3/30 Jester in the Tub!

Here's the 30th Day of painting cats!  I'm a little proud of myself, if I do be the one patting myself on the back... been a bit disruptive, our life of late, and I am officially Not On Spring Break Anymore, and will be spending nearly all of today and tomorrow in online workshops with my colleagues as Breck, so  we can meet our students digitally online by Wednesday... and then we'll proceed onward with this wacky new world as we know it-  One day at a time!
Which is why I had to paint THIS one!  This is Jester again, whom I've already painted once this Month here, but I think you'll agree that this one had to be painted as well! It's nearly perfect as a photo, and so I wasn't sure I could actually paint a painterly version that would be as appealing, but I am SOOOOOO happy with it!  It just makes me smile!
I hope it does for you too!

XO
Oh and I included a photo of how I took the photo this morning, on our amazingly crowded kitchen island....

8x10 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

3/29 Maddy and Max, for Beaner

So this pair of kitty siblings live with my sister Beaner, and they are quite the pair.  She picked them up from a farmer selling them on the side of the road, or something like that, and she was only going to take Max, I think, but my mom told her she should take both of them so they wouldn't be lonely and so she did.  And I remember they had fleas and stuff, and she had to quarantine them for a bit, but they are just the sweetest pair of lap warmers you'd ever wish to find!
And if I'm counting individual cats, then I've already painted my 30 for March!  But I do have at least one more for tomorrow... and then I think I'm going to start on people.

6x12 acrylic on wood

spoken for~

3/28 Franklin's Fluffy Kitty Catire!

I started my On-Line Paint Love class today!  It was so great to be able to chat about art with my crew again, and to be in a group!  I hope you are all finding ways to be with people in these crazy times~

This is a fluffy kitty who belongs to my sister Kelly's boyfriend Franklin- they all live in Costa Rica, which is also at Shelter-In-Place mode, as we are here in Minneapolis~ actually, I think it's all of Minnesota....
It can be tricky painting a light colored animal onto a black panel, and this one took several layers to get it to look how I wanted it, and I'm happy now!

6x6 acrylic on wood

spoken fir~

3/27 Patrick's Emmie~

This is my brother's beloved cat, Emmie~ he misses her~

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for~

3/26 Jenna's White Hamster, Graham

Okay so I thought I'd try to keep on the list for this one, and I have to admit I don't like it very much.
It's a white HAMSTER, sent in by Jenna, and I think it will be a give-a-way... maybe Jenna wants it?  The photo was a bit strange, and I think that lends to the weirdness...

Her name was Graham (Short for Graham Cracker) the two hamsters I had before her were Schmallow and Hershey so I of course had to complete the smore trilogy. I went to a pet store to get some supplies for Hershey a few days after I had to euthanize Schmallow  and as I was in the aisle I saw her, a fully grown adult hamster in a five gallon tank. I asked the employees about her and was told she had been there longer than any of the other hamsters and I was told I couldn’t hold her because she had behavioral issues and was terrified of people. When I heard that I knew I couldn’t leave her there so she came home with me that night. It took months for her to warm up to people but she became the most loving hamster I ever had. As she aged she developed severe arthritis that we managed with pain medications and after some x rays we discovered that she also had scoliosis but she never let any of it slow her down. One day she fractured a tooth and it got to the point where we had to sedate her once a week to trim her teeth to a level that allowed her to eat solid food. After a few weeks of that her pain had exceeded the point that we could control, to the point that the only thing we could do was try to remove the tooth. We were three hours into surgery when I watched her take her last breath. I love all of my animals dearly but Graham left her pawprints on my heart in a way I will never forget and I miss her every day. 

6x6 acrylic on wood

YES, this is a GIVE-A-WAY! So comment on Facebook or Instagram and I'll do a drawing!

Wahoo!

and here's the original photo so you can see what I mean...

