tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32348910828947912632024-03-13T00:15:18.801-07:00Laura Gross Illustrationlaura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-7126472113662748892013-09-09T16:32:00.000-07:002013-09-09T16:32:21.734-07:00Gus the BulldogSorry it's been awhile. I've been creating a few new creative outlets for myself - I will share about those soon.<br />
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In the meantime, I am so excited to post my very favorite painting EVER. Yes, I love it THAT much.<br />
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My cousin, Rich, contacted me after having received a painting of his critter from his mom. You can see his pug, Vinnie, <a href="http://lauragross.blogspot.com/2012/06/vinnie.html">here.</a> His buddy had to put down his sweet bulldog, Gus, and thought that a pet portrait would be a great way to remember him. The photos I received of Gus were epic. This dog had such personality and often looked pretty stoic. As sad as I am to hear about people losing their pets, I always feel honored to capture their spirit in a painting to remember them. So here it is, both the final project and the process.<br />
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<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-72087483387763296512013-07-17T19:25:00.001-07:002013-07-17T19:25:34.573-07:00Bird a Day #51<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yikes, I should know what this bird is! But it's a beautiful black bird with a very red orange beak. Saw him at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. </div>
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<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-49823140514054415452013-07-15T14:22:00.001-07:002013-07-15T14:22:34.207-07:00More zoo and aquarium sketches.So these critters don't qualify as "Bird a Day" but I wanted to share them anyway. Over the course of a long weekend, we explored both the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the San Francisco Zoo. What a neat experience getting to see new critters. I took lots of pics and got some drawing in. <br />
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Otters at Moss Landing and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. </div>
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Reticulated Giraffes at the San Francisco Zoo.</div>
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Resting Kangaroo and Sleeping Koala at the SF Zoo.</div>
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Some sort of sheep at the Children's Petting Zoo at the SF Zoo.</div>
<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-91455129418418809452013-07-14T16:31:00.002-07:002013-07-14T16:31:55.387-07:00Bird a Day #50For #50 I decided to save this drawing. At the Monterey Bay Aquarium we got to get up close and personal with an Albatross. It was BEAUTIFUL. And even better than just being near it, was that it enjoyed being scratched on the head like a cat. So cute. I loved this bird and getting to see it in such a unique setting. Unfortunately this drawing is in the middle of the page and our scanner had a hard time catching it - but you get the gist.<br />
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<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-30135387496208022942013-07-13T16:50:00.001-07:002013-07-13T16:50:51.036-07:00Bird a Day #49<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yet another sketchbook page. The San Francisco Zoo was a fun day for me. I got to see some new creatures and got to draw a little bit. (it started raining and wet pages make for sloppy drawings) I did get to draw inside for a bit despite the rain. Here is the scarlet ibis for #49.</div>
