March 31, Oliver the Guinea Pig!

 I had a request for just One more critter for the month, and because Beth has been a fantastic patron and because she sent SUCH a cute photo of her Oliver, here he is!

I LOVE those little toesies!!!!

6x6 acrylic on wood

sold!

March 30, Sargent Hunter Hartmann

 I just got back from my week up at the Art Colony- I'll start posting those paintings this week, actually...

And Michelle was with me up there- she has been a part of this amazing cohort of women artists who annually work at the Art Colony together. We were begun as a group gathered through artist and poet and one of the original WARM artists, Elizabeth Erickson. She guided us as a part of the Women's Art Institute and gently nudged and poked and prodded us into developing skills and seeking further knowledge about our chosen media, as well as exploring other subjects and tools. She was an incredibly generous soul, very quietly but strongly spiritual in her own living. 
So we continue as best we can.

And this is Michelle's sister's cat, who carries a very strong name for such a strong face.

8x8 acrylic on wood

sold

March 29, Daisy's Cat in the SInk

 This is my friend's daughter's cat, in her sink, quite conveniently waiting for anyone wanting to wash their hands or brush their teeth... she's got such gorgeous fluff!  I'm sure she left some fluff around to make it interesting...

6x6 acrylic on wood

gifted!

march 28, The Roosevelt Pigeons for Principal Ledesma

 Max is a junior at Roosevelt High School, which is also 3 blocks away and contains a multitude of simply amazing, generous, thoughtful, considerate and kind humans including the legendary Principal Ledesma, who somehow manages to do his job and be everywhere at once!  He is at games, plays, choir recitals, picnics, breakfasts, and he's great at posting about how incredible his students and staff are. This painting is from a photo Principal Ledesma posted of the two pigeons who are living on the roof of the school, and he's named them after the assistant principals, Lucas and Gonzales.  And since I seem to be on a cat mode, I thought a bird or two could be fun!

11x14 acrylic on canvas

on hold

March 27, Smokey~

 Here is Smokey, from Christine for Anja's birthday, with a story about Smokey written by Anja~

"Smokey, a 21-year-old Chartreux with a dense blue-grey coat, golden eyes, and a calm that never left her. An angel who followed one like a loyal shadow through the highs and lows of life together, always appearing at one's side, steady and present, a gentle constant through every season.

That gentleness had a story behind it. The Chartreux is one of France's oldest natural breeds, tracing back to at least the 13th century. For generations, Carthusian monks at the Grande Chartreuse monastery near Grenoble shaped these cats into what Smokey was — resilient, patient, intelligent, and almost meditative in spirit. Smokey embodied all of it. And like those original monastery cats, no mouse ever escaped her. That same stillness could shift, in an instant, to lightning-fast precision.

At 21, she was the equivalent of a centenarian — and not a single year showed in her spirit. No drama. No fuss. Just unconditional dedication, morning after morning, night after night.

She proved what centuries of history already knew. Graceful, devoted, and deeply loving — right to the very last day."

6x6 acrylic on wood

sold

March 26, Izzy for Jesse!

 And this is Izzy, who was Jesse's cat when my friend Lissa met him, and so this story is in her words- and they are the lovely people who found and raised our Pipin for us!  Excellent cat fosters!

"Izzy was Jesse’s cat before I met him. When I came into the picture, he would wake me up at 5:30 every morning as per the pet psychic he thought that was the only time we had together. Lol! She told him that wasn’t correct and after that he really blossomed.

He was my outdoor gardening buddy hanging out under large rhubarb leaves. You could flip him on his back and clip his claws. Very malleable kind of cat.

He was really the easiest and the best! Such a snuggler!!

  

He was the best at taking any sort of affection that was given to him. My son would drag him around upside down and would purr the whole time. He loved having his tail pulled and would ask for it.

He was also the best mouser ever!"

8x8 acrylic on wood

sold!

March 25, Max's Marvelous Mustachios

 I did have a scheduled creature for today but I haven't gotten the photos yet so I'm jumping ahead to this one, which is actually a photo I took of my sister's giant cat Max, who is a huge personality, and i loved his whiskers in this!  It is a large painting, 24x24 so the mustachios have an even bigger impact in person...

And I am sending out a reminder about my Paint Love Six-Week Session starting on April 11, Saturday from 9:30-12! Because you KNOW you want to!!

24x24 acrylic on canvas

$1152

click here for purchase info~

March 24, Miko for Chloe

 I'm up in Grand Marais at the Art Colony painting for a week- glad I have some cats to concentrate on because, as usual, I'm all over the place and not sure what I really want to paint, and I have a new passport and want to go up to Canada since I haven't been there in forever, but I'm a bit nervous and haven't left yet and now i'm afraid i'm going to need a nap before I go because I've been up since 6:30...

Fudeg-

And this is Miko, my nephew's girlfriend's cat, which is sweet because he is pretty allergic to cats! Though I do think he likes them...

