“Bird’s Nest”, pencil, 6″ x 6″, 2002 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

My Nest Eggs

“Bird’s Nest”, pencil, 6″ x 6″, 2002 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

“Bird’s Nest”, pencil, 6″ x 6″, 2002 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Yes, there’s a story behind this…

Several years ago I was a member of a small business organization and was included in an article about small business owners setting up a retirement plan for themselves. The theme, of course, was “nest egg”, and the editors wanted some illustrative photos of us showing the nest egg theme, like holding bird’s nests or eggs or images along that theme.

The nests and eggs the photographer brought were clever and colorful, but being an artist and studying birds for years, they didn’t do too much for me. I had suggested I would be photographed out in my backyard wildlife habitat and for the article I’d say something about studying and sketching birds and their nests, and originally I wanted to use one of the nests I had on hand with a few reconstructed eggs. That was too realistic, perhaps, so I went to the next idea—I make my living as an artist, so I’m literally “drawing my own nest egg”. Perhaps use that as a metaphor?

So I had the sketch started and sat on the bench under my trees working on my sketch and that was the photo of me they used. I wish I could find the issue of the magazine that had my photo! It’s here somewhere, but things from a decade ago are in various places around my little house.

Hence the sketch of the nest with eggs, which I still like just as a sketch too. But there’s another interesting element to this story too.

I have maintained a website called The Creative Cat since 2009 to share my pet portraits, my stories and poetry, my photographs and write about topics of interest and concern to people who love cats and also pets and all animals. I write about backyard wildlife habitats as part of that, and aside from the feline art I regularly share I also share the birds and other creatures as well.

In January 2010 I shared artwork “From the Lost Sketchbook” series, where I’d found a sketchbook from 2002 or thereabouts that I’d kept at my desk. This was a general purpose sketchbook and I used it for many things in addition to extemporaneous sketches such as illustrations and ideas, and it included sketches of my cats and a few other subjects. I was so happy to see it again so I scanned all the sketches that were pertinent to The Creative Cat and posted them. For all the cats and dogs I featured in my artwork on The Creative Cat, this sketch had the most views of any piece of artwork on The Creative Cat for several years. I have no idea why, but I’m glad readers enjoy it.

Purchase the original or a print.

This art is My Nest Eggs, Pencil, 6″ x 5″ on multi-media drawing paper.

[ss_product id=’1b74612e-22b2-11e7-87c2-002590785994′ ]Wildlife Artwork, My Nest Eggs[/ss_product]

 

SHIPPING

Shipping within the US is included in all the prices listed. All shipping is via Priority Mail. Prints are shipped flat in a rigid envelope. Canvases are shipped in a box to fit with padding. Since this original is small it is also shipped in a box with extra padding.

GICLEE PRINTS

The giclees are printed on acid-free hot press art paper for a smooth matte finish using archival inks. Giclee is the highest quality print available because the technique uses a dozen or more ink ports to capture all the nuances of the original painting, including details of the texture, far more sensitive than any other printing medium. Sometimes my giclees look so much like my originals that even I have a difficult time telling them apart when they are in frames. The giclees have 2″ of white around the outside edges.

I don’t keep giclee prints in stock for most of my works. Usually I have giclees printed as they are ordered unless I have an exhibit where I’ll be selling a particular print so there is a wait of up to two weeks before receipt of your print to allow for time to print and ship.

DIGITAL PRINTS

Digital prints are made on acid-free matte-finish natural white 100# cover using archival digital inks. While digital prints are not the quality of a giclee in capturing every nuance and detail of color, texture and shading, I am still very pleased with the outcome and usually only I as the artist, could tell where detail and color were not as sharp as the original.

The 5″ x 7″ and 8″ x 10″ digital prints are centered on 8.5″ x 11″ digital cover while the 11″ x 14″ has 1″ around the edges because the digital paper is 12″ wide. All are countersigned by me.

CANVAS PRINTS

I usually have at least one of the smaller sizes of canvases on hand, but order larger ones as they are ordered here because customers often want a custom size. Smaller canvases are a 3/4″ in depth, Canvases 12 x 16 and larger are 1-1/2″ in depth. I set them up so the image runs from edge to edge, then the sides are black or white or sometimes I slip in a color that coordinates with the painting. This canvas is white on the sides.

GREETING CARD

Cards are 5 x 7 printed on 14 pt. C1S, blank inside and available with a matching envelope.

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