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laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-11472000995715083262013-06-25T21:29:00.000-07:002013-06-25T21:29:00.335-07:00Bird a Day #48Another sketchbook page. This time from the San Francisco Zoo. You just can't go wrong with African Penguins. They might be one of my favorites to draw. Such characters and personality.<br />
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laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-6226136405067913622013-06-22T20:07:00.002-07:002013-06-22T20:07:43.475-07:00Bird a Day #47If you've been around this blog awhile, you will know that I once challenged myself to draw daily. Well, like most of my art, that took a hiatus. However, I have been wanting to try it again. So interspersed with other artwork I will re-start the bird a day. For #47 I'm posting a page from my sketchbook that I did recently. So maybe it could count for four? Just kidding. We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and saw puffins. I was floored. They are pretty cool creatures. Here are some drawings of them.<br />
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laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-22860547863772219042013-06-21T09:35:00.001-07:002013-06-21T09:35:42.383-07:00Peanut.I've had the pleasure of painting critters for Joan three times now. She started as a friend of a dear friend, but has now become a friend of mine too. You may remember <a href="http://lauragross.blogspot.com/2012/07/max.html">Max</a> and <a href="http://lauragross.blogspot.com/2011/10/sweet-zoe.html">Zoe</a>. This is her new critter Peanut and what a character she is. I love seeing pictures of her and man, is she gorgeous! Thanks Karen for loving me enough to commission artwork for your dear friends and thanks Joan for being such a lovely person to paint for. You both are so encouraging!<br />
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Peanut.</div>
<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-31714974095825412322013-06-19T21:44:00.000-07:002013-06-20T12:42:25.999-07:00Jellyfish.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A friend here commissioned me to create a jellyfish piece for a friend of hers. It was a fun challenge and definitely not something I normally do. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this critter. Yes, jellyfish can still be considered critters. </div>
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<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-78580282571881357452013-06-19T21:29:00.000-07:002013-06-20T23:13:48.259-07:00Cara's Birthday.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is quite an old piece as Cara's birthday was New Year's Eve but still never too late to post a piece. </div>
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For Cara.</div>
laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-23235335137766696392013-06-19T21:25:00.001-07:002013-06-19T21:33:50.786-07:00More Jack Russells.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Similar to my sisters, my in-laws have had jack russells most of their lives. They raised them and bred them and really just loved the critters. In the almost seven years I've known them, there were three critters that I got to know - Badger, Lexi, and Maggie. Unfortunately, over the past few years they have all had to be put down. They lived long healthy lives and brought A LOT of joy into our lives. I painted these guys for my mother in law's birthday and am happy to share them finally. </div>
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Badger</div>
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Lexie</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbb834CbcSxJCSqW_k9yImlTlHrQRtshYRUOYJY-eMMgoiZhbP3vnU_GYyrYaNd0bb3sRgpOpKggYQxyMH-osbpIVcv7GUJ6RMFES12wPkxz8Hww6DiGYHHM-1pjytV7hdrBiP94fFyI5f/s1600/maggie052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbb834CbcSxJCSqW_k9yImlTlHrQRtshYRUOYJY-eMMgoiZhbP3vnU_GYyrYaNd0bb3sRgpOpKggYQxyMH-osbpIVcv7GUJ6RMFES12wPkxz8Hww6DiGYHHM-1pjytV7hdrBiP94fFyI5f/s320/maggie052.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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Maggie</div>
