Sit. Stay. Smile. Photography & Art bio picture

Welcome!

To the Sit. Stay. Smile. Photography and Art blog. My name is Jill Beninato
and I live in Virginia Beach, VA with my husband, daughter and four crazy
dogs. Here you will find the most recent info about Sit. Stay. Smile. Photography
as well as samples of my other art projects. Come on in and take a look
around...it's bound to brighten your day!

New Artwork

Monday, February 1, 2010 at 10:19am

Hey there everyone….I have been MIA lately trying to get ready for an upcoming art show. The show (Artawards 2010) was supposed to be this past weekend, but a freak snow storm here in Va. Beach caused the show to be postponed until Feb. 20th & 21st which was fine by me. People here in Va. Beach do not know how to drive in the snow and it would have been a disaster since we received 7 inches. We have not had that much snow here in 20 years!  I apologize for being such a slacker lately with my blog…I have been so focused on my other projects that I have let this fall by the wayside…I will try and do a better job in the months ahead!

 

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized

by admin

3 comments

add a comment link to this post email a friend

melissa - hi jill! oh my gosh! these are all gorgeous! i love them!

Linda O'Neill - I LOVE these, Jill! I think my favorite one is "Dog is Good". I really like your frames too...do you hand make those? Good luck with the show!

admin - Thanks Melissa And Linda! The frames are actually old windows that I bust all of the glass out of...I like the salvaged wood look and it is a great way to recycle old windows!

Published! Art Journaling Magazine – January 2010 issue

Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 10:48am

Happy New Year everyone! I am really looking forward to 2010 with a sense of excitement…Things have to be better than in 2009! I am starting off the year with a brand new article in Somerset Studio’s Art Journaling magazine. I was honored to be selected to write an article for the magazine mainly because my art journals are so important to me. They are a place where I can just let it all hang out and not have to worry about how the page turns out or if I created something “art worthy”. The magazine, for those of you who may not be familiar with it, is a showcase of different artists journals with lots of instructional information and just pure eye candy. If you like scrapbooking or journaling, you need to check it out. They sell it at Border’s, Barnes & Noble and here.

I am posting photos of my spreads, as well as, images of older journal pages for people to see…I would like to encourage everyone to try journaling…it is a great way to express yourself and really cheap therapy. With the start of a new year, its a great time to give it a try!

 

Posted in Uncategorized

by admin

15 comments

add a comment link to this post email a friend

Shawn - LOVE it! You are so incredibly talented Jill! Hope all is well with you and yours :) Happy New Year!!!

Rebecca Collins - Congrats Jill! Those mags are so yummy & rich. In a publishing world where magazines get smaller and disappear every day it is wonderful to pick up a Somerset Studio magazine and drink in the color and relish in the detail that the web just can not display accurately. Keep up the good work! Now I am off to Borders to get a copy:)

Tamandra - Congrats! You're so inspirational! Happy New Year, and may it bring many wonderful things!

manon doyle - Ooooh! So happy for you Jill! That's awesome!!

Kelly Snelling - congratulations! your journal pages are beautiful, jill!

Maija Lepore - Congrats on the formal recognition of your amazing and never ending talent!!

Stacey - Congratulations! What a beautiful feature to start the new year off with!

Pammy - SO wonderful, Jill. Big big congrats and kudos to you. You are such a talented artist and photographer!

Linda O'Neill - Congrats, Jill! What a nice way to start off the year! I always love your journal pages...they are so colorful and and full of life. I'll have to pick up a copy of the mag so I can read your article.

Amber - This is so cool! Beautiful work.

Blue Mutt - WOW Jill - Congratulations! I love you journals and I am headed to B&N to pick up the mag!!

Gina Beninato - Good for you Wish I had your talent so proud of you Gina

Laura Tucker - Jill, I really enjoyed your site. Your photography is great but the artistic touch really drives it home. What a great choice for subject matter. I also feel a bit of connection with you. I lost my mom as well and when I read your page, it brought some tears to my eyes. I am a photographer/graphic artist as well. Long live the creative spirit! Cheers, Laura

admin - Thanks Laura...my art journal is really important to me as an artist and as a person...It is a safe place for me to write about some of the things that I have a hard time talking about to other people and it is a great creative outlet as well...Sorry that you lost your Mom...I think it is difficult for others to understand that loss who have not been through it...especially if you lose your Mom at a young age....My heart is right there with yours....Thanks for commenting.

leesia - congratulations -- the feature looks amazing and you certainly deserve it!

