March 31, Mabel

I decided to do one more, for the VERY last day of March, and I'm making this one an auction!  I haven't ever done that for a "30 In 30" Project before, so we'll see how it works...
This is Mabel, who is a cat living with Diabetes, thanks to her devoted owner, Emily~  and in this painting she is wearing her purple pheromone collar!

6x6 acrylic on wood, $25 starting BID for the auction!  Click HERE to join in the fun!

March 30, Moore~

I would love a bit more of a story here, about Moore~  he/she is one of those hairless cats, and I (once again) just could NOT resist painting this!  I mean, come ON!  LOOK at this creature!  Lord of the Rings?  Some kind of Gothic shoulder pet?  Not sure, but wow!
And I thought I should re-post the list of everyone, now that I'm (mostly) done-  you never know-  I might just paint something tomorrow too!  And the Opening Party will be NEXT Friday, April 7th, at Diamond's from 6-8!  So please come if you can make it!  Wahoo!

8x8 acrylic on wood, $175 click here to own this amazing creature!

1- Picky the Hermit Crab
2- Nigel in a Bucket
3- snapper on the road
4- Nemo the Cockatoo
5- Wooly the Brown Mouse
6- Polly for Carrie L
7- Frank the iguana for Loren K
8- Cleo & Maverick- Carrie J
9- Dizzy for Kate S
10-Ember for Diane A
11-Venus- for Brad & Carolyn
12- Rescue Kitties for Gil and Jonny
13- Batman for Coreena's sister
14- Kane for Maggie J
15  Office Goat
16-Jinx for Kat & Jason
17-Morrison for Cami
18- Oskar for Rebecah
19-  Darling Angelina for Deborah
20  Doaschy and Redski for Cathy E
21 -Vinnie
22- Cheney for Colleen
23- Boo- for Harper
24 Twice the Fun
25-Jim Carroll Too- for Brad and Carolyn
26 Oz for Liz Tim
27 Turtle for Kristine S
28 - Valentine for Greer
29- Resuce Kitty Tw0
30- Moore the Naked Kitty

March 29, Rescue Kitty Two

And this is the second of the Rescue Kitties!  Another little black furred sweetpea~ love those eyes!

6x6 acrylic on wood, $100 click here to make this your green-eyed kitty!

March 28, Valentine!

And this is Valentine!

The thing about Valentine is that he's a vain mother fudger. He loves to be photographed.
Greer (his human owner) hauls him all over the coop - he's famous and has nearly died by squashing several times during art Crawl.

6x6 acrylic on wood, $100 click HERE to own this personality!

March 27, Turtle

And this little delight it Turtle!

Her name is Turtle (because she is a tortoise shell...well technically a tortie and white). She was born in an alley to a pride of alley cats near the house of a family friend. She was the only female in a 4 kitten litter. Her brothers are all black (the pic of the black cat is one of her brothers). My friend live trapped all the kittens and gave 2 to us. 

She is full of attitude...shamelessly steals milk from right under your nose. Her favorite toys are soft glitter balls that she plays soccer with...racing around the house "dribbling" them. She loves to snuggle under a blanket when we lie on the couch...she curls up behind the crook of my knee.

6x6 acrylic on wood, spoken for!

March 26, Oz for Liz~

This guy makes me think of those big, strong, tigerish kitties I've known all my life-  the kind of cat that would be a tough but sweet big brother, ready to step in and also ready to laugh at your silly predicament.  Doncha love him?
Here's what his owner says about him~
Oz is a senior kitty (18 yrs young) who still plays like a kitten, loves the outdoors, enjoys the laps of kids and adults alike, and is apt to bounce off the walls from time to time. 

6x6 acrylic on wood, $100 

March 25, Jim Carroll Too!

This is Jim~  and here is his story!  BY Brad~

Jim Carroll Too was named after a very special poet & musician. He was also known as "Jimbo", "The Silver Fox", and "the Man with a Plan". His lineage is somewhat in question: he was born on the outside porch of Brad's cousin Tim's house ( known as the Black Cat Clinic) and was either the son of siblings Phil and Don (Donna) or Phil and his mother, Isis, leading to his famous book,

Uncle Phil, My Dad 

His other tomes include: God; Art; Science; and Truth.

He was sweet and friendly , often trotting into our room to greet us , but became an important part of our family lore the day back in October 1985 , when trotting into our bedroom as usual he came upon new baby Satchel , and was so shocked that he immediately walked out of the room backwards!

Hmmmm...  Poor Jimbo!  And I'm realizing I may have forgotten his whiskers!  I'll fix that and update-  here he is for now!