3/25 Misha & Mozzie

I was given a pile of photos of these two kitties to look through, and they were utterly adorable in all of them!  I decided to paint this one because of the yin-yang-iness of the two of them, upside down and rightside up, and darks and lights, and just the general fluffiness of it all!
And here is their story, from Abigail!
I am a big believer that the right cat(s) will find you.  Our last cat (Lucy) came to us after she had been abandoned and we started to feed her in our backyard.  She was completely feral to start but eventually we got her to come into our house and she became an affectionate lap cat.  When she passed away, we knew that no cat could replace her - yet the house seemed too lonely without her.  When we made the decision to adopt again, we kept missing the cats that we applied for.  A friend knew that we had been looking, and one night texted us a photo of some kittens at a friend’s farm.  When we went to look at them, they could only catch Misha (the black one) as Mozzie (the white one) ran away and hid under a tractor.  A week later, we came back for them and although they weren’t sure about us, we instantly fell for them.  They entertain us daily with their crazy antics and their sweet dispositions.  Misha tends to be carefree and belly up, and you can never tell what’s going on in his head. While Mozzie tends to be the caregiver and troublemaker.  They have decided that we are worthy of their affection and we can’t imagine life without them. 

8x10 acrylic on wood

$240

3/24 Veronica and Frankie

I loved this photo as soon as I saw it.  It seems a timely representation of what a lot of us may be needing to do many times daily...
And here's Brigid's story!

Frankie and Veronica:

We’ve never had a rescued pet before, and when my daughters found Frankie and her sister Midnight online, I was skeptical.  Frankie’s picture posted on the adoption page reflected an unmistakable sense of mischief.  But I learned once again:  Never judge a book by it’s cover, or a cat by it’s photo.

Midnight and Frankenstein (Frankie) got their Halloween-y names from the tween girls whose family so lovingly fostered them in the fall of 2018.  Frankie and Midnight were fostered with a family of cats and other animals that helped them learn to get along with others, and that claws hurt - playing should be fun and claw-free.  Frankie and Midnight were both held often, and sometimes in crazy positions that socialized them to accept almost anything in good humor. 

The image of Veronica holding Frank truly captures the affection and unconditional love they share. When Frank seeks your lap, she will curl up and face you and look deeply into your eyes the entire time you pet her.  Midnight, by the way, looked sweet and innocent, which she is, beneath her super scavenger personality that stalks cardboard boxes and q-tips, landing them all in her water-bowl at every chance(!)  Both kitties are sweet in their own way, and truly a gift to our family.

9x12 acrylic on wood

spoken for~

3/23 Simon for Cindy

Here's another one that I liked as soon as I saw it, though I had to move some of the greenery to be able to see Simon's nose... and I'm not sure if that's the true color or not!

It may need a bit more light, now that I see it on my screen...  Here's what Cindy says about Simon!

Simon had the most beautiful green eyes.   Such a pal.   Simon was our "grilling buddy".  He loved to supervise and of course sample.   Simon lived a very long and happy life.   He is no longer with us.   But as soon as the grill comes out our hearts are a bit heavy.  Missing our Grilling Buddy!

Oh and hey! I'm offering an On-Line Paint Love Class, starting next Saturday Morning, and including personal critiques from me weekly!  Click here for more info~

6x6 acrylic on wood

$92

click HERE to nab this one!

3/22 Estrella in the Sink

Here's another one I just had to paint-  I know I had a bearded dragon scheduled for today, but I don't have the patience for all the scales...
So I decided to do this one of Estrella, my friend Joe's cat, who I have painted before... but I loved this version of her in the sink, one front paw stretching out to you!  I wanted to see if I could get the foreshortening to work...

Joe is a minister up in Fargo/Moorhead, and I'm sure he's dealing with lots of hard work, so I'll be sending this one up to him~ he's a great guy!

What fun! I know you've done a number of paintings of our cats, but here is one more of our kitty Estrella. She loves spending times in Charlie's bathroom sink!

Good luck with painting!

8x10 acrylic on wood

3/21 Awwwwww Fraaannnk!

This is a photo that I wanted to paint as soon as I saw it! This is Frank, for Kim, and I loved the light and his calm expression~
Here's what Kim has to say about her Frank...

Our peeps all knew how to say it: "Aawww Fraaannnk." I found Frank at the Golden Valley Humane Society. He was certainly handsome and, amongst the horde of crazy, meowing and jumping kitties in the feline visiting room, he was so calm and collected. Little did I know he was on a covert mission to get me to adopt him. I brought him home where he promptly took full control, revealed his party animal side, insisted on daily toy-tossing, and forced us to remove any and all forms of plant life ... and, lucky for us, stole our hearts completely.

