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Updated 12/15/08
Original Dog and Cat Paintings
Cats
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This morning my husband says, "Have you seen Pesto?" and I reply no, but she was probably in the studio asleep on one of the cat tower beds. He said that he keeps hearing her plantive cry, but can't figure out where it's coming from. A short while later we find her in the storage closet where she'd been since last night. Total curious kitty getting in there when I put a jar away!
Right now she's living up to her Pesto name by being upside down wrapped in my shirt with her paws on my face. So what to do but this acrylic on cold-press watercolor paper of a plantive meowser! This measures approximately 8 x 6 inches, and is available, but the next couple of days are crazy busy, so I don't know when I'll get it up on my ebay store. Perhaps tomorrow when I'm in jury duty and updating the web sites.
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I realized that it has been quite a while since I've done a cat, and since I'm kind of running out of time before anohter art group demonstration tomorrow, I did this quick study of a green-eyed feline before getting ready for sleep.
Then it will be off to Rancho Cucamonga in the morning for the demo.
The Murrieta workshop on May 15 is filling, and for a one-day workshop, there's just a whole lot to share. It will be fun, and a long day!
Now back to the final bits and doings for tomorrow. |
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Sometimes cats have "moments'. This is a calico (loosely taken from my own Pesto Kitty) that his having one of those don't-mess-with-me-I'm-busy moments. What is interesting about this smallish 5 x 8 acrylic on watercolor paper, is that it showcases the versatility of this medium, even as we see it handled somewhere between oils and watercolor in this fashion. I did this one for the slide show in the DVD on acrylic painting, so it will go on forever even after it sells.
I went for a ride this evening on Raindance, heading up on a horse trail to the north from our place. Out in the field about 40 feet from me was a coyote--so Rainey and I decided to see where it would go. Keeping about 50 feet behind it, we followed the coyote as it trotted up over some terrain that might lend itself to another trail! We lost it when the going got rough, and the barranca dropoffs were over ten feet. Time to get Vincent out with my tools and go for a hike and start a new trail! ... but first to finish the DVD editing! |
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The other side of the family! Here's the acylic collage of the darker side of things--loosely based upon our own Bats cat, but a domestic longhair instead! This one, as yesterday's, is full of additives that make it sparkle and shine.
I hope you enjoy it!
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Re-showing the Fabricritters from the past few days has brought out some fun expressive paintings today! I did two cat paintings fresh off the easel, and share with you this first one, called "The Light Side". It is a sweet domestic shorthair kitty, like my Pesto in one of her playful moods when she holds onto somethimg with her paws.
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The last of the Fabricritters for your pleasure and enjoyment, this one with the canning jars (just fabric collaged onto the canvas and then painted to LOOK like glass jars!!) and the box of Oat Bran reminding us to be sure to have enough fiber in our diets. I think with all our cat hair from Pesto and Bats, we get enough!
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So to follow up on the continuing saga of the Fabricritters, here is the largest of the four pieces, never shown before. This measures 30 x 40 inches, and is called "Calicoal" I hope you enjoy this one! It was the first that I created, and as it seems to be of interest to many of you who have your hands in quilting and other fabric arts, somewhat fitting. Here's a closeup of the head, where you can see the paint work, and then an image of the head and shoulder, showing the transition to the fabric. Acrylics are wonderful for applying with collage materials.
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"On Alert" The studio cat has figured out that slow-moving winter flies are the ultimate play toy. There was one in the house today, and that focused look the cat gets is fun to capture. Original oil on stretched canvas, 6 x 4 inches. $100
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"Lesson Cat"
This painting is featured on the cover of the American Veterinary Medical Association Journal for April, 2007.
 to Betty Billups of Priest River, Idaho.
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Hmmm, texture again, and Bats the Studio Cat! Of course, Bats has never seen snow, but he will always model for me, and I can then have a wonderfully fun time making the snow and shadows behind him in this fanciful landscape, comvered in rime and icicles. Entitled, "Will You Feed Me?" Bats might play the role of a feral cat looking for a handout. Original acrylic, 8 x 10 inches available for $250
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"Pesto Posing" This painting is 6 x 8 inches, and is an oil, with a totally different "feel" from yesterday's image. Taking more time, and with studied concentration to capture that foreshortened paw, Pesto is shown lounging on my studio chair. Do I get to sit down? No.... Available through Paypal for $195.
Purchase through my ebay store. (Opens a new window.)
..or email Elin about this painting.
