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Welcome

You have reached the blog of pet photographer/artist Jill Beninato and it is safe to say that my life has gone to the dogs...My clients are usually of the four-legged variety and my tools of the trade include not only my camera, but more often than not, squeaky toys, dog treats and tennis balls.

I think that I have the best job in the world and a typical day at the office usually involves me chasing a dog down the beach to get that perfect shot. People often ask if photographing animals is difficult, and I always say that you would be amazed what a dog will do for a treat and a good romp in the park.

So, welcome to my blog...this is where I like to post photos from recent photoshoots, as well as, some of my pet portraits and art journal work. Hang out for awhile and please feel free to comment if you like. I always love to hear your feedback. In the words of Bob Barker, please remember to spay and neuter your pets and adopt from your local shelter to save a life!

Dogs Rule Mosaic

August 18, 2008 – 1:49 pm

OK, here is my second attempt at mosaic…I have to say I am much happier with this one. I made the individual tiles a little bit larger, placed them closer together and chose colors that have a bit more contrast I think. I also used black grout this time to accent the colors and keep the piece kind of dark and jewel toned. I just found a really cool frame at Michael’s today I want to try with it as well. It is a 12×12 shadowbox frame made out of pine wood that can be painted however you like, only $7.99! I am thinking just a black frame would be nice, but not 100% sure yet. I just ordered some new glass to try out next. I love the Smalti, but I have to say it is kind of pricey. I have not tried any of the others yet so I figured I should experiment a little. I ordered stained glass this time because I like the colors available…thanks for stopping by to take a look and I would love to here your feedback!

By admin | Posted in Uncategorized | 8 comments         Add a Comment |
  1. Melissa   -  

    Hi Jill!
    oh! It is absolutely amazing! I love the colors and the black grout is so cool!
    WoW!
    Emmitt and I have an award for you on our blog today.

  2. manon doyle   -  

    Beautiful Jill! I mostly use stained glass and there are a ton of colors available! Great job!

  3. Wendy   -  

    Jill! you are on to something!!! I like the black grout too. I think you found yet another calling! Great job!!

  4. Jamie Cowbelly   -  

    FAN-TAS-TIC!! I LOVE it!! Just beautiful Jill.

    FYI: I am developing feedback to your email today and will send it to you before days-end! With a little bit of tweaking I think you have some great options. :-)

  5. Grace   -  

    OMG this is AWESOME. Love love love it! The black grout looks incredible.

  6. Rebecca   -  

    I find framing mosaics a huge challenge. I have had a few professionally framed in brushed aluminum , but that gets expensive. I would love to see your after shot once framed:)

  7. Vinnie   -  

    I simply love your dog art! Very nice work.

  8. Linda O'Neill   -  

    Hey…it’s the Dogs Rule Mascot! Beautiful job, Jill…you are an instant success at doing mosaics. Really love your last set of paintings too. That first one of the dog with the flower is amazing.

New Paintings…

August 15, 2008 – 6:20 pm



Here are a few new paintings…The first one is of a sweet dog named Moses who loved biting the heads off all of the flowers in the garden. The second one you may recognize is of Max the digging Boston Terrier and lastly is a painting of Daisy looking suprisingly happy in the car. I could not decide between orange or blue, so I posted them both. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

By admin | Posted in Uncategorized | 5 comments         Add a Comment |
  1. Melissa   -  

    hi jill!
    oh i love your new paintings!
    they are wonderful!
    have a great weekend!
    melissa

  2. Wendy   -  

    My vote is for the blue background.. love the contrasting colors.. they are all wonderful.. glad you got the pkg! Enjoy!!!!

  3. manon doyle   -  

    So beautiful! I also like Daisy with the blue. Moses and Max are darling……. great work!

  4. nicole   -  

    I love them all but the Daisy one is my favorite!

  5. Jamie Cowbelly   -  

    soo cute- I love the brushstrokes on these. Are you trying something different? I especially like the boston. :-)

First Try at Mosaics…I learned alot…

August 14, 2008 – 5:17 pm

Here is my first attempt at creating a mosaic. I used mexican smalti glass that I glued down to MDF board. I tried to do a portrait of my dog Daisy and I am pretty happy with the results for a first attempt. I learned alot about cutting glass, patterns and how to try and convey some tonality and depth with a limited pallette. Next time I will probably cut my tiles a little bit larger and put them closer together to cut down on the size of the grout lines…I actually liked this piece better before I grouted it. It lost a lot of color and pop after it was grouted I think. I have to send out a big “thank you” to Rebecca and Manon for answering a few questions for me along the way…they really inspired me to try this in the first place! I am getting ready to start a second attempt soon so I can try and improve on my skills. I have to say that I found the whole process very relaxing and meditative…kind of like working on a jigsaw puzzle. Thanks for stopping by…

By admin | Posted in Uncategorized | 6 comments         Add a Comment |
  1. Melissa   -  

    oh my goodness jill!
    it is amazing! i cannot believe it is your first mosaic. you are so talented!
    xo
    m & e

  2. Wendy   -  

    Jill, this is sooo cool! What is MDF board?.. .. Very impressive!