What a great story!

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for~

3/20 Anya for Cathy

I love it when a client lets me chose the photo! I was going to crop in to Anya's face for this one, but the full body pose looks a little like a heart, and I need as many lovely sweet heart things to look at as possible, these days!
And here's what Cathy says about Anya!

When I lost my boy Pablo after 10 years together, I knew I’d want another kitty - just not right away.  Anya was born a stray in Michigan (my home state!).  She got pregnant during her first year, and started nesting in a trailer court.  The people couldn’t keep her, so Dr. Solgat agreed to foster her and her kittens (Dr. Solgat works at my local vet clinic but was finishing up vet school in Michigan at the time).  Dr. Solgat sent me pictures and told me about her playful, affectionate personality, so I agreed to adopt her once her kittens were weaned.  I’ve never been able to name an animal myself before, so I spent time researching the perfect name.  I wanted something to do with sunshine because of her stunning color (orange females are rare because both parents have to be orange for a female cat to be orange).  I found the Gaelic name Aine, which means “radiant, brilliant” - it was the perfect name, because I knew she’d be my little ray of sunshine after losing my Pablo.   But I knew no one would be able to pronounce it so I decided to spell it “Anya.”  She had four beautiful kittens, 2 boys and 2 girls, who each found good homes.  I visited her every day during the 12 weeks until her babies were weaned, then I brought her home on June 27, 2019.  She’s playful and spunky and loving and sweet - and I’m so glad she’s my Little Girl.

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

3/19 Tango and Mango for Spring Equinox!

I painted two cats this morning!  Whew!  Not without a few interruptions... trying to home school the kiddo and keep him focused on school things is tricky while waving around a loaded paintbrush...
We are managing~ I know humans are adaptable. And I keep having sweet things sent to me by dear friends who are able to find those great quotes!
This is Tango and Mango, and they are quite the sweet pair~ I love tabbies with big giant eager eyes!

Wahoo!

Mango, 6x6 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

Tango, 6x6 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

3/18 A Chicken for Tanya

Here is the chicken for today!
She is one of Tanya's chickens and Tanya works at the U and has a bunch of animals she uses with the kids for therapy at the U, and this is one of the fluffy ones!
Here is Tanya's story!

"The chicken you painted is called a Silkie, she's 6 and her name is Atilla the Hen (Tilly). I've had her since she was 10 weeks old. She is a registered therapy chicken and works with me at UMN in the PAWS program (https://boynton.umn.edu/paws). She is one of 4 chickens in the program and we are part of helping to support student mental health. She weighs about 2 pounds and is super fluffy, very sweet, and very friendly. She also purrs when she is happy and loves spending time with the students."

It just cracked me up with that fluffy feathery do!
And I hope it makes you smile too!

6x6 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

3/17 Judi for Michele!

This is the kitty for St Patrick's Day, and she's got another great story! I so appreciate having this project right now, so I have a task to do each day.  Thank you!  It's also helping make sure I get my kid to sit at the table with me to do his math and language arts work. We're both working from home! And I'm getting set up to record some videos for an on-line class that I'll be starting on March 28th instead of the in-class Paint Love session I was planning, so stay tuned for that!  We're pushing the learning curve on this one!
Here's what Michele wrote about the glorious Judi~

"Judi came to me because her previous owner Meagan is allergic to cats. Judi lived with Megan on the 30th floor of a Chicago highrise. Judi had been abandoned and was living in an empty house for about 6 months and someone came in once a week and threw food on the floor for her. When Meagan got her (even though she was allergic to cats, she couldn't bear to see Judi abandoned ready to be shipped off to some other unhappy place) and she was covered in fleas and a lot of her hair had fallen out. Meagan nursed her back to health and fur and needed to find a new home for her because of her allergies. Through a mutual friend, I ended up with Judi. The mutual friend even went to Chicago in October to pick her up and bring her to Minneapolis to me. 

