Youth Remembered

Bill, a friend of Norman's, dropped by for a visit while passing through. In catching up Bill discovered Norm's portraits. We told him about our relatively new business of Your Precious Portraits and he pulled out a treasured picture of his wife Bobbie that he carried with him and asked if Norm could do a portrait.
Well here is:

It was so touching to hear him talk of his wife of many years.  His picture was one of the few he had of her when she was young.  Isn't funny that even as we age, inside we don't picture ourselves as getting older. We think of ourselves in the prime of our youth. Maybe that is our spirit. Hers is beautiful.

I can certainly see that Bill still lovers her very much.  She is a treasure.

To see the original picture check out our gallery

Open House at True Custom Framing by Design

It was not too long ago Norm and I were eating at the Stone House Grill when I noticed a frame shop that had opened up 2 doors down.  Of course I had to investigate.  We walked in and met owner Jesse Guardado and his wife and like us he had just started his business not too long ago.

It was a start of a friendship.  We came up with the idea of promoting his framing and our artwork in his store.  Just recently last week Jessie held an open house promoting a 50% discount on on framing an gave us space to feature Norman's art screen.

Here is Jessie below with one of Norm's pieces: Girl with Red Umbrella, in the background showing possible framing of a portrait.

Here I am discussing the benefits of digital painting being echo friendly and the economics of digital painting.

Below is one of Norms paintings that Jessie recently framed. It is painting of our dear friend Jan Dragala's horse. Jan is a designer and artist as well. She worked with us at American Greetings for many years. She now passes on her talents and insights to the students she teaches.

Here Jessie and potential customers look at one of Norm's paintings of a little girl we entitled Precious.

She is the granddaughter of another dear friend Dan Forst who also worked for many years at American Greetings. She graces one of business cards and indeed is precious.

  

Again there I am below. I have to say it was fun meeting so many people who are interested in the arts.

Again there is Jessie below discussing the limitless possibilities of framing with those that came to the open house. He works with his clients and will customize to his clients needs. He also does a lot of out of the box thinking when it comes to framing the unusual. 

The Art of True Custom Framing by Design is located on 24960 Center Ridge Rd in Westlake, Ohio.

Come check out his shop and prices and support the small business man.  He loves to please his clients.

Completion of the Art as a Privacy Screen

It has been a rather long project of trial an error but mission accomplished. Norm and I came up with the idea of putting a painting in a privacy screen format. You can see a version of this painting called Favorite Path in the gallery.

Here is a shot Norman took of the screen in our solarium. The beauty of it is the painting is also on the reverse. So the painting can been viewed from the outside as well.

I am excited about the possibilities of this new format and what we can do for our customers. 

A New Project in the Works

I have been working with Norman on producing his paintings as a folding privacy screen.  This photo is showing the project in its beginning stages. There are four panels that will be framed and attached with hinges. I am also looking to add possible feet to the bottom of the screen. Here are the four panels with one side completed laying on our dining room table. I can't wait to see the other side attached and to work on the framing. I hope to update you with our progress.

For the Love of Cats

"Let's Play" Portrait of Elvira

Fellow cat lover, Lori Ericsson, has adopted a new kitten.  She had shown me pictures of her pride and joy when I asked if I could have a copy for reference for a new cat painting. Norm and I brainstormed on what creative liberties we would take. Here is the result.

Here is your Elvira, Lori. She's "purrrfectly"cute and steals your heart.

The Love of a Child, A Gift of Christmas

The Prize

‘Time it was and what a time it was it was, a time of innocence, a time of confidences…’

These simple lyrics by Simon & Garfunkel describe life as a time of innocence when Marc was just a small boy. His eyes do appear to be focused on the prize, and his confidences have guided him through all he has accomplished thus far in his life.

It seemed like only yesterday when this photo was taken at Patterson’s Fruit Farm in Chesterland, Ohio.  A ‘yesterday’ that has led us to today, where Marc is now a fourth year Pharmacy student at Duquesne University.  You will never meet prouder parents! 

These are the words of Marc's father.  He commissioned a painting of his son from a small photo he treasured as a gift. We wish him and his family a very Merry Christmas and a very Blessed and Happy New Year!

Adding a Touch of Christmas

When Norman decided to do a painting of our friends horse he thought to take it one step further.  He added a wreath to the fence to add a touch of Christmas.

Here you can see the original photo on the side.  The painting was also done without the wreath. But the beauty of a painting is being able to take creative license and add or subtract elements to the painting.

Being digital it makes it easy to have more than one version and to be able to customize one version to a particular occasion as in this case adding a wreath gives the painting a holiday feel.

In this case the painting can make a great personal holiday card as well.

Autumn Journal

Photos taken by Norman Drake

The days are getting shorter. The the brilliant hues of Autumn's glory are fading fast as winter approaches. This year the colors were particularly brilliant. I was thankful that Norm was able to capture a few of some of Fall's most wondrous color palettes.

Portraits can Make Great Christmas Gifts

I hate to think that Christmas is around the corner. It is already the end of October. So often I panic when I think of Christmas presents. A painting might be a great solution!

The little girl in the above painting is the sister of the Bride in the picture below in the previous blog entry. Below is a photograph taken at the wedding that her sister gave us for the inspiration of a painting.

Many of us have great photos of loved ones tucked away in photo albums that would make a great portrait painting, let alone a great gift, especially for those that are hard to buy for.

What is nice about a digital painting is that copies can be made for other members in the family. Check out our website to get some ideas.

Here is Norm's Newest Painting

I asked Norman to start doing more bridal portraits since he has done only a few. I had seen some bridal photos of a friend of ours and asked her permission for Norm to work on doing a bridal series. This is the first one. Hopefully there will be a couple more.