<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-79255664782507488232013-06-19T13:09:00.002-07:002013-06-19T13:09:41.392-07:00A few new cards.So I've been terrible about posting. But fortunately it is not because I haven't been creating. I've been doing a lot actually. I wanted to get some updates so I thought I would start with a few things I documented quickly on my phone. I know, I know, I should be scanning ALL of these. But sometimes the quickness of creating them doesn't allow for that. So here are some cards I created for various purposes. I've really enjoyed experimenting more and more with what watercolors can do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIL58FHEQxNbXFbsBBdWt4-Ec67ZFjwDCHatjmYiH-5EglPEmXElUGeoDqruGku2FdleM9oIWJWSvwTvM3n7cKSKTthRM2WbBsQ1bHNtsBu0m29449eJOv4qOYCBwyCa3Lca1kR-nFhuei/s1600/IMG_20130124_175809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIL58FHEQxNbXFbsBBdWt4-Ec67ZFjwDCHatjmYiH-5EglPEmXElUGeoDqruGku2FdleM9oIWJWSvwTvM3n7cKSKTthRM2WbBsQ1bHNtsBu0m29449eJOv4qOYCBwyCa3Lca1kR-nFhuei/s320/IMG_20130124_175809.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Birthday card for Matt.</div>
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Birthday card for Lisa. </div>
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(I wish I had a better pic of this)</div>
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Birthday card for Lisa.</div>
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(There are two fantastic Lisa's out here)</div>
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Card for a friend of a friend who lost this sweet critter.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnmO2sObME3e2wa3ZxHGUjBUwNCRxN7TTR6tr_nCN2sm_8kBY6IBj1bPHM68hGaFrH6igyemT9-8ckimnrnFJadYaUMgmLn9kcgWQzEmrWmyDuKwnVwCPHzotwslFFe1IP27UZ37F_6sp/s1600/IMG_20130610_083902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnmO2sObME3e2wa3ZxHGUjBUwNCRxN7TTR6tr_nCN2sm_8kBY6IBj1bPHM68hGaFrH6igyemT9-8ckimnrnFJadYaUMgmLn9kcgWQzEmrWmyDuKwnVwCPHzotwslFFe1IP27UZ37F_6sp/s320/IMG_20130610_083902.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The gorgeous Peanut for Joan's birthday, commissioned by Karen.</div>
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(There's an oil of this one coming soon)</div>
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Hope you enjoy! Look for more posts as I slowly get my act together. :)</div>
<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-45664646395431788342013-01-03T17:13:00.000-08:002013-01-03T17:13:38.285-08:00Thomas, Patrick, and AbbyMy sisters dogs are no strangers to this blog. I realized I had never done a piece with all three of her dogs in one picture. I decided to fix that and add to the growing collection of her pet portraits for Christmas. :)<br />
(It isn't the best scan but this pushed the limit on the size my scanner can hold)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYfu00GDEe6-xNthpu4MFGEhBV_RvWF3WOEvgVssq6JBQMBmblkIk6JAW9Vx5WsyNv3Fmdop8yM0XtTv591MXfBuSZzsGQ6RSB4aX8urmEH-b-5goksDzoxZeTqdxTg7J-L9LdGTs8PRm/s1600/3+pups2039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYfu00GDEe6-xNthpu4MFGEhBV_RvWF3WOEvgVssq6JBQMBmblkIk6JAW9Vx5WsyNv3Fmdop8yM0XtTv591MXfBuSZzsGQ6RSB4aX8urmEH-b-5goksDzoxZeTqdxTg7J-L9LdGTs8PRm/s320/3+pups2039.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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From left to right: Abby, Thomas and Patrick.</div>