  3. Linda O'Neill   -  

    Pretty amazing for a first try, m’dear. Looks like you’ve been doing it forever! It’s beautiful!

  4. admin   -  

    Thanks! Wendy - MDF is medium density fiberboard….It is good because it does not warp easily.

  5. manon doyle   -  

    It’s exactly like a puzzle! LOL! You did a great job! You learn a little more with each one.

  6. Jamie Cowbelly   -  

    Oh my god this is AMAZING!! Please tell me you are going to do commissioned pieces. :-)

More Mail art…

August 11, 2008 – 9:29 am

Whenever you receive mail art, you should always send something back in return…Here is the piece I did for Randi. I borrowed Bernie’s amazing quote from the dogs rule book because it really struck a chord with me. Thanks so much to everyone for your emails regarding the project. I already have new people contacting me who want to join in on the fun next year…next year?? hmmmm, anyone out there want to host???
In the meantime, I thought I would extend another idea to anyone who is interested. If you find yourself itching to be creative but don’t want a time consuming project, try mail art! It is a great way to cheer up someone’s day and a really quick thing to do something fun and creative. I will send out everyone’s address to the people who were in the book so you can suprise a friend if you like. If you were not in the book and want to swap, just email the person to get their mailing info. There are no guidelines for mail art, just create something, any size, and mail it. I like to put my mail art in a cellophane bag and tape it shut so you can see the piece through the bag. That way it doesn’t get messed up in the mail…Use funky stamps for postage and decorate the outside if you like..make it special! If you receive something, please reciprocate in some way..if you don’t have time to do art, send a goody bag of some sort, etc.
I an still working on my very first mosaic…I hope to post a few picture soon when it is complete. I have really enjoyed working on it…I found it to be very meditative - kind of like working on a jigsaw puzzle. Thanks to Rebecca and Manon for your tips! Have a great Monday…

By admin | Posted in Uncategorized | 5 comments         Add a Comment |
  1. Melissa   -  

    Great new mail art Jill!
    I always love to see what you are creating!
    Melissa

  2. manon doyle   -  

    I love the mail art! I think I’ll have to get into this once I’m finished my project. I can’t wait to see your new mosaic!

  3. Wendy   -  

    This is really great! I love your use of rubber stamps! THe dog bone xray is an extra special touch!

  4. admin   -  

    Thanks guys…Wendy, that dog xray is actually of my dog Cowboy. He is a Katrina Dog and when we got him he had been badly abused…the xray shows how his pelvis was crushed by someone kicking him as a puppy. We thought we were going to have to do surgery to fix it, but decided it would be more traumatic to try and correct it when he was healing on his own with no major complications from the break. It broke my heart to see that xray…I wanted to drive down to Gulfport and find his previous owner…He is great now…runs like a greyhound!

  5. Jamie Cowbelly   -  

    Jill you are one of the most creative people I have ever met, I feel lucky to know you. I have showed many people who have come into my office my Dog Rules book (including a handful of clients) and all they can say is “WOW”. Thank you for being you!

I love receiving mail art…

August 7, 2008 – 8:49 am

I have a few friends that I swap mail art with off and on and I have to say that it is one of my favorite surprises in life…there is nothing better than going to your mailbox, expecting the same old junk mail, bills, etc. and seeing something wonderful and unexpected there waiting for you. It’s like Christmas, but better. Randi sent me this awesome piece and it was really kind of karmic how fitting the theme was in my life at this very moment…interesting how that works sometimes. BTW, if you aren’t familiar with her art journaling book (deck of cards really) “Wide Open” you should really check it out…she has inspired my journaling in a lot of different ways…thanks Randi!

By admin | Posted in Mail Art | Tagged | 2 comments         Add a Comment |
  1. manon doyle   -  

    So cool! What a great thing to open your mailbox and get a beautiful surprise! I have this book ( deck of cards) “Wide Open”, and I love it. I actually brought it to my studio so I can go through it whenever I want.

  2. Grace   -  

    My dear, you have some amazing and talented friends.