8x8 acrylic on wood, sold~

March 24, Twice the Fun!

I had to paint these goats again!  They are just TOOO cute!  And I know they aren't quite pocket pets or as small as a cat, but thank so much for sending me these, Brian!!! Here's what he says about these cuties~

My work-wife-in-law raises Oberhasli dairy goats. Godzilla and her sister Mothra were born on March 7. Three days later they came to visit me at work, and we're more popular than any human baby has ever been. My work twin tells me that since I named them I have to show them at the State Fair this fall... 

And thanks to all of you for sending me such lovely images~  I'm having such a great time with this, though it does seem this year like things are crazier than usual, but that's part of the challenge of a project like this-  and having you all poking me and pinching and praising helps SO much!

 WhaHOOO!

8x10 acrylic on wood, $220 click HERE to hang these guys on your wall!

March 23, Boo~

Another glorious cat to paint!  I am SO LUCKY!  Wow~ here is Boo's story, by Harper~
"In true cat form, Boo Radley always kept me on my toes. For example on my 25th Birthday, I came home to find Boo and his brother Raskalnikov had destroyed my curtains and create a hole in my ceiling, using nothing more than their claws and persistence.  Later, after his brother passed, Boo would wake me up in the early morning by busting into my room, laying down on top of my head and putting his paw right on my nose until I sneezed myself awake.  Boo would also have Houdini-esque adventures  in my (unlit) fireplace, despite my desperate attempts to block him. Boo, a white long-haired cat, would reappear  completely covered in soot and lay down on my beige carpet purring, clearly pleased with himself. Despite his mischievous ways, Boo was also the sweetest companion a girl could ever have. He loved treats, getting petted, and snuggling in my lap, in no particular order. I will miss his mischief, sweet temperament, and blue eyes immensely. 

8x8 acrylic on wood, spoken for~

March 22, Cheney

This is Cheney, a lovely black kitty who lives in Brisbane, AU, and likes the simple things in life-  a good warm sunbeam, a soft lap, a scratch behind the ears~

6x6 acrylic on wood, $100 click here for purchase~

March 21, Vinnie!

This is such a sweet face!  And I finally was able to paint in the MORNING!!!  And here is Vinnie's story!

I remember taking the bus to Roseville, MN to pick up a kitten.  The family was selling “farm kitties” brought to them from a relative's farm in rural Minnesota.  The woman opened the bathroom door and 12 kittens immediately rushed out.  They were all crème colored.  She picked every one of them up and put them on a pool table in the middle of the room.  They started playing with the pool balls on the table.  I had my eye on one of the cream colored kittens and right before I was about to choose one, I heard a little meow that was much different from the others.  I looked under the pool table to where I heard the meow coming from and saw a little black, grey and white kitten.  It was the runt of the litter.  I knew right then I had found the right one.  We picked him up and put him on the pool table with the rest of the kittens and the kitten immediately started playing with the 8 ball.  I knew I had found the cat for me.  I took Vinnie home with me that day!

Yay!

8x8 acrylic on wood, sold!

March 20, Doasht and Redski

I'm going to guess that the lean, long, luxurious looking cat is Doasht, and the composed, serene one is Redski.  I'll see if I can find out more, because these two look like a very interesting pair!

8x10 acrylic on wood, click here for purchase info!

March 19, Darling Angelina!

Here is Darling Angelina, for Deborah, who says this about her~
My sweet girl was a rescue kitty: she walked into the carrier I set on the floor at the rescue center while I was trying to corner another cat, settled in and looked at me as if to say, "Get me OUTA here!!!" And I did. Four years later, Angelina has shown a wonderful skill as nurse kitty while I have struggled with Stage IV Breast Cancer, always at my side when struggling with pain, nausea or great weariness. Purry and warm, Angelina is my great comfort.
and she was SO much fun to paint!  Look at that FACE!!!

8x8 acrylic on wood, $175 click here for purchase info!

March 18, Oskar!

Ah!  This is MUCH better!  This is the glorious Oskar!
I made his eyes rounder and played with the chin a smidgen...  and he looks much sweeter, as I am sure he is in real life~

And HERE is his story!

We have had Oskar, our 3 year-old Siberian, since he was 8 weeks old. He has always had a little sparkle in his eye and is very outgoing. He greets people at the door and prefers his own chair at the table during meals. He manages to get even the most ardent non-cat people to say what a great cat he is. He is FULL of personality. So full, in fact, that we had to create his own Instagram account (@Oskar_and_company) to let everyone appreciate him.