6x6 acrylic on wood

spoken for

March 23 OZZY!

 Wahoo! This is the boneless Ozzy (Meet Oz (Ozzy, Oswald, Bubbas, Ozzybear)) for Madeline, sent by her mom, my friend Vera!

This just seemed SUCH a regal pose, with that upheld head and the eyes raised... i just had to paint this one! SO many great photos!

And so many incredible cats- I enjoyed working to get that lit pink in his ears, and that glowing blue of his eyes... and ALl those whiskers!

6x6 acrylic on wood

$150

click here for purchase info

March 22, Beatrice

 And this is Beatrice~ 

I love those older grama names... as a teacher for 30 plus years, I've had students with nearly every possible name and it is always fun when I hear a name and think "Wow! I haven't taught anyone named that yet!"- recently Stuart is a name I haven't taught, as well as Fred, Edmund, Erma, and now Beatrice...

This face is a good one~

Here is Beatice's story, by Beth~

"Beatrice or the Queen Bea. You know how dads will say they aren't "cat people." They will scoff, protest, and even point to their allergies. And then a cat comes along that changes everything. Dad loves that cat in spite of everything, and that cat becomes his world. Beatrice is not "that cat." But when "that cat" passed away and broke his heart, he swore he'd never get another. We didn't believe him, and when we found multiple cats at the shelter that all had the same photo, we thought that one of those might be a good option. We told the shelter give us the one that would be the hardest to place. Beatrice came home. She was a rescued barn cat with her second litter of kittens. She was skinny and tired. We brought her home to rest. Days and weeks of patience brought her out of her shell, and she became a queen. Now she is sassy, rules the roost (and our dogs), and has Dad wrapped around her paw. "That cat" wore Dad down and taught him to love cats. Beatrice got "that Dad" with no assembly required. "

8x8 acrylic on wood

sold

March 21, Bert!

 And this is Bert! Welcome to spring!  I am typing this on our upper deckin the lovely Minneapolis spring weather- I hung the first wash of the spring on the line and have been packing for my trip to the Art Colony tomorrow- it's always hard to know exactly what I'll be working on when I get there... I have lots of ideas but nothing has quite struck home yet... dogs? more cats, of course yes I will be painting cats, and maybe turkeys... otters too because i can't quite not paint them, but often something surprising comes up and I'll end up painting something new~

We'll see!  I have a lot of canvases to cover...

And i loved this version of Bert looking slightly upwards- such light in that little face!

6x6 acrylic on wood

sold

March 20, Sirius Black

I seem to have a lot of black cats this year-  it's funny how that works. It seems every year there's some kind of a common theme. One year I had a lot of Siamese cats, another year a lot of orange tabbies... I love that. I've always loved black cats- Jeebo was my fluffy black lovey that I got at the pound in the early 00s, because she walked up one arm, across my shoulders, and down the other arm and how can you NOT get the cat when they do that?! We had her til Maxie was about 3 or 4... she was lovely.

And THIS is Sirius Black, my friend Cheryl's kitten that happened to her when she rescued a cat that she didn't realize was a MOMMA cat... at least, I think that was how the story went-

This was a fun one to paint!

8x8 acrylic on canvas

being held at the moment...

March 19, Elouise and James in the Window

 These two took me all morning to paint- good thing it's my spring break and I had all morning! And then I went to post them and realized I'd forgotten their whiskers...  so here they are! I love this one a lot!

And the story is by Beth, Summer's mom-

James and Elouise are Summer’s sweethearts. She adopted them as a bonded pair, and they are definitely a dynamic duo. 

Both are our miracle kitties as each tried to outdo the other in the “sickness and in health” part. Two cats- four different foods, three medicines, and probably 7 of their 9 lives!

James is all personality! He has opinions on nearly all topics and is not afraid to share them. He's very talkative, always hungry, completely neurotic, and devoted to his sweet Elouise and his Summer girl. His favorite spots are the top corner of the bed, the back of the couch, or curled up with his girls. 

Elouise is the shy one but don't let that fool you. She will steal the food from your FORK if you look away. She's a contortionist who hasn't met a bedroom door that can keep her out. Her gentle strength has gotten her through tough times, and now she's living the life of a princess.

8x16 acrylic on canvas

sold

March 18, Cole in the Sink

 Cats like to be in spaces that encourage peeking, hiding, feeling hidden so as to be able to pounce, maybe that make them feel more secure in their self image like my fav pairs of jeans...  and hence, Cole, in the sink...

Cole is a very black cat, also pictured in March 12's post where his golden eyes gleam from behind Henry- and I loved painting him in this white sink!

8x8 acrylic on wood

purchase here

March 17, Oscar for St Patrick's Day!

I love this one- what a beauty! Those eyes, that slightly tipped head, just so lovely. That's what a cat is for~

And this one was just a delight to paint, i gotta tell ya- look at all that fluff!  SO great!