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"A Pitcher for Bats" Here is one of the artist's many cats, warming up in my still life setups. This painting was selected by Hasbro, Inc., for use on their Picture Perfect Puzzles. In 2004, this same image appeared as the cover puzzle for Hasbro's Puzzle Keeper. The light creates a warm spot, and "Bats the Cat" is a heat magnet. Original oil painting, 24 x 30 inches. US$ 1,250 Purchase from the artist
Purchase through my ebay store. (Opens a new window.)
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"Pensive" One of the many cats that own Elin sits on a black shawl, surrounded by flowers and a small cream pitcher. The strong lighting of the subject creates drama. And look at those cat eyes! Original oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches, unframed US $375 Purchase from the artist
Purchase through my ebay store. (Opens a new window.)
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"Stray Cat #1" Taking on a new concern, I picked the idea of a stray, homeless cat and put him in my painting for today. Looks like a Himalayan type. Available for $100. |
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"Bats the Cat" I can't really do something very often without "Mr. Curious" showing up. This is Bats, who has been featured on the Hasbro puzzle boxes and also in several book paintings. My daily painting for October 18. Original oil on canvas, 4 x 6 inches, gallery wrapped, painted on the sides, no frame needed! Available for $100. |
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"Shelf Life" Original Fabricritter cat, made with acrylic paint and actual fabric glued in place. The mystery of these paintings is to figure out where the paint leaves off and the fabric begins! 18 x 24 inches, US $800 from the artist.
Purchase through my ebay store. (Opens a new window.)
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"Lili-cat" Original Fabricritter cat, made with acrylic paint and actual fabric glued in place. The mystery of these paintings is to figure out where the paint leaves off and the fabric begins! 18 x 24 inches. Featured in Walter Foster's "Acrylic References for Artists" US $800 from the artist.
Purchase through my ebay store. (Opens a new window.)
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Dogs
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Ah, beloved pets. Is there anything more comforting than to see them as they are today, knowing their short lives are going to become part of your personal history down the road? The black and tan is my beloved, aged Q, or "little biting dog"--LBD, who is 17 years old this year. Still spry, but with growths, totally deaf and cataracts are taking her once sharp eyesight.
Sparky is the "accidental" dog--I almost didn't get him, but at the last minute decided that Onslow needed a playmate. Dogs, true to their own needs, disrupted my best-laid plans. Onslow cares for and stays with Q, and Sparky has become my constant companion.
This is an original oil, 11 x 14, but not for sale. I like to keep some of my memories.
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Oil portrait of two dogs, 16 x 20 inches, and the collector loved it! I delivered it still wet in places, and he said I captured the personalities of the pooches with perfection of paintbrush. The dog on the right is reserved in nature, and the one on the left is constantly happy and a bit goofy.
Getting that inherent personality is very essential to doing commissions, and I try my best to get it. The location is important for the client, too--the front porch is where they spend time and the positions are also characteristic, down to the twist in the front paws on the shy dog.
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I want to share with you how involved I tend to get when painting for people who have loved and lost their animal friends."Jake" was a friend and companion to my friend Fay in Georgia, and went missing last year. Not much can tear at the heart of a dog lover than the thought of losing a beloved pet, and not knowing the end of the story. My first dog when I got out on my own was a Rat Terrier /Beagle mix like Jake, and when I went overseas, I asked my sister to keep him for me, as I couldn't take him with me. Living with her wasn't the best match, and she took him to the pound and didn't tell me. By the time it came out, too much time had passed, and I couldn't find him. So I know that pain of losing and not knowing. When Fay told me about Jake, and how special he was, I knew I'd have to paint him for both myself and to ease her pain of not knowing what happened to him..
Do you notice the halo suggested in the space above his mischieveious head? He was truly a character, and it was my hope that I could paint him to life for the viewer.
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A 9 x 12 oil, the owner of this dog was looking for me to capture the essence and vitality of Mogo's personality. Here's the finished commission painting of Mogo, done for a Canadian veterinarian, finished. Mogo is a small dog, so I tried to enhance the feel of his smallness by altering the proportions from the source material to push the feel of how tiny he is, without losing the alert look of his funny character. I added interesting details to the background as well, and coordinated the color of the shadow to the dog.
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Commission of a Jack Russell terrier for a client back east. I was given some free rein to do what I like with it. The dog is gone, and it always touches a place of sadness when I am asking my abilities to give the gift of a memory to someone. But I cannot NOT do it, because I have been so touched by the love of dogs and cats myself, and their memories are precious to me, too.