Holiday Pet Photos

Monday, December 21, 2009 at 10:24am

Here are a few photos to get you into the Christmas spirit from my holiday pet portrait sessions I had a couple of weeks ago…Everybody had a great time getting their pictures taken and the dogs really loved the tree with the real dog bone ornaments…I think every dog that came through that day stole one off the tree…It was a great idea in my mind, but not so brilliant in reality! I also want to say thank you to Two Brother’s Dog Wash & the Virginia Beach SPCA for hosting these two events for me this year…you guys are awesome!

Hoilday_1

Holiday_12

Holiday_5

Holiday_7

Holiday_10

Holiday_8

Holiday_11

Holiday_9

Holiday_6

Holiday_3

Holiday_2

Holiday_4

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized

by admin

2 comments

add a comment link to this post email a friend

manon doyle - Hey Jill, Love everyone of these shots but I'm sure you already know which one is my favorite! I hope that you and your family have a wonderful holiday season!! manon xo

melissa - Merry Merry Christmas Jill and family! Have a wonderful day! Love Melissa and Emmitt

Toby

Monday, December 14, 2009 at 9:57am

Hey everyone! Sorry to be MIA for the past week…Christmas has been full on around here and I have been working like a dog….pun intended. My Etsy store has been doing really well and thanks to all of you who are supporting me over there! I wanted to post a few pictures from a recent shoot of a sweet kitty named Toby. He was a big, curious guy and he loved the kitty toy I brought to the shoot. It was a lot of fun to photograph a cat for a change…you have to get into a totally different mind set and I enjoy the different approach.

I hope everyone is getting all of their shopping and baking done. I am finally going to be able to relax a little and enjoy the season a bit this week since things are winding down for me. I have to remind myself to do this every year. I get so bogged down in the creating and deadlines, that I forget to stop and enjoy whats going on around me. 

Toby_7

Toby_1

Toby_4

Toby_3

Toby_2

Toby_5

Toby_6

 

Posted in Uncategorized

by admin

1 comment

add a comment link to this post email a friend

Mary - Toby is gorgeous! I love the way he looks on that white fuzzy blanket.

Lily and Lumpy

Monday, November 30, 2009 at 11:55am

I had a great time photographing these two silly, lovable labs a week or so ago. Lily was the calmer of the two and Lumpy was the wild child….They decided to go swimming half way through the photoshoot which is always fun….nothing better than wet dogs! Here are a few favorite shots and I have also included a photo of the dog treats that we ordered for my client to give as Christmas presents…The website is called  A Dog’s Life  and they offer personalized dog treats and wine…check them out…they did a beautiful job on the printing!

Strickland_2

Strickland_8

Strickland_10Strickland_9Strickland_6Strickland_11Strickland_3Strickland_5Strickland_4Strickland_7Strickland_12Strickland_1

 

Strickland_13

Posted in Uncategorized

by admin

no comments

add a comment link to this post email a friend

New Jewelry

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 10:21am

Here are a few pieces of jewelry that I recently came up with…They are available in my Etsy shop and they are handcrafted in sterling silver and can be customized with different words and images.  The images are covered in a thick layer of doming resin to protect the print and each piece comes ready to wear with a 24″ chain.

The small glass pendants come with a silver plated bail and 18″ chain. They also come as magnets and I can customize them with your own photo as well…Email me if you have any questions!

Bark_necklace

Dogs_rule_necklace

Boston_necklace

Glass_pendant_moses

glass_magnet_set

Posted in Uncategorized

by admin

5 comments

add a comment link to this post email a friend

kerri - I found your site while doing some research and wanted to let you know that your photography is awesome and this new jewelry line is really fun. Thanks for making me smile today!

Rebecca Collins - These are great! Happy Turkey day.

Allison - In LOVE, love. love. love! Great stuff Jill!

leesia - love love LOVE the magnets!! you never cease to amaze. are you going to offer a set of 4 assorted mutts? i would be all over those... :p

Joey and Maggie - These are just awesome!