<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-62771088618278152252013-01-01T14:34:00.000-08:002013-01-01T14:34:08.809-08:00Hurley.This sweet critter belonged to my friend, Joey and her family. Unfortunately, Hurley is no longer around, so Joey wanted a portrait for her dad for Christmas. I'm always honored to get to capture a loved pet for a gift. I also love getting to hear the stories when they are surprised with them. :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OXM5dqjMF3TNIsn50Iz1Upv23jxolUX8Jgd5xysAsDW6qKz0V7WUXF7MYItlbSBXHyu5hhWC-ye-K9usEu1_mr67HVPhlVKyIHUcPgW6VQLY6bcWLcDIJzRnhIZjAcPhr0iHcMhxsY8j/s1600/hurley035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OXM5dqjMF3TNIsn50Iz1Upv23jxolUX8Jgd5xysAsDW6qKz0V7WUXF7MYItlbSBXHyu5hhWC-ye-K9usEu1_mr67HVPhlVKyIHUcPgW6VQLY6bcWLcDIJzRnhIZjAcPhr0iHcMhxsY8j/s320/hurley035.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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Hurley, the dog. </div>
<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-1953897970793293212012-12-31T17:36:00.000-08:002012-12-31T17:36:35.191-08:00Rilo.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I feel like this card deserved a post of its own. Rilo is the cat of our dear besties. Though he doesn't love us as much as we love him, it was fun to paint him on a card for them. When this picture showed up on Facebook I knew it was the one I had to paint. This is on the continued experiments with watercolor and pen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cIYB91WgLrkjOSNuUHHdhBEW98Im5J8EetdgWzQL8IIkZJd-e3JN_rItCaFZCyRoIGdroOjFHOht-ygodcVapAW-dF-3KphxeNaaIPiq6yaujbTKnT0WHXz6MJl8-PdPCJN-vUWHxd_l/s1600/rilo+postcolor047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cIYB91WgLrkjOSNuUHHdhBEW98Im5J8EetdgWzQL8IIkZJd-e3JN_rItCaFZCyRoIGdroOjFHOht-ygodcVapAW-dF-3KphxeNaaIPiq6yaujbTKnT0WHXz6MJl8-PdPCJN-vUWHxd_l/s320/rilo+postcolor047.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The lovely and handsome, Rilo.</div>
laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-30754048233670109872012-12-30T15:54:00.000-08:002012-12-30T15:54:54.023-08:00Watercolor Cards Part Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">A few more watercolor cards I've created with watercolor and pen. Luckily Ben got me some new pens in my stocking so I'm excited to experiment with some of those. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSY_CHB76gvhkflE1nv0IefPSaMYJLme8h3L8u3-5zz02jrWbH8D0_rVotkl-dI2gySxrjN45lYbu7sgINcemf_jzThZtD-tTvfGgtDHPOqzHKz1ul8PwraqjDvvIz2R-w_KLocosXdU_/s1600/patti+pug037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSY_CHB76gvhkflE1nv0IefPSaMYJLme8h3L8u3-5zz02jrWbH8D0_rVotkl-dI2gySxrjN45lYbu7sgINcemf_jzThZtD-tTvfGgtDHPOqzHKz1ul8PwraqjDvvIz2R-w_KLocosXdU_/s320/patti+pug037.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A card for Patti after adopting two pugs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8-_nquzA6thROthhLofsdnaaBjuLQhuOLPpXDAoRUUD5TasZtrZdJeovrcGlk9UAY3-DoyYT_kpxol46oeBGWhQOvAA685mY5Ylpqf6SG2KCo9dAvkBUkfSu_610gRC6hOa2MIZYLFk2/s1600/roxy049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8-_nquzA6thROthhLofsdnaaBjuLQhuOLPpXDAoRUUD5TasZtrZdJeovrcGlk9UAY3-DoyYT_kpxol46oeBGWhQOvAA685mY5Ylpqf6SG2KCo9dAvkBUkfSu_610gRC6hOa2MIZYLFk2/s320/roxy049.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
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A card for Jenni, my Secret Santa at work.</div>
laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-57429536198494276212012-12-29T17:54:00.001-08:002013-06-19T12:57:07.783-07:00Orchids.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">My mom has a blank wall in her office that required either something large or three medium size pieces. For Christmas, since she is the Orchid Whisperer, I decided to paint from botanical illustrations I've been researching. I love the simplicity of botanical illustrations, especially the vintage ones that have little to no background. Here are the three pieces I did for her.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxPVqAUYVI-EYefB_0khaDaID7pEbdZme95JNj2Bei4FTpLRKw3Hpqy4u6HW25xDycvwBFpJTxvCL4iZb15EjA0lXyDvd7O4hEm8CSfTY1nOhl4PPvA72y0PJ4GpWRgRkVkx247NdFdeI/s1600/orchid+1031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxPVqAUYVI-EYefB_0khaDaID7pEbdZme95JNj2Bei4FTpLRKw3Hpqy4u6HW25xDycvwBFpJTxvCL4iZb15EjA0lXyDvd7O4hEm8CSfTY1nOhl4PPvA72y0PJ4GpWRgRkVkx247NdFdeI/s320/orchid+1031.