Judi is a very sweet, lovable, and surprisingly not neurotic 13 year old cat. Judi and I are both happy to have each other, and Meagan is happy Judi has a good forever home. "

8x8 acrylic on wood

$192

click here to purchase! Or send me an e-mail and you can pay by check!

FREE SHIPPING!

3/16 Malfoy

And this amazing cat is Malfoy! Those eyes are just incredible- I've made a video of me painting this one-here is a link to it~ though I sped it up, and did more work after the video too!
Here's what Cecelia, Malfoy's owner, has to say~

"Malfoy was named by my daughter after the mischievous character from Harry Potter!  Malfie has now 8 years old and is a sweet and talkative boy who demands belly rubs and brings us so much joy!"

6x6 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

3/15 Patchy-Woo-Woo for Nanci!

And here is the kitty with green eyes for a sunny Sunday in Minneapolis!  It's awfully quiet around here.  I've been taking the dogs for walks in the morning, and just heard some birds I haven't in a while including a woodpecker busy on a tall tree. It was 20 degrees this morning, sun coming up at 7:30, and our son Max is feeling much better. He's had a cough since Tuesday and last night slept without coughing once. Today he's bouncing around the house, wanting friends to come over. I think we'll wait til it's closer to 40 degrees this afternoon, and then arrange an out-door playdate for an hour or so.  I hope you are all having some comfort in this new arrangement we're all having to deal with.  I'm attempting to work on my on-line painting classes, so that I can offer my next session as an on-line component as well as an in-class opportunity, depending on the situation. So stay tuned for that!
With all the uncertainty in this world, do know that I'll still be painting cats for the next 15 days!  I'm going to record tomorrow's painting session too, I think... we'll see!
And here's what Nanci says about Miss Patches~

This semi dilute Calico is my sweet rescue kitty Miss Patches (or Patchy-woo-woo as we affectionally refer to her :)) She is a breast cancer survivor 1 year out! 

6x6 acrylic on wood

$92

Click here to purchase!

Free SHIPPING!

3/14 Emile for Patty

And today's kitty is a lovely black one with big bright eyes!  And his owner Patty has this to say about him~ This is Emile~

He’s a 15-month-old rescue from Minneapolis Animal Care and Control and was really “selling” himself by rolling onto his back and pawing me through the cage door with his very large paws. He’s a real sweetie and getting along great with “Grandpa” Alphonse, who is 15. I have no idea what his upbringing was, but he’s settled into family life, loves his toys, wet cat food and watching the birds visiting my feeders.

I do love painting black animals!  And I so appreciate your following this blog!  Do keep taking care of yourselves, people!
XOXOX

6x6 acrylic on wood

$92

click here to nab!

3/13 Meydi the Lion

Yup.  We expected a lion to show up somewhere in March, I suppose...  and here she is! I really loved that expression on her face of the mane being a little bit too tight... and here's what she has to say!

My name is Medele. That’s Yiddish for Little Girl. Friends and relatives call me Meydi. I own two elderly adults and a fine town home in Southeast Minneapolis. When I want to go out, I yell really loud. When I’m ready to come in, I yell just as loud. Who cares what the neighbors think? However, when I want to sit on a lap, I don’t ask permission. After all, everyone is “my people.”

Talents? You betcha! I play the piano exquisitely, word process on any computer, and I’ve trained my people to walk on a leash and to say “sit” when I’m ready to rest on my haunches. I roll over only when I want a belly rub. I’ve trained my people to fulfill my every command. And, like any beauty queen, I pose for pictures.

6x6 acrylic on wood

$92

click here to purchase!

3/12 Buddy for Oskar

And this is Buddy, who has a sweet though sad tale~

Buddy was an alley cat that adopted our family one cold November day five years ago. He and our son, Oskari, had a major buddy bond, hence the name. He slept at the foot of Oskari's bed every night. Sadly, he passed away last October and is terribly missed by all of us. 

Personally, I love those eyes.  And that ragged ear does speak to a bit of a rambunctious life on the street for this stalwart and noble creature~

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for~

3/11 Zoe for Marcy

I painted Marcy's other sweet fluffy kitty, Celeste, last year~

So excited to have Zoe a part of your March madness! 😻

Zoe is a 13 year old Ragdoll kitty. She is very affectionate (on her own terms, naturally), and extremely vocal. She is highly social and wants to be where her people are all the time! 

