - one of the many feral residents at the shelter. She skulks around the place with her funny little face - taunting those such as me who want to scoop her up and give her a cuddle. Don't let her fool you, she's not having it. Because of this, she is unlikely ever to leave the shelter, but that is ok. F&C is a no kill shelter so Thelma will have a home with them as long as she wants it.

Thelma

Anyway - I can't say more about this place and these wonderful people. Following are the finished paintings. In time for the grand opening I will be getting these framed and they will decorate one of the walls of the newly renovated home.

I can't wait.

Click the thumbnails to see any of the photos up close.

[nggallery id=34]

Art show / By Rochelle / Masa paper / Materials / Monoprints / Paintings / Pet Portraits / Portraits from photos / Watercolor - 10/25/2012

Now showing in Lincoln Park

On Thursday I installed my paintings at the new art gallery opening soon in Lincoln Park. It's called "Fortunate Discoveries", it's located at 1022 W Armitage, and is a similar business model to the Andersonville Galleria. I've signed a lease and I get a wall all to myself.

Fortunate Discoveries' focus is original artwork of all types. I am one of a few 2D artists showing there, and there are jewelers, photographers, sculptors, potters and more. It's a pretty fab place!

All the artists are installing their work this week. I decided to focus on my florals, still lifes and cheery landscapes seeing that spring has made an early appearance here in Chicago. If all goes well Fortunate Discoveries opens doors within a week. Soft opening meet and greet with the neighbors is April 1 and grand opening is Friday night, May 4 from 6-9pm. Hope to see you all there!

Art show / Collage paper / Cray pas / Masa paper / Materials / Monoprints / Original portraits / Paintings / Pet Portraits / Portraits from photos / Salt / Watercolor / Yupo paper - 03/16/2012

Pet portraits from photos

I recently finished two new pet portraits. A portrait makes a wonderfully personal keepsake to remember someone who has passed to to commemorate a beautiful moment in your life.

The portrait of Allie below was completed some months ago but was only just given as a gift over the weekend for the owner's birthday. I knew this cat personally - I used to cat-sit for Allie as she and her owner, my good friend Barbara, used to be my neighbors. Allie had the most beautiful blue eyes, so I chose a bright blue background to really make her eyes pop. Barbara's mother commissioned the painting so I had to keep the portrait on the hush hush until the gift was received but now I'm free to post it. We all miss you Allie!

The dog portrait was a gift I gave to my good friend John this weekend. He lost Bernie (the dog on the right) just a month ago. I had already planned to do a portrait of the dogs for John's birthday - I took the source photo back in November. But now that Bernie has passed the gift is even more poignant. Bernie - most wonderful of dogs - you are greatly missed!

I personally love doing portraits and love to try and find the soul in each subject. I have recently offered a donation of a series 9 pet portraits to Felines & Canines, a nearby pet shelter, to serve as featured art in their new facility currently under construction. Stay tuned for posts following my progress in creating these nine images.

Allie - portrait, monoprint with watercolor and collage

Nina & Bernie - portrait, monoprint with watercolor and collage

By Rochelle / Collage paper / Masa paper / Materials / Monoprints / Original portraits / Paintings / Pet Portraits / Portraits from photos / Watercolor - 02/14/2012

Wheaton terriers and birches

Playing around with some more monoprints lately. Dad and Lynda are celebrating their 65th birthdays this year so I decided to do a pet portrait from photos of their Wheaton Terrier, Seamus. He's a dashing young guy - lots of energy - and I thought the monoprint process would help depict his personality as well as make an interesting painting. I did two while I was at it. I also did a couple inspired by late fall color in the trees.

[nggallery id=24]

Gifts / Masa paper / Monoprints / Paintings / Pet Portraits / Watercolor - 11/30/2011

Pet Portraits R Us

I just finished a commissioned puppy portrait of Maya - a gorgeous Great Dane. My client purchased this painting as a birthday gift for her friend, Maya's owner. I always like to have a few paintings going at once so I'm not sitting there watching paint dry, so, while I was at it, I also did two other pet portraits. One is a portrait of Juno, a lab mix puppy owned by my good friends the Carrolls, and I also did a portrait commemorating my much missed cat, Daisy.

All three of these paintings are combinations of monoprints, collage and watercolor. I love the unexpected effect created by both the collage and the monoprint. You never know what you're going to get, but it's usually something good!