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMO5DMJaJWQZPC_JuCn7WgrR_a_Nv8UTtbcf6Yh3GlEttMWZ-V-5rP0STHpIAINa24QZEUgKtcmncViKxdWis5VfOhP7kFXCKVE7vuhnenoGmigSYlEA8muPvwhvrpkjxpb4E4t8zv-f7/s1600/orchid+2032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMO5DMJaJWQZPC_JuCn7WgrR_a_Nv8UTtbcf6Yh3GlEttMWZ-V-5rP0STHpIAINa24QZEUgKtcmncViKxdWis5VfOhP7kFXCKVE7vuhnenoGmigSYlEA8muPvwhvrpkjxpb4E4t8zv-f7/s320/orchid+2032.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivv-bss5qQRDp4NbUxshIP5FHKvLohpnNC3yv3jW5wy7zxsZLdEcRKC22QDIXR-3nYbNF_x973d3DCZQAGmiV-DnkK11HCxt-wyGIAJYEot5GstdK_zxc1GBy1Q9GeaCVMIn60Hc5sXL_N/s1600/orchid+3033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivv-bss5qQRDp4NbUxshIP5FHKvLohpnNC3yv3jW5wy7zxsZLdEcRKC22QDIXR-3nYbNF_x973d3DCZQAGmiV-DnkK11HCxt-wyGIAJYEot5GstdK_zxc1GBy1Q9GeaCVMIn60Hc5sXL_N/s320/orchid+3033.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-45511928356200037672012-12-29T17:46:00.000-08:002013-06-19T12:57:04.300-07:00A Rooster for Nancy.For Christmas this year, I took it upon myself to do some artwork. Sometimes this is stressful in the beginning but this year I ended up with some pieces I was really proud to give as gifts.<br />
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This was mentioned by my dad that my stepmom wanted for her kitchen. Turns out, it's good luck to have a rooster in your kitchen. It was really fun to do and I love the colors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdW9h7byFj9KKidU_ogKl5qL0n92_sX4kliYwexq8g0fLUBqIGrM4bIcqH0dF1QYOm0ewm2LCcOJQGOt1M3KymLrUm11sBOBlldldjhEZJGKRefCy8z98br0YNGPe6lHRY-x3Kp1X4OWi/s1600/rooster040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdW9h7byFj9KKidU_ogKl5qL0n92_sX4kliYwexq8g0fLUBqIGrM4bIcqH0dF1QYOm0ewm2LCcOJQGOt1M3KymLrUm11sBOBlldldjhEZJGKRefCy8z98br0YNGPe6lHRY-x3Kp1X4OWi/s320/rooster040.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A rooster for Nancy.</div>
<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-91351622763120173982012-12-29T17:31:00.000-08:002012-12-29T17:31:11.192-08:00Watercolor Cards Part One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well now that I've given most of the artwork I've done for gifts away, I figured I can start posting some of it here. I'll start with the watercolor cards I've made for friends for various occasions. Before leaving Denver, I got a great gift card to the best art supply store in the world. I stocked up on these watercolor blank cards that enabled me to experiment a little. Well I've LOVED it. I've sworn off oils for awhile to get to play with watercolors a bit more. Here are some of the cards.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJG32lObuB6RBHYRI-iURINrNvxHFpdP9WcZwXR6GTc0LVq40HlIa0kOBBE530DNeOU8-eSw0XUsBDyimZZOrWlM42pMf68mb2FnSPlvNJNJpuOM7IsII1PzKAavtq6o6St6rEQ57by-3/s1600/corgi048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJG32lObuB6RBHYRI-iURINrNvxHFpdP9WcZwXR6GTc0LVq40HlIa0kOBBE530DNeOU8-eSw0XUsBDyimZZOrWlM42pMf68mb2FnSPlvNJNJpuOM7IsII1PzKAavtq6o6St6rEQ57by-3/s320/corgi048.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Birthday card for Janine.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiuMdE0txfzY5YcZKb-fZZPU7gcTbPxqWKZagAixI710kGQpWzGf7StsOzpC2NoqhOcJxRPe8lQCK4zTkf4kaoxLkG0C5i_IsqYKgKCCp21mzOULuIisMaNaQNZO98gqB5F8S43_Fd12uj/s1600/corwins+postcolor046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiuMdE0txfzY5YcZKb-fZZPU7gcTbPxqWKZagAixI710kGQpWzGf7StsOzpC2NoqhOcJxRPe8lQCK4zTkf4kaoxLkG0C5i_IsqYKgKCCp21mzOULuIisMaNaQNZO98gqB5F8S43_Fd12uj/s320/corwins+postcolor046.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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Christmas card for Corwin.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBtpJA1WkyPkYmQ8THc39bogRZjomQu0XfHt3z2MX5L3IhlR1tPBdA62ERLmnoAVbU0FINt2TLTMHN1hV0-jqIkVNDjrEx__8cUlZP6MIWRfGfBa7qps89mOuWR79EA4uFfXxS0JfA4ea/s1600/marcs+postcolor045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBtpJA1WkyPkYmQ8THc39bogRZjomQu0XfHt3z2MX5L3IhlR1tPBdA62ERLmnoAVbU0FINt2TLTMHN1hV0-jqIkVNDjrEx__8cUlZP6MIWRfGfBa7qps89mOuWR79EA4uFfXxS0JfA4ea/s320/marcs+postcolor045.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Christmas card for Marc.</div>