I like it a lot better!
Thanks for the helpful feedback, people!!!

12x12 acrylic on wood, sold!

and here's the first (actually second) version~

March 17, Kitty Formerly Known As Morrison

This is Kitty, who lives with a very patient friend of mine who took her in when I had too many cats to handle.Cami has this to say about her~
  I'm Kitty's fourth owner and so I'm the fourth person have named her. I've been told she was Morrison, Morrie and for a while Misha... when she came to live with me she had suffered some sort of head trauma so when I met her she was... not very smart, not very active, not very cat-like. More like a sloth. I decided to keep things simple for her, hence, the generic name. Most vets have said she is mostly blind - one said completely blind. Only Kitty knows for sure. She never plays with toys, she hates to be picked up, carried or snuggled and she stays on the floor unless I risk my life and put her on the couch or bed. And even then sometimes, she hops right back to the floor and lounges there. She bites me when I brush her and it takes 2-3 strangers at the vet to trim her nails. But - she always finds the litter box. And best of all, she's always within 10 feet of me when I'm home, she'll always accept a few minutes of pets each day and she purrs ALL THE TIME... as long as I feed her and mostly leave her the hell alone.  I adore this cat called Kitty!

6x6 acrylic on wood, $100 click HERE to have this adorableness all YOURS!

March 16, Jinx!

This is the elusive Jinx who lives in a big house with a bunch of really great people who like to color their hair in wild colors!  Jinx is mostly black and hangs out in the basement, sneaking up to peek at the people and see what color their hair is today!

8x8 acrylic on wood, $175 click HERE to purchase!

March 15, Office Goat #1!

I know it's the Ides of March~  let's hope this bodes ill for the proper people...
Ooo I don't really ever want to speak badly of anyone, but today does seem to call for a cute little baby goat, since the kitty for today hasn't shown up yet!  My friend Brian (and Jasper too!) came to my painting party last Friday and reported that they'd had baby goats come to their office that day, and had lots of photo proof of which this is some!
And once again, I could NOT resist painting this little booger!
Isn't that just the SWEETEST face?!
And I've noticed the eyes aren't the same as a usual goats, so this is some special kind of not-evil-eyed goat!  I'll see if anyone knows what they are called~

6x6 acrylic on wood, $100 click HERE to own this adorableness!

March 14, Kane for Eddie~

Kane looks very patient to me~
I chose a 6x12 panel for this one to make sure and include the flower~ and here's what Eddie, his owner, says about him~
In the fall of 2014 when I moved from Boston to New York City to start an MA. During my first month there, I was surprised by how lonely I could feel in a city of 8.5 million people. To remedy this loneliness, my best friends and I decided that I should adopt a cat. We found Kane at the SPCA on Upper East Side. He was surrendered by his previous human and as I got to know him I was sure the decision to give him up must have been made with great sadness. Though he was officially mine, no one person could own Kane. He brought love and joy to all whom he encountered. Even people who didn’t like cats seemed to have a soft spot for Kane. For almost two years, he was my companion and the reluctant, but patient, star of my social media accounts. This image is a still from a video I recorded of Kane with a paper flower on his head as “Supermodel” by RuPaul plays in the background. In the summer of 2016, Kane and I were getting ready to move to Toronto where I was sure he would keep me company during the long, dark winter. However, Kane wouldn’t make the trip with me. He passed away in June after a short stay in a veterinary hospital. We did everything we could to save him, including borrowing ridiculous sums to money to cover his medical bills, but cancer had spread throughout his little belly. Nothing the doctors could do would give him a healthy, happy life so we had to let him go. I still think of Kane often; not just when I receive my monthly care credit bill. I still find his hair on my sweaters and in my shoes and pockets. I still carry him with me.

6x12 acrylic on cradled panel, SOLD

Mach 13, Batman!

Wow!  This is one of those paintings that had to be painted!  I mean, just LOOK at this creature!  I mean, really!  Who WOULDN"T want to paint this!  And the name too~  "Batman"~  I didn't get the story yet about this name but there has to be one!
I do know that Batman lives in Hawaii and is one of those amazing cats with a huge personality, which I think comes across well in this~
Oh and I wanted to post this link to this documentary about cats in Istanbul because I want to see it!  Thank you Carrie for telling me about it!  It's called "Kedi"~

8x8 acrylic on wood, $175 click HERE for purchase info!

March 12, Rescue Kitty One!