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

3/10 Dolly for Judy!

And this is Dolly, Smokey's friend, and I painted her as well from a Christmas ornament cut-out~ this one was a little easier, I think...
I loved doing those eyes!  SO many colors in them!

Dolly is a skittish, one-person cat who cannot sit still unless she’s fast asleep. Curiously, she loves company and is very social if her person is around.

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

and here is the photo!

3/9 Smokey for Judy

This lovely creature is Smokey, and here's what I got from Carolyn about him~
"Smokey is a loveable, sensitive cat who was quite mischievous in his youth. Note the notches in each ear, from his forays under fences searching for bunnies."

I was wondering about that ear!  And he does look rather a formidable fellow, doesn't he?

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

I also wanted to include the photo I was given to paint from, as I found it pretty funny, and sweet!

5/8 Ozzie for Janet

Today's cat is Ozzie, and this one took a bit more to get done. Usually I crop these to just their head so I can be sure I can get it painted in one day, but Janet wanted this in its entirety, and that chair is quite a lovely blue.
Here's what Janet says about her Ozzie~
Ozzie is a goof.  Probably the hardest cat I've ever had to train, but at other times a total momma's boy love.  I swear cats can have OCD and ADD.

8x10 acrylic on wood

Spoken for!

3/7 Cici for Jenessa! A shift in the Official List!

So I'm using my perogative as the creator of this tiny world here to rearrange my Official List a little bit...  I'll repost it at the bottom of this post~ sometimes I need to move or shuffle or drop a listed critter, and then we make adjustments as needed.
And here is Cici's story~

Here's our cat, CiCi (Ciera is her full name). She has a bit of a story- our last cat, Molly, passed away just after Christmas 2017. We were all devastated, she was a huge part of our lives. And then I got a text from my best friend. "Do you want a cat?"

Long haired, black cat, overweight, arthritic back legs, 14 years old. Both of her owners had passed away within a month of each other - they had found a place for all of their other animals, but Ciera they had til the end. And she had been living in their empty townhome by herself for a month.

I had to give her a chance - I couldn't let her go to the humane society. A girl in her golden years like that? No way.

And it was a great gamble. She's an amazing cat, our dog loves her even more than the last cat! Recently she has started to have health problems due to being 15 years old now (kidneys, auto-immune disease, amongst others).

We would love for you to paint her for your 30 in 30 project, if you would like. She's been an amazing companion for people throughout the years!

6x6 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

Revised Official List~

3/1 Sandy Pancakes for Jim

3/2 Robin’s Niece’s Kitty Drogo

3/3 Pixel for Paige 

3/4 Jester for Mary Sue 

3/5 Lily for Lynda 

3/6 Fufu for Arlene’s Daughter 

3/7 Cici for Jenessa 

3/8 Ozzie for Janet 

3/9 Smokey for Judy

3/10 Dolly for Judy 

3/11 Zoe for Marcy 

3/12 Buddy for Oscar 

3/13 Meydi for Sandra

3/14 Emile for Patty

3/15 Patchy-Woo-Woo for Nanci

3/16 Malfoy for Cecelia

3/17 Judi for Michele

3/18 Chicken for Tanya

3/19 Tango for Sandy

3/20 Anya for Cathy 

3/21 Frankie for Kim

3/22 Bearded Dragon for Kati

3/23 Simon for Cindy

3/24 Frankie and Veronica 

3/25 Misha and Mozzie for Abigail

3/26 White Guinea Pig for Jenna

3/27 Franklin’s Kitty

3/28- Max and Maddy for Beaner

3/6 Fufu for Arlene's Daughter~

Here's Fufu!  Full name is "Fumar" which I think means to smoke in Spanish, because of his smokey coloring~ he was given to my friend Arlene's daughter by a former boyfriend, and said daughter is now getting married, but not to that guy, I don't think...

The eyes on Fufu are so fun!  Cat's eyes are really different from dog's eyes...

6x6 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

Wahoo!