More cards and paintings to come....<br />
<span id="goog_1244400657"></span>laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-67332459416719277002012-11-29T23:38:00.000-08:002012-11-29T23:38:44.560-08:00Happy Birthday Kate!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am in the BEST small group at my church. Seriously, the BEST. It's a group of lovely women who are real and genuine and absolutely hilariously fun. One of these lovely friends is Kate. Her birthday was this past weekend and tonight during breakfast for dinner we celebrated. I made her this card because she is a fan of pugs. I found the image on the internet then drew it. I've been experimenting with watercolors and can't get enough. Enjoy and Happy Birthday again Kate!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKQtvMM_rrrT6RU8_bwMreA3ZfbvFDKVgUs17OLJPa4gz7Nu4kxjG1t9Ukmm0J0DMOLb_mfkU32_67M-o-uU0sNOZLkXk6UWhzGkiByWMSFiVWeo7ZD_T-xoBpFqpEZITHCs8YwhnV9jK/s1600/kate+pug036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKQtvMM_rrrT6RU8_bwMreA3ZfbvFDKVgUs17OLJPa4gz7Nu4kxjG1t9Ukmm0J0DMOLb_mfkU32_67M-o-uU0sNOZLkXk6UWhzGkiByWMSFiVWeo7ZD_T-xoBpFqpEZITHCs8YwhnV9jK/s320/kate+pug036.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-34586699234955677942012-11-29T18:47:00.001-08:002012-11-29T18:47:26.968-08:00A few updates...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Man I've been busy. I have slowly started painting again. Exploring some more with watercolors. It's been really fun trying new techniques. Once the holidays pass I'll have even more fun pieces to show you. But for now here are the oldest four paintings I've done. I am really going to try and post these more regularly. :)</div>
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These first two were for a very dear and lovely friend of mine. She is a fellow cat lover who has two GORGEOUS boys. I painted two of her instagram pics for her birthday and found the cutest little square frames for them. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0iUV4Aj7NzxD7fypth_WCQ3dOTYZQTHIQhIG_dRNe6lhjElHMsfwerJp5CS7NGZEqkd7NXxkwmtYgJ6Eqq111acX9j6qWuWfU7wkI3B-4-EJXXVX7RFcb1SgMxFSMBzGQ2ZtfZ0eB0Jp-/s1600/percy030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0iUV4Aj7NzxD7fypth_WCQ3dOTYZQTHIQhIG_dRNe6lhjElHMsfwerJp5CS7NGZEqkd7NXxkwmtYgJ6Eqq111acX9j6qWuWfU7wkI3B-4-EJXXVX7RFcb1SgMxFSMBzGQ2ZtfZ0eB0Jp-/s320/percy030.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
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Percy</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKDyVK5gt9lAOk4aQhJ1GZ41eC8WrFKXMCRAaJrnzhmzhW4b7hEtNaojYPTrW4Oj-yZjKKw6GUPjhb3_OcbMiMpBPuq5dAoK2C9Jwx3AuMs_Wy-3Axj85UpInew0i7za3opd8FTAPj0Mt/s1600/tobias029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKDyVK5gt9lAOk4aQhJ1GZ41eC8WrFKXMCRAaJrnzhmzhW4b7hEtNaojYPTrW4Oj-yZjKKw6GUPjhb3_OcbMiMpBPuq5dAoK2C9Jwx3AuMs_Wy-3Axj85UpInew0i7za3opd8FTAPj0Mt/s320/tobias029.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
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Tobias </div>
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This is the second wiener dog winner from my church's wiener nationals this summer.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7wvg4r7AotkuC0lsvVBz2X5gGq-4aNkidujRlq6haRutrvRgyrs9FMEcBXV1i0WEHhyphenhyphen74kdgJvXLf9cR2KDwvM5UYgmwAY0j2GsNX55lmX3jkSg3wj2ptnt_dIA4J6Hct21qRoPWJG1t/s1600/howie+long034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7wvg4r7AotkuC0lsvVBz2X5gGq-4aNkidujRlq6haRutrvRgyrs9FMEcBXV1i0WEHhyphenhyphen74kdgJvXLf9cR2KDwvM5UYgmwAY0j2GsNX55lmX3jkSg3wj2ptnt_dIA4J6Hct21qRoPWJG1t/s320/howie+long034.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
