Sunday, June 27, 2021

When you come to a fork in the road....

 



Where will this path take me?

This is a sketch I did a couple of years ago of a bridge close to my home on one of my favorite morning walks!  I've gone this way so often my dog leads the way, without my help!  It's familiar and comforting.  Sometimes when we go on new or different paths it's a little unsettling, when I'm not quite sure what's ahead, although, I always know it will work out and I'll find my way....

This is kind of how I'm feeling right now.  Last month I got notification that my blog platform will be discontinuing delivering to e-mail subscriptions.... that means you receiving this!  So, I'm in a bit of a conundrum as to what comes next.  A new website/blog, a newsletter, I am still pondering my options?  And as strange as this sounds, I have no idea who follows this blog!  I think there's a way, but I'm not "techy" enough to figure it out.  I tried several years ago, but got frustrated and gave up... and in a way I didn't want to know.  My joy comes from putting it "out there" and hoping that whoever's hands it falls into can take some joy from it.  

My very first blog post was in March of 2015 and since then I've posted 236 times... can you believe that??  Whether you've been with me from the beginning or just joined in, I thank all of you for your love and support and thank you to those who have commented over the years and forwarded it onto your friends.  Looking back, I love watching how it evolved and without a doubt my most meaningful posts for me have been from my Lent Series.  I have always wanted my artwork to be an expression of what I love and believe, and that will continue, so I hope you'll keep in touch and follow me on social media until "whatever is next."

In the meantime, if you want to be included in "whatever is next," please send an e-mail (do not reply to this) to bjmcgregor.art@gmail.com and I'll be sure to keep you in the loop with wherever this new path takes me.

And I hope you will follow me on Facebook and Instagram @bjmcgregor.art
and on Pinterest and Etsy @bjmcgregorart
I've got some exciting new artwork coming up that you won't want to miss!

"But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him, They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream  It does not fear when the heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."   
Jeremiah 17:7-8



Sunday, June 20, 2021

Home is where the heart is ...



I've had a great time this past year doing sketches of places and things of interest to me, but still, after 11 years "in the business" my first love is doing Custom Home Portraits.   I haven't posted many lately, but they still occupy most of my time at my work table.  They each have a story to tell!  It's been a joy for me to get to know these "homeowners" and hear of the memories they've had within these walls.   Basketball in the driveway, Sleepovers, Christmas mornings, Retirement parties and all those special days that make up our lives.....  These two were Father's Day Gifts!  



Sunday, June 13, 2021

Hello Hazel!


Say Hello to Hazel!

What a sweet pup she was to sketch.  Hazel is a therapy dog, and my guess is, she runs the show at her office!  But...those eyes, they are the windows to the soul.  I have really loved doing Pet Portraits, this is my 5th.  I've shy'd away from doing them for years because of the eyes mostly.  Their personality is all in the eyes and if you miss "that look" you've missed entirely.  I haven't met Hazel personally, but I feel we've connected!

I've sure enjoyed choosing my own material to sketch:  churches, monuments, missions, etc but my true love in art is doing the custom homes and pet portraits....the things we love the most!  I have a few commissioned home sketches in the works for Fathers Day gifts, so I can't share them yet, but stay tuned.. 

 

Sunday, June 6, 2021

When McDonalds Ice Cream meets Thomas Jefferson....


 We lived in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington DC in 1985 when my girls were just 1 and 4 years old.  It was an amazing year that gave us several "once in a lifetime" experiences.  We were seated in the Gallery of the House of Representatives for a Joint Session Address by President Reagan, we watched a Space Shuttle launch in Florida, and marveled at the 4th of July fireworks on the National Mall.  But for the kids, it was the occasional drive thru McDonalds for an ice cream cone that was a favorite outing and one of my favorite memories because of this:

On one such outing, after strategically licking her cone to transform the twirl of ice cream to a perfectly domed mound on top, Katie age 4 proudly held it up for all to see and proclaimed "Look, it's the Jefferson Memorial!" 
A proud mama moment... and I'll never look at a soft serve ice cream cone, or the Jefferson Memorial the same way!
_______

With the Vietnam Memorial and Iwo Jima / Marine Corp Memorial from my previous post, I'm excited to share these first few sketches in my new collection:
D.C. MONUMENTS AND MEMORIALS
with more to come throughout the summer!

I'd love to hear from you... 
Tell me what's your favorite DC Monument and Memorial and why!
bjmcgregor.art@gmail.com