3/5 Lily!

I first fell in love with Siamese cats after watching 'Lady and The Tramp", which seems odd because those cats were really mean...  but they are just so wonderfully sneaky and bi-colored and green eyed and long...

This one was sent to me from Lynda, for her neighbors!

"Her name is Lily and she is also a Siamese.  They adopted her through a cat rescue organization.

Lily is a mess. She loved playing with the Christmas tree and steals anything shiny to bat around the house. She left a trail of Hershey Kisses in the dining room last weekend.

I think she is beautiful and was finally able to take this beautiful picture of her."

6x6 acrylic on wood

Spoken For!

3/4 Jester-In-The-Box!

Mary Sue sent so many great photos of Jester! This cat is a riot!  There's another one I'm really wanting to paint too...  I may have to just do it and sneak it in because it is so ridiculously adorable!
And Mary Sue also delighted me by writing a haiku for her cat~ which makes me think perhaps that could be another project...
Next year!
The haiku~

Jester, a young sprite  

Finds the joy in every day 

A trickster, my friend. 

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

3/3 Pixel for Paige!

This was a fun one to paint-  I don't often do full-body paintings during this project because they take a bit more time to figure out the lighting, the dimensions, the movement through the space. But this one, it all worked!
I do love the grey/black/white coloring, and her delicately curled paw, and those sweet little pawpads peeping through the fur~

Cats are so fun!
Thanks for sending them!

And here's what Paige says about her Pixel~

"Pixel is a shy guy but he loves to purr when Paige is around.  He is a street cat who loves avocado and testing his water before he drinks it. He is gorgeous cat whose ready to cuddle!" 

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

3/2 Drogo of the Fluffy Tail

Today's kitty is from Texas!  And my friend Robin sent me the photo, and mentioned the amazing tail, but I chose to leave it out of the painting since it looked like Drogo had a terrible hair day...

Here's what Robin wrote~

One of my nieces, Meghan, lives in Texas and just opened a veterinarian clinic late last year.  When I went down for a visit last month, I got some good pictures of her felines.  This is Drogo, named after a character in Game of Thrones.  He was a rescue cat and was only 3 weeks old when he became Meghan's cat.  I don't know the backstory, but I do know he was lucky to be adopted by my cat-loving, veterinarian, niece, since he needed a lot of care being without a mom-cat at 3-weeks old.  Today, he is a 6-month old, beautiful and very friendly cat with the largest, puffiest tail I have ever seen.

6x6 acrylic on wood

$92

click here to purchase!

3/1 Sandy Pancakes!

So the first Cat of this month isn't a cat after all, it's a Bearded Dragon who lives in my son's fifth grade classroom!  She's lovely, isn't she?  The kids voted for her name, and we think it is pretty apt...

I've also revised the Official List already, since I forgot to include 4 or 5 critters!  It is below Sandy Pancakes, and there may be further revisions ahead. So if you are sure you want your critter painted, do please let me know and I won't bump you!

6x6 acrylic on wood

$92

click here for purchase info!

3/1 Sandy Pancakes for Jim

3/2 Robin’s Niece’s Kitty

3/3 Pixel for Paige 8x8 COMM

3/4 Jester for Mary Sue

3/5 Lily for Lynda 6x6 COMM

3/6 Fufu for Arlene’s Daughter

3/7 Midnight and Frankie for Brigid

3/8 Ozzie for Janet

3/9 Smokey for Judy (CBM Comm PIF)

3/10 Dolly for Judy (CBM COMM pif)

3/11 Zoe for Marcy 8x8 COMM

3/12 Buddy for Oscar 8x8 COMM

3/13 Meydi for Sandra

3/14 Emile for Patty

3/15 Patchy-Woo-Woo for Nanci

3/16 Malfoy for Cecelia

3/17 Judi for Michele

3/18 Chicken for Tanya

3/19 Tango for Sandy

3/20 Anya for Cathy 8x8 COMM

3/21 Frankie for Kim

3/22 Bearded Dragon for Kati

3/23 Simon for Cindy

3/24 Cici for Jenessa!

3/25 Misha and Mozzie for Abigail

3/26 White Guinea Pig for Jenna