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Howie Long</div>
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And last but not least is this cute kitty. A sweet friend here in California commissioned this piece for her sister's birthday. Peppercorn is her sisters bestie and is adorable. There were a lot of hilarious pics to pick from but I liked the sweet face of this picture.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eWt_xhAT419koA_1c3EFZI75UV7Y_TK4L90-R5RaNeHsY-0Q1o-NYuLwGq6vb7m_pkZoB3tARb7bXb3qrwH6ndgX1_qfwsQVmcQbgmBgR1DpwEpXajkPTOCEuc5wKDDJvk1R3Dvu5Uiu/s1600/peppercorn028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eWt_xhAT419koA_1c3EFZI75UV7Y_TK4L90-R5RaNeHsY-0Q1o-NYuLwGq6vb7m_pkZoB3tARb7bXb3qrwH6ndgX1_qfwsQVmcQbgmBgR1DpwEpXajkPTOCEuc5wKDDJvk1R3Dvu5Uiu/s320/peppercorn028.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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Peppercorn</div>
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More to come soon. I promise!</div>
laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-19467242470970386342012-08-07T18:33:00.001-07:002012-08-07T20:10:17.850-07:00Frankie, a winning wiener.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">As mentioned before in this blog, the 8th Annual Wiener Nationals happened at Highway two weekends ago. It was a hilariously fun day full of cute dogs and many kinds of mustard. Two lucky wiener dogs won portraits of themselves as prizes. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Which brings me to my introduction of Frankie. Frankie is one of the cutest wiener dogs I've ever seen and when the three pictures of him were sent to me as options to paint, I was happy that Chris and Jen's favorite was also mine. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">So here is Frankie in all his cuteness. </span>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">(this has got to be one my favorite paintings so far!)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7q1q6ACAQEObEuhehcC4ESndyJrj6hIzTk7TlY88HJ7kZSlq62y_kE54SQ8fa-ivCJqMwiHabVakf-Y_auVzRVmQnw9IG3w0HW0GAkY3-8d4yxNE5S_O2m5gyyylh1d1qyggp_JW18Nxf/s1600/frankie027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7q1q6ACAQEObEuhehcC4ESndyJrj6hIzTk7TlY88HJ7kZSlq62y_kE54SQ8fa-ivCJqMwiHabVakf-Y_auVzRVmQnw9IG3w0HW0GAkY3-8d4yxNE5S_O2m5gyyylh1d1qyggp_JW18Nxf/s320/frankie027.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5fU6nOu7-O6J3KnyeP8mNL8VFXBOjlh00BbGAcnVSXaDwmP33VGZ_loyx4xlYlfJAhEMKazgXxYdfFTUiMgM-Gj8xAD_d9k_ThkWxXeRckAVa6FNfXqzcq0a2QxLMz3DH8qIZH80tXYv/s1600/picasion.com_ea7a37c7c009e1a4f16079e22d43ddd1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5fU6nOu7-O6J3KnyeP8mNL8VFXBOjlh00BbGAcnVSXaDwmP33VGZ_loyx4xlYlfJAhEMKazgXxYdfFTUiMgM-Gj8xAD_d9k_ThkWxXeRckAVa6FNfXqzcq0a2QxLMz3DH8qIZH80tXYv/s1600/picasion.com_ea7a37c7c009e1a4f16079e22d43ddd1.gif" /></a></div>
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<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-72888891658256316362012-08-04T10:53:00.002-07:002012-08-04T10:53:46.521-07:00HBD Audra!Audra is one of the first friends I had in college.We met at orientation and then had the majority of our classes together. She's fantastic and fun and I'm thankful for having her be a hilarious sidekick in college. She's a fellow kitty lover and a squirrel whisperer (I promise, they speak the same language). So for her birthday, I thought it only appropriate that a squirrel be on her card.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHV6sLDsX3xhyphenhyphen4XXobjKW_Hzi67RgI7viPbA8SnrxL2c5AQojotaj_LzvQdg6NvM5fcKGBSaoMxVaFlrox9U4OKb3kaYC_StV-49IvVDTnbmMMvHBxfAgWBlUXmkfNBMNznYg0Wb2Pf43e/s1600/hey+you025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHV6sLDsX3xhyphenhyphen4XXobjKW_Hzi67RgI7viPbA8SnrxL2c5AQojotaj_LzvQdg6NvM5fcKGBSaoMxVaFlrox9U4OKb3kaYC_StV-49IvVDTnbmMMvHBxfAgWBlUXmkfNBMNznYg0Wb2Pf43e/s320/hey+you025.