Here's Oscar's story from Signe~

"He is a pure bred Ragdoll that I adopted from a breeder,  so no adventurous rescuing him from a terrible fate. But I did reserve him for my 40th birthday after the passing of my long time feline companion, Trygve. "

6x6 acrylic on wood

$150

click here for purchase info!

   

March 16, Harold In The Bag!

 And here is Greyson's brother Harold, also ensconced in a safe and secure paper bag. Really, who doesn't love a cat in a bag?

And I also love a cat that thinks it is a dog- our beloved Jeebo was very much that cat, and our current love Pippin, while not confused that she is a dog, hangs out with them without fear and pushes them around like siblings. 

Here is what Kim says about Harold!

Harold we found as a three week old abandoned kitten and he is my kitty love. He thinks he is a dog since he was raised by dogs and howls for dog food at feeding time.

Both of them are hams.

6x6 acrylic on wood

sold!

Mrch 15, Grayson in a Bag

 Who doesn't love a cat in a bag? And what paper bag wouldn't be better for having a cat in it?

This is Grayson!  And here's what Kim wrote about him~

Greyson was found about 4 months old feral as all get out by friends who couldn't keep him because their other cats and him were not getting along. So he came to us. I couldn't sit down and hold him for the first four months that we had him. I always had to stand up.

6x6 acrylic on wood

on hold

March 14, Pearly Mae

SO I am familiar with the name Pearlie Mae because of the song sung by our local Front Porch Swinging Liquor Pigs, and I tried to find a link to it somewhere so I could put it in here because I thought that would be great but I can't find it... but here is a quick video of the boys over a decade ago in Mexico- Rusty, Dave and Randy! Just pretend they're singing "Pearlie Mae"....

And here is what Natalie wrote about the precious Pearlie Mae- I had a hard time deciding on a photo because there are so many great ones!

"In spring of 2016 we pet sat for a household where Pearly Mae, then 3, was being fostered with other cats and weimaraners who were bullying her so she was largely in hiding. She would come out and visit with me on the landing while everyone else was still asleep and imprinted on me right away.

We adopted her and she hid in the basement here for several months at first but gradually completely took over the house and our hearts. Before that her vet had rescued her from a farm in Michigan where she had previously been spayed and released but couldn't thrive so she'd been smuggled to MN to start a new life.

She had a bob tail and a spinal deformity since birth, and lots of medical needs that stemmed from that - plus a few which didn't - so she required constant care: solensia shots for arthritis, lactulose, pills, water from a drip and enemas for chronic constipation, a daily eye drop to reduce pressure on her one bad eye plus she had most of her teeth removed over her life with us to address tooth resorption. In her later years she also struggled with UTIs and advanced kidney disease. It was a lot but absolutely worth it to live with the funniest, cutest, softest, sassiest cat you've ever met for 9 years until her passing last year.

She stole a little pink hedgehog stuffie from a tabletop she wasn't supposed to be on and claimed it as her baby. She loved hunting her toys and had a special noise she made in the middle of the night when she proudly carried them all around the house - sort of a rising moan into a chirp.

She hated my singing and never really got along with Snowboots but she was generally incredibly easy going. The fact that she was happy to be picked up and carried around was great considering how often she had to visit the vet and she got many compliments for being a perfect patient, popular with even those vets less enthusiastic about cats generally...

We are forever changed for having known Pearly Mae and will always miss her but we know that her medical care was beginning to be inconsistent with quality of life. We miss her every day."

6x6 acrylic on wood

spoken for~

March 13, Shayna

This is Shayna~ she took a good chunk of time to paint today!  It is entirely my fault, because I talked Rob into going for the full body with the paw visible shot- it's just too good, really!  I love that reaching out part, and her EYEs! Rob just wanted to make sure she wasn't looking like she was gonna gore anyone...

I don't think she looks that evil.... plotting and planning, yes- but that's a kind and gentle paw. Not a swipe-

Hmm... though I may need to pink up her paw pads and nose a bit...

10x8 acrylic on wood

sold

 

March 12, Stretching Kitty with Cole

 This is an unusual request, and I'm hoping I've done it justice. There were a lot of patterns on the blankets and more details but with a one-day painting project like this, where I know I want to get the painting done quickly, I do tend to skip too much fussiness. And, well, honestly that is more my style as well. I'd rather get the main thoughts down and see where the composition leads, than be totally faithful to the photo itself. 

And now I know this is Henry and Cole, and here is Judy's story about them!

The story about Henry and Cole..

We had only been a 1 cat household but when my neighbors across the street found a itty bitty kitty, we couldn't resist! He was as tiny as a stick of butter. Its hard to believe that he was so tiny as he is  now 14 pounds! Henry immediately adopted him. He became his big brother and showed him the ropes. Henry died 2 years ago, unexpectedly. They were good buddies 

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for