Comments on: Graphite Portrait Giveaway : Week #2

By: Graphite Portrait Giveaway : Week #3 - Graphite Portrait Giveaway - Leanne Wildermuth : Artist by Nature

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:55:53 +0000

[…] to Week 3! I truly enjoyed each of your submissions last week and wish I could have drawn them all! The winners portrait, Foofer (little dog, big bone!) is […]

By: Portrait Giveaway Winner : Week #2 - Graphite Portrait Giveaway - Leanne Wildermuth : Artist by Nature

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:24:41 +0000

[…] entries for week #2 of my custom portrait giveaway were AMAZING!!! Seriously, folks, I want you to know – each of your […]

By: Leanne

Leanne — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:30:43 +0000

Thank you all for your entries! I’ll review them tonight and announce the winner tomorrow!

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:07:50 +0000

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/S7zv5W3mdJe0FztMla4HHQ?feat=directlink

This is my 3 year old daughter. This picture was taken in July of ’08 in my backyard in South Central Pennsylvania. Yes, her hair is naturally curly like that. And No, neither me or my wife have hair quite that color or quite that curly. I especially like this picture because of her Mona Lisa like not-quite-a-smile. The not centered composition and the light/shadow should make a very interesting graphite portrait.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/S7zv5W3mdJe0FztMla4HHQ?feat=directlink

By: Bryan Mullinax

Bryan Mullinax — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:59:32 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bryanlmullinax/202314477/in/set-72057594113868095/

My brother and I on his first birthday

By: Jackie

Jackie — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:13:22 +0000

This is a story of my friend Sharon. I’ve actually never met her, but if she called with the news I still long to hear, I’d be on the road tomorrow.

Sharon’s story inspired a group of people from all corners of the country to meet, work together, cry together, hope together… we are now all friends, we share phone calls and e-mails, in some cases visits… friends with whom I’d trust with my most valuable possessions. Sharon’s story has also inspired this group of friends, these otherwise strangers, to form a non profit group to help others in difficult situations, perhaps one similar to Sharon’s…

Sharon breeds, raises, trains and shows Siberian Huskies. She’s had a lot of dogs, but one in particular touched her heart. His name is Blue. Blue is an amazingly handsome dog and very smart. Blue at a very young age acquired a number of titles in Agility and was a favorite sire of her kennel.

On May 8th of 2007, Sharon’s father passed away. During the confusion of that sorrowful day, Blue escaped from his home. Sharon was hit with a double whammy of grief. She did everything she could think of to recover her beloved Blue – she hung posters and flyers, checked animal control facilities, rescue organizations, set live traps in areas where there have been sightings, incorporated the help of animal communicators, balloonists and anyone she could rally to help her find her dog.

After Blue had been missing for several months, it became evident that Blue could have gone further than originally thought. What if someone found him and transported him 100’s of miles, what if he roamed hundreds of miles. What if he ended up in a shelter that had no idea he was missing? A group of other husky owners from across the country organized an effort to help Sharon with the scope of the search . I was one of them.

We wanted to take some of the burden off her. We created a website, http://www.WhereIsBlue.com, we assigned people to check lists of regional shelters on a weekly basis. We printed thousands of flyers and mailed them to hundreds of pet store, vet office, humane society, newspapers, truck stops and rest areas in a wide radius of Blue’s home, we had dozens of people donate time, money and resources, we bombarded newspapers in the region with letters of the editor.

A newspaper reporter in Michigan called me to do a story on Blue and asked me why Sharon & Blue? Thousands of dogs are lost all the time… I don’t know if I have a good answer other than, why not Sharon and Blue?

Blue is still missing and if my heart breaks to think of it still, I can only imagine Sharon’s pain. Sharon still receives sightings and the website still monitors and investigates leads and receives a good number of visitors each week. We still are hopeful. Strangers send their wishes and prayers to Sharon via the website and tell their stories of hope… someone found their beloved cat after 3 years, their German Sheppard found his way home after being gone for many years, but mostly they share stories that they won’t give up hope either.

I named my recent rescue Taysia Blue in honor of Blue; I brought her home near the one year anniversary of Blue missing. I think of Sharon and Blue every day, I have a picture of Blue in my office. Sharon, as well as all of us, still has a glimmer of hope that one day he will find his way home.

I’d love for you to complete a sketch of Blue for me to give to Sharon. The gift would represent hope, remembrance and friendship; all because of a dog named Blue.

His picture can be found on the home page of http://www.WhereIsBlue.com.

By: Heather

Heather — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:04:03 +0000

Hi Leanne

My entry is my nephew, Brodie, who is almost 8 months old. I am so thankful for him because he has brought my brother and I closer together. Also, just look at him! He’s so cute!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.php?pid=1307136&id=701572542

By: threeundertwo

threeundertwo — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:30:55 +0000

Wow! What a generous giveaway and some great entries here!

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg258/3u2_album/happyplacechair009.jpg

This is Ashleigh, a British Shorthair who has been a loving member of our family for almost 18 years. I will be a complete wreck when we lose her.

She has harlequin markings, not as distinct now as when she was young. Half her face is blue, half cream, with a line down the center. She had a litter-mate sister with the opposite coloring. Her coat is a gorgeous blue-cream mottle. Her hair is particularly soft and thick, like a rabbit.

Her eyes have lost their beautiful golden color as she fights blindness, but they don’t seem to bother her and she manages well.

By: Jeannie

Jeannie — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:03:28 +0000

Attached is one of my favorite single-subject nature photographs.

It’s a very simple photo, taken at the Popcorn Zoo in Forked River, New Jersey.
They have such beautiful wildlife there and it is so accessible to the public.

As stated on its website (http://ahscares.org/page2.asp?page=aboutzoo&style=2), the Popcorn Park Zoo was established in 1977 for the sole purpose of providing a refuge for wildlife that were sick, elderly, abandoned , abused, or injured, and which could no longer survive in its natural habitat. As time went on, they expanded to include exotic and domestic animals. It is run by the Humane Society.

http://naturephotographybyjeannie.wordpress.com/2009/01/05/5-january-2009-macro-1/

Thank you for running this wonderful contest!
—
Jeannie