I drew the dog, compositing her from many other dog images, a background from one of the submitted images, and also from having a terrier myself. Nothing like rubbing a hand over a dog to give you ideas on muscles and structure.
The finished 12 x 16 oil portrait of "Meg", and the individual who requested this commission is just thrilled. I'm really pleased with it as well, since it not only allows me to do something meaningful for someone, but it also allows me to think through the puzzle of solving the issues unique to the task.
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Commission: "Fritz" I had the pleasure of meeting Fritz in his later years, the dog of a long-time friend. Fritz is gone now, having done his service in raising a young boy and taking care of his family. This commission is an opportunity to bring his spirit back for a small moment to light up the dark place of sadness we all have when we lose one of these very special animals. Fritz' portrait is a 12 x 9 commission, and has been delivered to the Bay Area.
Commission, will yours be next? to the Barton Family of San Francisco.
Comment from Collector: "I just saw Fritz & can hardly type because I'm crying. You did a wonderful job in capturing him & the setting is perfect. Michael is going to love it. Thank you so much!"
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"Wolfy" A commissioned 16 x 20 painting, Wolfy was a challenge for me, as the source material was an assemblage of indoor photographs, outdoor sunshine and flash photography. Whew. Solving a lot of those problems occurs when you put the dog in a formal background, and having looked thousands of times at dogs in general. Wolfy's owner came to me after seeing the other dog and cat portraits on my site... Original Oil.
to Frederick Cabanes, Wolfy's owner.
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"OTI" OTI means "owner turned in" and is a common notation on many dog's intake cards at the animal shelter. This young terrier mix may find a new home, but with so many animals needing adoption, the future for others is bleak. I recently adopted a cat from our shelter, and this dog would have come home with me, too, but for our other dogs. Not available for sale at this time. Original oil on linen, 16 x 12 inches. |
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"Take Me, Please?" The second in the series of animal shelter dogs, which so profoundly affected me when I adopted my new cat. Original oil on linen, 16 x 12 inches. Not available for purchase at this time. |
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"Thanks, but I'll Wait" Third in the series on shelter pets, this Basset hound is tough to place, however, since he appears to be purebred, I'm sure a rescue organization will come and pick him up. He wouldn't look at me, but rather seemed to have his eyes focused on the distant wish that the owner who turned him in will return, so he waits. Original oil on board, 16 x 12 inches. Not for sale at this time.
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"Kinetic Energy (Jack Russell #2)" Goin' to the dogs, yet again, I couldn't resist doing another portrait of the Jack Russell terrier. Winner of the 2005 Art Show at the Dog Show, Best Entry Depicting a Dog from the Terrier Group, and Third Place in Oils, this one almost vibrates with the pent-up energy so characteristic of this breed. Original oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches, unframed Buy with your credit card US $ 600 Purchase from the artist |
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"Sentinels, Evoe" I have been owned by several Doberman dogs, and here are the last two I had, Reddog and Evoe. They are watching, ever keeping an eye on their property. The red, uncropped male was a rescue from Long Beach, and lived out his life on my acreage, and his former owner, a G.I. sent to the war, would have liked to know that. The black female was my beloved companion at work and play. This painting is featured in Walter Foster's Acrylic Reference Book for Artists. Original acrylic painting on canvas, 30 x 38 inches. US $2150 in a custom rosewood frame. Purchase from the artist |
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"Front Porch Dogs" I have been owned by many dogs in my life, and these two Dobermans were my beloved companions for their later years. The red dog (appropriately named "Reddog" was a rescue. The black female was was Evoe, my guardian and friend for seven years. This work is featured in Walter Foster's Acrylic Reference Book for Artists. It has also won Best in Show at the Elsinore "Creative Decisions II" art show. Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 inches.US $2400 Purchase from the artist |
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"Starfire's Fear No Evil" My beloved female Doberman, called "Evoe", she was my constant companion at work and play from 7 weeks to the day she passed away. Commissions like this can be yours, too. Original oil painting, 12 x 9 inches. Price for an equivalent work |
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"Qso Sleeping" Here is an example of a portrait done from life of my current pet, a rare German Pinscher. These little dogs are tenacious and fearless. "Qso" is named after my ham radio communications where "qso" represents conversation between ham operators. This painting is not for sale, but is shown for your benefit so you can see that I can do wonderful animal studies from life. 9 x 12 inches. In my collection. |
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