A little summer catch-up from Art by Love 🦔🌿
- Love Grosmane
- Jul 2
- 4 min read
I hope you're having a wonderful start to the summer.
June seems to have flown by, and before I knew it, we were already in July. Looking back, it's been one of those months filled with a mixture of challenges, beautiful moments and lots of inspiration. I thought I'd share a few of them with you.
I hope you and your little ones have managed to stay cool during the heatwave. My pets certainly had their own ways of coping! 😄 I recently shared some short videos of them trying to survive the hot weather.
This month, I was drawing less than I'd have liked to. Some of you may know that my youngest son has been living with nephrotic syndrome since he was just three years old. Earlier this spring, we hoped we might finally be able to stop his medication again, but after catching a nasty virus, his condition relapsed. For our family, this illness has become something we learn to live alongside. There are calmer periods, and then there are times like now, when hospital visits become more frequent again, treatment changes, and we're waiting to see how everything develops. It brings a lot of uncertainty, and naturally, my work has had to slow down a little while I focus on my family. To everyone who is patiently waiting for their portrait, thank you so much for your kindness and understanding. It truly means a great deal to me. Even so, I've been drawing whenever I could, and I'd love to share one of my latest portraits with you.
Meet sweet Francine, who was lucky enough to find a loving family who welcomed both her and her baby into their lives and gave them the love and care they deserved. :)
Here are two more cute faces alongside Francine. Finn and Fiona. They are previous portraits I've created for the same wonderful family, who have opened both their home and their hearts to several adopted dogs over the years. I always find it inspiring to see so much love given to animals in need. You are literally changing the world for the better!
If you've been thinking about having a portrait of your own pet, I'd love to help. I'm currently taking bookings with a 25% deposit, and if you book now, your portrait will be ready around the end of September, as I have a queue of lovely commissions waiting to be drawn.
I also had a rather spontaneous visit to Royal Kew Gardens, and I'm so glad I went. One of my current commissions is quite a big drawing of a beautiful wedding bouquet. Botanical subjects are a little outside my usual comfort zone, so I couldn't resist taking the opportunity to visit Kew Gardens for inspiration. The gardens were simply too beautiful to keep to myself. I really wish everyone had the chance to visit them at least once, so I filmed some of my favourite moments along the way. If you'd like to take a break from our busy lives for a little while and wander through the beauty of Kew Gardens with me, I hope you'll enjoy the video.
One of my new favourite parts of summer since we moved is our evening hedgehog visitors. Just like last year, a little hedgehog family has decided that our garden is worth stopping by each evening. Seeing the tiny hoglets exploring together is one of the sweetest sights, and we never seem to get tired of watching them. They always make us smile. Last summer, I shared a video about their visits, hoping to raise awareness that hedgehogs being out during the day can sometimes be a sign that they need our help. It was something I learned myself, and I thought it was important to share. To my surprise, it became a popular video. 😊 I'm hoping to find time to make another one this summer with a few new little hedgehog adventures. In the meantime, if you'd like to meet last year's visitors and learn a little more about them, you can watch the video here.
This time of year also reminds me of LÄ«go, the traditional Latvian midsummer celebration. I lived in Latvia for a big part of my life, so this holiday brings back many happy memories. Families gather around bonfires, sing traditional songs, wear oak-flower wreaths, enjoy delicious food and celebrate the longest days of the year together. It's a joyful celebration of nature, light and being together with the people you love. I thought I'd share a few photos with you, taken by Madara Ilena Photography.
Thank you for being part of this space — your presence and your support mean more than I can say. Whether you've commissioned a portrait, watched one of my videos, left a kind comment, or simply taken a few minutes to read this newsletter, it truly means more than you know. I always enjoy hearing from you, so if there's something you'd like to see more of — please feel free to reply. I read every message, and hearing from you always brightens my day. If you'd like to support my work, sharing my videos or newsletters with a friend who loves animals or nature is one of the kindest things you can do. Thank you so much.
And just a little reminder... although Christmas still feels a long way off, it arrives surprisingly quickly! My schedule usually fills up well before December, so if you're thinking about giving someone a portrait as a Christmas surprise, it's worth getting in touch sooner rather than later. I'd hate to have to turn someone away. I hope you have a wonderful summer. Take care of yourselves and your pets, enjoy the sunshine (or the shade!), and I'll see you again very soon. With warm wishes, Love
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