Author Archives: Bernadette

About Bernadette

Portraits of Animals features my latest fine artwork and photography, original art and prints, handmade creations, apparel, housewares, gift items, greeting card sets, books and calendars inspired by my household of felines and the beauty of nature. In every moment of every day, everywhere I go, I see something extraordinarily beautiful and inspiring. I am moved to share it by interpreting it in a medium that most clearly expresses my inspiration in that moment, be that medium visual or literary, 2D, 3D, poetry or prose or some combination thereof. I only hope to do honor to the moment and fill others with the same blush of joy I felt at first experiencing it. On this site I present the results of those efforts to interpret my inspirations—my cats, commissioned cats and dogs, wildlife, landscapes, flowers, waterscapes, just about anything that crosses my path.

Join us at Dogapalooza in Carnegie Park, Sunday, June 4, 10 to 2

Sunday, June 4: Dogapalooza I’ll have my animal portraits and Custom Pet Memorial Votives Fundraiser for the Carnegie Dog Park and charitable animal organizations. Vendors, costume contests, basket raffles, food truck 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Carnegie Park, 900 Forsythe Road, Carnegie, PA 15106 I’m looking forward to displaying my Pet Remembrance Gifts and seeing […]

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I’ll See You at the HCMT/Pittsburgh C.A.T. Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser May 21

Sunday, May 21, 2023, 3:00 TO 7:00 The Homeless Cat Management Team and Pittsburgh C.A.T.’s 6th Annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser J. Verno Studios South Side 3030 Jane Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 Valet parking available MENU Pasta with Marinara Sauce, Salad, Roll, Dessert, and Drink VEGAN-FRIENDLY MENU BAKE SALE TABLE CHINESE AUCTION/SILENT AUCTION   All proceeds […]

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Featured Artwork and May Desktop Calendar: Peach Begonias

  Register for an account on Portraits of Animals and get a free matted print of “Peach Begonias” or choose from several other sketches, paintings or photos of cats and other subjects. Read more about this painting on The Creative Cat: Featured Artwork and May Desktop Calendar: Peach Begonias

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May Nature Desktop Calendar: The Garden Gate

About The Garden Gate For someone who is a gardener and spends a lot of time in her yard–what a special place! If I can’t have it in my yard, at least I can paint it. The arbor sporting ivy, the old rhododendron crowning the entrance and the gate, mysteriously left ajar and leading to […]

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Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Spring Artisan Market April 30, 2023

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Spring Artisan Market April 30, 2023, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. This is nature and wildlife focused, if you’re local I hope to see you there! It’s my first time at this event and I’m really looking forward to meeting this audience! The event is planned to be both indoors and out, but since […]

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North Hills Art Center Art for Animals Submissions

I dropped off submissions to the North Hills Art Center annual Art for Animals exhibit to benefit the Hope Haven Farm Sanctuary, which takes in farm animals and livestock who need to be rescued from negative or inhumane conditions. You’ve seen two of these paintings in the past few months, Big Blue and Nikka’s Jupiter […]

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April 8, 2006, the Day I Took the Photo of “Blue and Yellow”

I download my photos from my DSLR into daily folders named with the date and today I happened to be in the folder for April 6, 2006 and saw the photo that became the reference for this painting. Yes, it’s that magic light as the angle of the sun rises and sunlight reaches way into […]

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What’s On My Easel? Saplings, Acrylic on Canvas

I took a photo of saplings along the creek in early spring along the Panhandle Trail. The straight lines of the saplings and varied colors and widths and patterns with the light behind them, and even a bit of the creek, immediately appeared to me as a larger painting, but abstracted. I just wanted to […]

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April Feline Desktop Calendar: Three Black and White Cats

This painting of three black and white cats began as a commissioned portrait in 1992, but decided I didn’t like the layout of the three cats, stopped, and painted another in pastel. But I kept this one and decided I like it just as much as the one I used. How much I’ve learned in […]

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April Nature Desktop Calendar: Forest Bathing

About Forest Bathing A view of the misty spring woods. I’ve always loved this ravine just off the Panhandle Trail for the angle of light that enters it, that deep “V” shape creating colorful highlights and rich shadows and always mossy logs with a little sparkle of water that meanders down the center. And in […]

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