Everything Happens for a Reason

If you follow me on social media you know I have been tirelessly working on creating a body of scratchboard portraits to bring to the Virginia Beach Pet Expo which was set to be this weekend September 9th and 10th at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. However due to the possibility of the area being affected by Hurricane Irma the event has been postponed to sometime next spring. There is no official date yet but I am told it will be in March or in June. I was extremely disappointed to hear this especially since we are going to have nice weather this weekend. 

I always like to say that everything happens for a reason and I was reminded of that yesterday when I came down with an awful head cold so sitting in an art booth all weekend would not have been fun. I am not sure if the change in temperature has got my sinuses out of whack or if I caught something from the girls who have been snotty this week. On the bright side now I have so much more time to continue building up my body of work and ultimately improving before the show takes place next spring. 

The same day that I was notified that the show this weekend was cancelled I also received my first commission through my website which was extremely exciting. I have gotten awesome photos to work from and can't wait to share the finished products.

The Oceanview Art Show taking place October 7th and 8th will be the first show I plan to do as a scratchboard artist and not a painter. I still have a lot of work to do between now and then but at least I have a head start on some pieces to bring. Including this 18" x 24" Sign I made for myself. I thought it would be much more interesting to have my sign be a scratchboard itself. This was my first time doing large lettering and I am pleased with how it turned out. I was going to fill in the letters with hatching but I thought back to the first scratchboard I ever made back in high school which was a high contrast shot of a woman's face and I filled the background with song lyrics. So I figured it would be much more interesting to fill the letters with animal breeds, and words relating to pets or animals in general. The effect was just what I was looking for. Plus the look that cat is giving the puppy is perfect.

Thanks for following me and my work! Time to create...