There are two Rescue Kitties, but I haven't got their names yet, and this one I shall call the "Green- Eyed Rescue Kitty", and she (again I'm not sure if this is a female feline or a masculine one... lack of info from my friends!) is living in the UK with our friends who also coincidentally live in the UK!  Isn't that great?
When I have more info, I'll include it on here!
I sure do love painting black animals!
Though I will continue my plea for MORE CRITTERS!  I haven't gotten a decent hedgehog yet-  my sister who lived in England for some time did send me her photo of a hedgehog she came across while living in the UK, but it isn't as clear as I'd like, but if I don't get something else soon, I may be forced to work with that.  We do also live with a tortoise who I will be painting as well at some point...

6x6 acrylic on wood, $100 click here to look into these eyes forever!

March 11, Venus Sharon Anderson!

And this is a gorgeous cat, painted from an old, blurry photo so I hope I got her right!  And I apologize for mistaking her for Jim!  Here's Venus' story~

Born in the spring of 1983, Brad had to wait to move in with Carolyn until she and her brother, Jimbo, were old enough to leave home and come with him.
This beauty was so shy that few people ever actually got to see her ! She avoided cameras whenever she could, even to the point of refusing to sign her name to the card on the camera that Carolyn and Jimbo bought for Brad!
Her shyness was immortalized in the verse of our family song ( to the tune of The Macarena ):
Venus Sharon Anderson Borow Moore
Ran into the closet when she thought she heard the door
She won't come out to play , you know she's such a bore
Venus Borow Moore

8x8 acrylic on wood, Sold!

March 10, Ember for Diane!

Ah~  have I mentioned how much I enjoy painting black animals? Thank you, Diane, for sending me this fantastic photo of Ember!  And here is what Diane says about her kitty~

I saw a picture of Ember online when she was with a local rescue group.  They said she had been rescued as a feral kitten with her siblings and all of her siblings had been adopted, but not Ember.  She was very shy and still acted very feral, and with the number of cats being fostered, she wasn't getting the one-on-one attention she needed to be socialized.  The rescue group was unsure if she could be socialized because she was one year old at that point.  I adopted her and was going to be OK whether she came around to liking us, or remained feral - I just wanted to give her a chance.  She started out hissing and running away from me, but after only two weeks she was rubbing up against me and demanding some love.  She has ended up being our most loving cat!  She still doesn't like to be picked up and giving her medication is challenging, but she is well loved and super happy in her new home and we couldn't be happier with her :-)

8x8 acrylic on wood, SOLD

March 9, Dizzy for Kate!

And this is Dizzy!  I love the name...
And here is Kate's story about Dizzy!

Dizzy's story: I adopted him from a vet clinic. He had been a stray that was brought in. He apparently had a massive inner ear infection and very poor balance as a result. That's why they named him Dizzy. He also lived up to his name by being a cat that chased his tail. He was kind of dog-like--met me at the door, wanted to be in the same room I was in, loving sitting on my lap, etc. I adopted him in NH, and he moved with me to Chicago and MN. He got cancer two summers ago, and I had to let him go. He was such a fantastic cat!

  And I loved those giant eyes, luminescent and looking off into the future~  and those lovely wrinkled ears~  what a face!

8x8 acrylic on wood, $175 click here to have this as your own!

March 8, Cleo and Maverick! For Carrie

This is Maverick and Cleo, for Carrie~  When I saw this photo I knew I wanted to try to paint it!  What a pair~  you can't make that kind of affection up, you know.  And so I painted it in a rectangle because there's no way I would've wanted to have to crop anything out!

Here's what Carrie says about these two~

Our house is decorated in shades of gray, and when it came time to find furry friends to fill our hearts, it was only fitting that they match what was soon to be their multitude of lounging options.

First came Cleo, then came Maverick. They are a study in contrasts. She is the quiet, watchful, big sister to his wild, unbridled, little brother... And we love them both, so much. I didn't grow up with cats and neither did my husband. We both came from dog families. Who knew we would become cat lovers?

My husband snapped this stunning photograph of Cleo and Maverick. A friend at work said it looked like an engagement photo. It's a typical photo of these two... Maverick laying on top of his big sister Cleo, and her tolerating his joyful exuberance.

8x10 acrylic on wood, $295 click here to purchase!

March 7, Frank

This is Frank, the Iguana, and the grandpa of his owner says this, "Frank belongs to my grandson, Charlie- he doesn’t really qualify as a ‘pocket pet’ since he’s about five feet long, but he happily co-exists with two cats and a dog, and he thinks he’s as cuddly as everyone else….He loves raw collard greens and raspberries!"

