Thought for the Day: Life is an Adventure!

Artwork by BZTAT

Life is an adventure! You never know what is coming next. All you know is that God has given you the strength, the courage and the inspiration to live it to the fullest. -BZTAT

Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT

Follow works in progress by BZTAT on Twitter by searching #bztatptg.

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OHnear Second April Galerie and the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.

Thought for the Day

Artwork by BZTAT

"If you can't decide between a Shepherd, a Setter or a Poodle,
get them all ... adopt a mutt!"
- ASPCA

Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT

Follow works in progress by BZTAT on Twitter by searching #bztatptg.

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OHnear Second April Galerie and the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.

It's a Mom Monday Meme!

From Brewskie Butt, official spokescat of Art Adventures Studios...


My dear friend Henry, known as @Quadpawd on Twitter, has really kept me busy this past weekend. First, he had this fabulous birthday pawty to celebrate his first birthday, and I just HAD to help him celebrate. Then he goes and tags me in a meme in his Cats Who Twitter blog!

What's a meme you say? A meme apparently is an internet phenomenon that includes an image, video, phrase or simply an idea, that spreads from one person to another seemingly for no logical reason at all. When you are tagged, you are expected to write a blog that follows the meme and then pass it on to someone else. You don't hafta do it, but this meme seems a little fun. It's a mommy meme, which means that we critters get to dig up some dirt on our human moms.

Here's the rules that our mom's hafta follow:

(1) post 7 facts about yourself AND photos, OR

(2) post 10 facts about yourself with no photos, OR

(3) post a childhood picture of yourself.

BZTAT agreed to let me post some photos and some facts for her. This has not been an easy task, as I had to sit patiently as she dug through boxes of photos and as I had to comfort her as she walked down memory lane. But I was purrsistent.

Here's the first photo from when BZTAT was a baby. It's just what I thought--I always suspected that she really was a funny looking cat--all ears and eyes. She doesn't look like she wanted her picture taken. Just meowin'...


Here's another pic from her childhood with her brother and sister. She's the one in the middle. Folks used to say that she and her sister looked like twins, but her sister is actually 14 months older. Her brother is quite a photographer--guess artistic instincts are a family thing. You can see his photos here. Her sister is a teacher and is quite artistic in her own right.

BZTAT says that, as far as she can remember, there have always been two loves in her life--art and cats. Here she is in her college art studio at Marshall University. Didja know that she has 2 degrees in art from Marshall?

Bein' an artist, BZTAT has always had to haul things around. Here she is with her first pick-up truck. She's on her 4th truck now.


Here BZTAT is in a picture that was in the newspaper when she did a mural at a Women's History Luncheon last year.

Didja learn some new things about BZTAT? This meme thing is kinda fun. Oh yeah! I hafta tag some other critters. Hmmm. I think that I will pass this onto to my good friends Monkey Cat, Caplin Rous, and my twin from a different mother, Mr. Scrubby. They don't hafta do it, but it would be cool to hear what they have to say about their peeps!

(Oh, and you can tweak it a bit if you want to. If you follow the chain back a few links, you will see that everybody has kind of made this their own.)

Have a BREW-tiful day!

The Brew

Life is an Adventure!

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OH near Second April Galerie and the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.

The Brew Celebrates Canton First Friday Houndcats of Summer!

From Brewskie Butt, official spokescat of Art Adventures Studios...


Hello all my furrends! It's the Brew! Yeah, I am rockin' as the King for the next Canton First Friday that has an Elvis theme! Check out all the cool stuff going on in the Canton Arts District for the next First Friday arts event on August 7, 2009 here!

Oh yeah, and since everyone luvs me as Elvis, BZTAT posted some merch at her CafePress shop with me on it! Check it out here!

I will be postin' more about Canton First Friday Stay tuned!

The Brew

Life is an Adventure!

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OH near Second April Galerie and the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.

Thought for the Day: A Piano Sings

Piano

Sings
Like the angels of daybreak
The devils of nightfall
The evening's crickets
The sunshine's birds
And the busy city streets.

Its chords
Encompass all of nature
Surpassing our wisdom
With their spiritual awakening.

A sense of beauty is in no other way
Achieved.

A piano
Sings.

