Blue Line Bears

Blue Line Bears

 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."- John 15:13

 "For he is the minister of God to thee for good…..” Romans 13:4

Such powerful words given from the Almighty Creator. Such powerful words describing the very act of serving and protecting that our police officers do every day. They willingly leave their families to keep us safe. In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul goes into details of their service and ordination of keeping peace and warns wrong doers. Sadly, today we know to well that sometimes evil fights those doing good and sometimes the ultimate sacrifice is given in the line of duty. For most, we’ll hear it on the news. We’ll be sad. Perhaps say a prayer for the fallen.  Then what? What happens to the officer’s family? The life that was sacrificed was more than a peacekeeper. They had a spouse. They had parent’s and siblings. They had friends. And some had children. Children left behind wondering why someone took the most meaningful person in their lives.

 Blue Line Bears sprung from the heart of a police officer’s young daughter. She has made it her mission to let those children or grandchildren left behind know that there are people who care deeply and remember the sacrifice their family has given. In a time that is often cynical to those in authority, Blue Line Bears shows that there are those who truly appreciate and respect those in uniform. With the help of her own family, Megan O’Grady, transforms the uniform of the fallen officer into a commemorative bear that is presented to the officer’s child. A personalized keepsake they can hug and hold.

Blue Line Bear creates these bears at no cost to the families of the officers. The coordination of the uniforms, shipping, and presentation are all paid for through donations. To date, 619 bears have been hand sewn and presented in 40 states and I in Canada. 

The first Inaugural Fundraiser Gala, called The Bears and Badges Gala, was held over this past weekend at the Burroughs Home in Fort Myers, Fl.

 Swan Studios Inc was humbled and honored to assist in raising funds for such an incredible cause.

Megan O'Grady, the remarkable young woman who started Blue Line Bears at the tender age of 14.

Megan's family have been so supportive of her endeavors and certainly are to be commended for raising such a caring person

The Bears and Badges Gala was to raise funds to hire an executive administer to assist in carrying on the service of the commemorative bears while Megan, now age 17, attends college

If you’d like to donate or to learn more about Blue Line Bears, visit:

https://bluelinebears.org/

You can also follow Blue Line Bears on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluelinebears/

and Twitter: https://twitter.com/bluelinebears

To all those who protect and serve, Thank you and may God bless and keep you.

“Blessed are the Peacemakers….” Matthew 5:9

Whimsical Fantasy Mural

Whimsical Fantasy Mural

I recently had a request to create “something” for a picnic bench. Ah- a blank canvas. Joy!!!  Seeing a chance to leave the norm of requests, I pounced on it. The first challenge was getting the surface to a paintable stage. The bench was made of extremely rough wood. With a bit of sanding, surface fill, more sanding, and priming it was eventually ready. Next up was to hone down a flurry of ideas. Often the ideas come so fast and furious it can take days to whittle them down into something that makes sense. In this case, perhaps making unreal sense is more like it. The mural piece is a whimsical fantasy of artistic joy. A combination of happy things- water, animals, art brushes, crayons, drawing paper, paint, paint spatter, bubbles, and candy. Makes sense, right? When completed the entire piece from top to sides received a coat of Sherwin Williams Anti-graffiti clear top- coat. The anti-graffiti coating is akin to painting with a liquid plastic. It repels everything- water, dirt and grime, paint, and even spray paint. (Thus, anti-graffiti).  Here’s a tour around this extremely fun, definitely unique, one of a kind mural painted picnic bench:

The table top : A roll of painters butcher paper was the inspiration for the "peel back" revealing a boy and his dog swimming up from a watering hole. 

A view pulling up, you can see the seat portion of the picnic bench. Have to admit, it's loads of fun when you swoosh and splatter paint around randomly:

Close- up of the boy and dog:

Close-up of paint pots:

The paint tube appears to ooze down the side of the table:

My sweet little gerbil, Cream Puff, lives on in this mural holding one of my favorite objects- a Crayola Crayon :

The brilliant clear color of candy is a total delight:

Love the side angle view of the paint brushes in water:

My parakeet, Patches, served as the inspiration and model for this adorable bird :

To have your own unique mural created for walls or furniture, contact me at Swan Studios Inc

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#muralpainting #custommural #paintedfurniture

Dream Come True

A #fauxfinish #artist dream come true !

Pop on In

“POP” on in

“Pop” on in to Wild About Popcorn! Select your favorite flavor popcorn. There are over 60 flavors of popcorn to choose from! And then be sure to have your photo taken in the new PopCorn Bag Booth. Everybody loves a selfie station and now Wild About Popcorn has one just for you. The indoor dining and party room now has their “popart” logo popping off the wall along with an adorable Popcorn Bag :

Pose in front of or behind the new popcorn bag:

You can't miss the building located at 1311 Del Prado Blvd S Cape Coral, FL

Wild About PopCorn where everyday :

Photography: Roberto Briceno

Custom Murals : Swan Studios Inc

#popcornmural #commercialmural

It Takes a Village

It Takes a Village

The snow is already powdering the north. Here in SWFL we’re glowing and glistening in glorious 90-degree temperatures. One of several reasons our snowbirds are staying longer and often deciding to never return to the bitter north. For those who don’t take a daily trip to the warm waters of the gulf, I create their tranquil moment with a poolside mural. Historically the decision for the mural scene is between the homeowner and me.  It’s a joy creating uniquely painted murals. This was the first time I ran into needing an HOA’s approval for a custom painted mural for a private home. The privacy wall between two properties left the poolside feeling depressed and sterile.  However, from the opposite side of the pool the wall could be seen from the golf course.  Thus, the HOA insisted on seeing what the owner had in mind. All went well, they approved the scene, and now both the homeowners and the golfers can enjoy deep teal waters on powdery blue skies:

A closer look:

Ready for your own piece of tranquility? Contact me at Swan Studios Inc

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When Two Worlds Collide

When Two Worlds Collide

Today’s art blog posting is on hold. We’re combining photo world with art world on set today.

Stay tuned! Here’s a teaser: Can you guess what this is ?

#art #artistlife

Dreaming of a White ...Kitchen

Dreaming of a White…Kitchen

As snow starts to blanket the North, our wonderful snowbirds are flocking back to SW Florida and bringing the white with them. Well, not white snow but rather a love for crisp clean white kitchens. In past year we’ve changed dozens of kitchens from the Tuscan dark wood or that strange orange wood shade to shades white.  Creating a brighter lighter and cleaner feel into the heart of the home. There are more shades of white than any other color. There are white shades for modern interiors, traditional interiors, eclectic interiors, and yes white shades for Tuscan interiors. Here’s a look at some of the recent shades chosen:

Selecting a light shade for the cabinet and using a light colored counter top were crucial for this low ceiling height kitchen. The basket weave backsplash tile adds fun for this home owners winter get away:

Painting these kitchen cabinets in a bright white shade called Snowbound and installing contrasting black counter tops makes this kitchen ultra- sleek:

Painting with a creamy white shade with a touch of glaze allows these Tuscan kitchens to stay true to the homes architecture but allow the space to feel fresh and airy:

Come out of the dark and into the light ! Contact me as Swan Studios Inc and let's give your kitchen a fresh new look ! www.swanstudio.net/

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