I LOVED painting this guy!  A bit different and fussier than my usual brush-stroker style of painting, and lots of great colors, this was fun!  It took lots of little bitty bits of color to get the idea of scales, though I didn't want to paint each individual one.  There's that sense of value and where there's under lighting too~  I'm pretty happy with this one!

And I have a new Painting Lessons session starting this Sat from 9:30 to noon!  Come join me!  Click here for more info and to sign up!

6x6 acrylic on wood, $100 click here to delight in this one!

March 6th, Polly for Carrie!

This is Polly, an incredibly green-eyed cat!  The photo is a bit of an unusual composition, and I'm not sure I'm finished with the ear we can see yet...  but I am quite happy with those eyes!
Here is Carrie L.s story about Polly~

Polly was my baby.  She was my baby, and she was Simon's sister.  She loved the sun, laying on my lap, and being her own boss.  I adopted my fur babies, Polly and Simon, from the Humane Society when they were six weeks old and they were inseparable trouble makers until she died last October, 2016.  They knocked down countless Christmas trees, destroyed leather chairs as they raced through the house, chewed through bright colored ribbons and bows that I had carefully placed on holiday presents, and turned shower curtains to shreds; leap and slide, leap and slide, over and over. Although an indoor kitty, Polly loved the outdoors and in the summer she pawed my legs every morning, begging to be let out on the deck.  Once on the deck she raced down to the grass to explore.  At night she slept in my legs and each day I woke to little Polly kisses on my face. When she only weighed 4 pounds and could no longer jump to the couch or bed, Simon stayed by her side wherever she laid. Not a day goes by that I don't miss my Polly.

8x8 acrylic on wood, $175 SOLD

March 5, Wooly the Brown Mouse

Yes, I've been in New York for an amazing art teacher conference, the National Art Educator Association Convention, and on Friday I presented a workshop on Paper Animation to a lively and intelligent crew of fellow female art teachers.  Here's a link to some of my 8th graders' animations from 2015- they did a version of the Three Little Pigs, just in case you are wondering what I do when I'm not painting!
This is our mouse, Wooly, who now lives alone in a colorful enclosure that sits on top of Plato the tortoise's tank.  He did have a companion, Cow, a spotted mouse, who unfortunately is no longer with us.  Wooly is quite sweet.
And I do hope you are enjoying my month so far!  It's been tricky getting to New York with all the stuff I brought-  security at MSP went through my bag and looked quizzically at my bag of paint tubes...  acrylic isn't flammable.  I'm not sure how easy it will be to get them back through when I head home soon!

6x6 acrylic on wood, $100 click here to purchase!

March 4, Nemo

This is Nemo the umbrella cockatoo, whom I used to know quite well, but I lost her in the divorce.  And I miss her and I hope she is doing well out in California somewhere~  she was a treat to live with.  She'd put herself to bed at night, often well before we did.  And she loved a good shower, hanging upside down from the shower rod squawking with wings wide, flapping water everywhere~

And she turned most of the chair backs into toothpicks with that beak.
Yes, I still miss her!

6x6 acrylic on wood, $100 click HERE to make this yours!

Free Shipping (ships after April 15th!)

March 3, Snapper on the Road

These guys have the most amazing, alien faces!  And they looked so perpetually pissed off!  Wow.  Duane and Max found this guy on the road and he doesn't look the slightest bit pleased to have been saved from a possible smashing.  That's gratitude for you!
And I just HAD to paint him!

6x6 acrylic on wood, $100 makes this P.O.'d reptile YOURS!

Free shipping after April 15th!

March 2, Nigel In A Pot

And here's what my friend Shannon says about THIS one!

So, I was canning raspberry preserves on a cold day in January. Nigel sat on the hearth and watched me all day.  I had just finished up, and emptied the hot water out of the canning kettle.  I set it on the table and turned to grab the cover.  I came back to Nigel curled up in the warm kettle enjoying the heat.  He must have somehow known it was warm; it wasn't more than 10 seconds between setting it down and discovering him.  He's one smart kitty. 

8x8 acrylic on wood, $175 click HERE to live with this potted cat!

Free shipping after April 15th!

March 1, Picky the Hermit Crab

And welcome to this year's "30 Cats and Friends in 30 Days" Daily Painting Project!
This is my first painting for March, and this is Picky, Max's hermit crab who unfortunately has since passed away, but who sported an amazing painted shell.  He was a great little crab, and we enjoyed him so much while he was with us.  The negative space all around him was so fun to dig into and paint!

6x6 acrylic on wood, $100 click here to make this YOURS!

not available till after mid-April, but FREE SHIPPING regardless!