Artwork and poem by BZTAT

Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT

Follow works in progress by BZTAT on Twitter by searching #bztatptg.

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OHnear Second April Galerie and the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.

Custom Portrait: painting of a Boy and His Cat

"Boy and His Cat"
Original painting by BZTAT

Recently, a woman I met on Twitter (@Zissy4PetTalez) asked me if I could paint a portrait of her grandson and his cat as a gift for him. With some trepidation, I said yes.

I have been an animal painter for as long as I can remember. Painting people has never really been an interest of mine, so I never really explored that genre artistically. When I began using Photoshop, however, I realized that I could design some portraiture images that I kind of liked.

"Jack" Digital Photo by BZTAT

I created this picture when a woman asked me to create an image of her dog. Her nephew came along for the photo-shoot, and his mother asked me to do an image of him as well. I was quite surprised when it turned out so well!

I liked it so much, I used it for the basis for a painting that I did for the Domestic Violence Project in Canton, OH. The painting was selected for the Best in Show Award.

"Rediscovery" by BZTAT

So when my friend from Twitter asked me to do her grandson, I was a little nervous, but I had been successful with one child portrait, so I had a little bit of confidence to do it.

The cat was quite easy to paint. The boy did present some challenges for me. He kept looking sort of cartoonish to me, which I did not want. There is a fine line between whimsical, abstract, and cartoonish. I wanted to stay on the side of whimsical and abstract, but still capture a likeness of him.

I struggled with this painting more than most, because of these challenges, but then, I do tend to fuss about all of them...Anyway, once I finally finished it, I was pretty happy with the result. So was the boy when he received his gift!

Now, I feel much more confident about doing child portraits. It's a good thing. Another Twitter friend has asked me to paint a picture of her daughter and her pug! Here is a sneak peak of the Cookie Monster (still in progress), commissioned by @BayChildCare on Twitter! (For the child's security, I am only posting the image of the dog, per her mother's request.)

Would you like a custom pet portrait of your pet? BZTAT will paint your animal for a very reasonable price. For information, email her at bztat@artadventuresstudios.com.

Info about pet portrait prices can be found here.

Life is an Adventure!

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OH near Second April Galerie and the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.

Surfin Safari July #PawPawty

From Brewskie Butt, official spokescat of Art Adventures Studios...

Brewskie the Surfer Dude
Artwork by BZTAT

Catabunga Dudes!!!! It's Paw Pawty time again! Every month thousands of animals that are on Twitter get together and have a 24 hour pawty to celebrate friendship, frolic and have fun, and raise money for an animal charity. Each pawty has a theme and this month's is Surfin' Safari, connecting with a contest hosted by Baby Patches of Supplies Just 4 Pets. Our animal charity this month is D'Arcy's A.R.C., a registered charity providing animal rescue in Manitoba, Canada.

You can read all about the details here from Frugal Dougal, the Paw Pawty organizer extraordinaire: Paws around the world: Surfin Safari July #PawPawty.

So get your surf board and suit and head out to Baby Patches' Island for the best time ever on Twitter!!! Oh yeah, and while you're at it, please vote for me in the contest here!

Have a BREW-tiful day!

The Brew

Life is an Adventure!

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OH near Second April Galerie and the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.

Thought for the Day

"Patriot Cat"- Drawing by BZTAT

"Where liberty dwells, there is my country."
Benjamin Franklin

Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT

Follow works in progress by BZTAT on Twitter by searching #bztatptg.

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OHnear Second April Galerie and the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.

Sidewalk Sidelines--Canton First Friday

Join BZTAT and other downtown artists for "Sidewalk Sidelines" in support of Canton First Friday's "Chalk the Walk"!

First Friday
July 3, 2009
6:00 PM - 10: PM
In the Canton Arts District

"Brewskie Butt"
Oil Pastel by BZTAT

The drawing illustrated above is for sale for $50. Send email for purchase information to: bztat@artadventuresstudios.com.

Follow works in progress by BZTAT on Twitter by searching #bztatptg.

Art Adventures Studios
Buy Artwork and Gifts by BZTAT
Art Adventures Studios, located in downtown Canton, OHnear Second April Galerie and the historic Joseph Saxton Gallery of Photography.