Dogs Rule Fatbook Has Gone Postal…

August 4, 2008 – 4:38 pm

Hi everyone…I just sent out the “Dogs Rule” fatbook to all of the particpating artists and you should be receiving them very soon! I have posted some photos of the completed book below for everyone to see. Each book is a little bit different so don’t be alarmed if you don’t see exactly the same things in your own book. Some artists sent all different pages, some books have black divider pages, some clear, etc….That’s what makes them unique. Later I will post some photos with all the examples of each artists work so you will get to see what others got in their book.
We made one extra copy of this book and it will go up for auction on Nov. 15th on EBAY. The proceeds from the book will benefit Bernie Berlin’s rescue “A Place To Bark” so mark your calendars if you want to bid. I will post something here before the auction to remind everyone. The book will also be getting a little bit of press in the next issue of Bark Magazine. They have been kind enough to support our project and hopefully draw some attention to A Place To Bark. If you are not familar with Bernie and the wonderful work she does, please take a moment to visit her website and blog. She is amazing! Thanks again to all of the girls for being brave and joining me in this project…It is something I will always treasure!


Above pages by:
Cover and side view - Jill Beninato
Jill Beninato & Anne Leuk-Feldhaus
Jamie Pflughoeft
Anne Leuk-Feldhaus & Manon Doyle
Rebecca Collins & Wendy Crumbley
Moira McLaughlin & Rebecca Collins
Nicole Mlakar-Livingston & Leigh Jackson

By admin | Posted in Uncategorized | 16 comments         Add a Comment |
  1. Rebecca   -  

    Jill,
    I got my book today and I am so thrilled. Wow. It was so much fun to be a part of this project. Thanks again for inviting me to participate. I am honored to be in such good company. There have been a few random highlights in the last 10 years that have given me that feeling that “I have arrived” … this is at the very top of that short list.
    Your the best,
    Rebecca

  2. manon doyle   -  

    Jill,
    I’m still speechless! Everyone is so talented! What a great project this was! I applaud all you girls on the awesome work!!!
    I can’t say thank you enough Jill. It was a privilege to be included! You’re amazing!

    -manon

  3. Moira   -  

    Thanks for including me in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Dog Book!” I feel very honored.

  4. Jamie Cowbelly   -  

    OMG I can’t wait!! Wow, wow, WOW! I’m sure my copy came today to my biz mailbox and I will head over there tomorrow before going down to the studio. I am bubbling over with excitement to see what all of the (uber-talented) dog art gals did with their pages. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING JILL!! And thanks to the ‘Sisterhood of the Pet Portrait Artists’ (moniker given by Kathy Weller)! This has been an awesome project. I hope we raise a TON of money for Bernie. :-)

  5. Melissa   -  

    Hi jill!
    I just got my book and I am speechless! It is so beautiful, I cannot believe it is mine.
    Thank you so much for putting this all together. You are amazing!
    xo
    melissa

  6. manon doyle   -  

    Just wanted to leave another comment and tell you that your page rocked! I loved it! Bulldogs are so much fun to work with!

  7. admin   -  

    Thanks everyone…I am so happy that you all like your books…the art is amazing!

  8. Wendy   -  

    I sat in perfect contentment, witnessing wonderful works of art and words of solace that touched my heart. A talented group of women and dog loving artists beyond compare. Jill, I cannot express my gratitude for your labour of love that went into this assembly. The book is and will always be a cherished keepsake in my life. You really out did yourself! Thanks again for including me in this very special project and I thank the others as well. You all are the very best! and Dogs Rule, of course!!

  9. kathy weller   -  

    Totally amazing work of art! Such an honor to be a part of it. I’m so humbled and proud!
    XOXOXO
    Kathy

  10. leigh   -  

    I, too, am so honored to be included with all these wonderful artists. The book is very special. Thank you Jill for thinking of this great idea, organizing it all, and putting it all together. You are the best !

  11. nicole   -  

    What an amazing bunch of super talented women - thanks for inviting me in on the action. Jill you really went above and beyond with this book. I will treasure it forever!

  12. Jill   -  

    This is so amazing!

  13. Jamie Cowbelly   -  

    My heart is full with love. For my book (which I finally got to sit down and pour over tonight- it is AMAZING!!!!), for the supremely talented, funny, caring, supportive, incredible dog artist women who participated, for the support of the dog art/photography community, and for the fact that the internet exists and brought us together in the first place! Thank you again Jill for everything, thank you. Dogs Rule!!

  14. Grace   -  

    This is breathtaking and amazing and beautiful. WOW. Jill did you hand make each individual book you sent out to the artists? HOLY COW. This is such wonderful stuff.

  15. admin   -  

    Grace - yup…made each book by hand. It took a long time, but was well worth it…

  16. Anne Leuck Feldhaus   -  

    Jill, I’m late in responding as I was out of town when my book arrived. What a treasure to come home to, I couldn’t get through it without tearing up and had to go back later to read each artist’s statement and tears again! Thank you so very much for your genius and hard work!

    -Anne