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-66276019735271108412012-08-01T16:28:00.003-07:002012-08-01T16:28:44.414-07:00Ornery Harley.So after Iroh we adopted Harley. She was the cutest on the website when we looked at the Dumb Friends League and when we met her she wasn't the friendliest but something about her drew us to her. She has taken longer to warm up but she is slowly getting there - and it makes her affection that more meaningful.<br />
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Here she is.<br />
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I got some wood at Hobby Lobby that has a lot more texture and experimented with it for this piece. I like it, pretty cool. Probably not perfect for ALL projects but I think it has potential.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLoTsVK2nrZTn2OZZwSdiR-TbWOHgoFxNgYIoxyhroeI9XUD7HxLOZGlCxUwyKpZrT3jXVRQpxg-b9sSAPExyfnYIcnXphyY9vDEgafhYtFfjTgusjI-ugeA9y_MDSWMb6JFlL0pQ7ZDA/s1600/harley026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLoTsVK2nrZTn2OZZwSdiR-TbWOHgoFxNgYIoxyhroeI9XUD7HxLOZGlCxUwyKpZrT3jXVRQpxg-b9sSAPExyfnYIcnXphyY9vDEgafhYtFfjTgusjI-ugeA9y_MDSWMb6JFlL0pQ7ZDA/s320/harley026.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<br />laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234891082894791263.post-73042979652366004042012-07-20T20:41:00.000-07:002012-07-20T20:41:46.288-07:00My Sweet Iroh.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Iroh was our first pet. We adopted him as a kitten and he was about 3 months old and had a cold but we adopted him anyway. We were totally smitten from the git-go with this one. He had the biggest personality for such a little kitten. We brought him home and he became the BEST pet I have ever owned. He played fetch, loved to cuddle and regularly slept on Ben's pillow or in between us. He regularly had colds and respiratory issues but was still fun loving and would just tire easily when playing. He would have to take frequent rests. </div>
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<br />In about October of last year, after having him for a year and half, he developed a serious bladder issue. We took him to an emergency vet one night (where we learned about a heart condition he had all along), then to our regular vet the next. And then the next day he took a turn for the worse. Ben and I made the heart wrenching decision to put this little guy down because he was so so sick and would never really be able to lead a full life and wasn't much they could do for him. It was awful, terrible, I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone. Together we had never experienced so much pain or sadness. I know my heart will always be a little broken because of it.<br /><br />Luckily, we were able to adopt again and love another critter, Harley. She is very different than Iroh in every way possible and we adopted her when she was a little older than 1. So we're still getting used to her and she us, but she's a sweet cat and learning to love and slowly cuddle the way Iroh did. <br /><br />With ALL of that said, I have never painted any of my own pets. With Iroh it felt too personal and too soon. But, I took the plunge this week to paint him, had a meltdown looking at all his sweet pictures and then gained my composure enough to finish this painting. It was a good healing step for me and I now more fully understand what pet portraits can mean to someone, especially once their critter is gone. I'm now painting Harley (so she won't be jealous ;) ) so hopefully that'll be up here soon too.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>laura grosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05815709097966001238noreply@blogger.com0