This is Sunday. Sunday is an adventurous cat. I've painted Sunday in her box in the galaxy of stars, and now she is at sea, with a kraaken feeling her out. She seems safe in her cardboard box, though, and I'm sure she'll have many more adventures!
Possibly in the same box!
This is Dolce! She is 21 years young- and she lives out in San Jose, enjoying the good life. We like this image because she looks like she is smiling...
And if you happen to be out in Santa Cruz this spring, this show that Sally curated just opened at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History! I wish I could go! Let me know if you do!
HOWL: the Art & History of Pets~
Here's a sweet pair of kittens- Perkie and Pixel, and I believe Perkie is at the back and Pixel is in the front, because I painted Perkie back in 2023, and I know Paige is a bit busy at the moment and when she has a chance to send me a little story I'll get that in here for her-
I always love these kinds of images of affection...
And this is Odin, who happens to be Loki's brother, which makes sense. And I love how he looks so much more regal and like a god than Loki does in his painting- Loki looks like a trickster!
I have to admit again that these month-long projects are such a great time for me. I appreciate the comments and posts, and I love feeling more connected to you all out there. I'm up in Grand Marais and went swimming at the YMCA this morning and remembered my first and most patient swimming teacher, Pete Kelzenberg, who worked with me slowly and gently to help me overcome my fears of swimming, and how his guidance led me to become a swimming teacher myself, which led to me becoming a teacher in schools.... and so I looked him up and I think I found him and I sent a thank you note. I'm trying to consciously reach out and make that connection when I think of it, you know what I mean?
Life is too short, and we need each other, my friends! Thank you!
And this is Josie! Man, I've been painting later in the day up here! I'm in Grand Marais this week, at the Art Colony for an Art Residency and I'm painting otters and beavers and cats, and sometimes the cats get pushed aside... though Josie held her own!
This is my cousin's cat, and she said the photo this painting is based on is the one that made her husband want to adopt Josie. Isn't she great? I love that lifted paw~
I think you'll understand why I had to paint this cat. Actually, I may paint him again a couple more times just because those eyes are SO green and there's incredible presence in his entire being.
And of course the name doesn't hurt either! I have known a couple cats named Rocket, and this was even before Guardians of the Galaxy!
I know he belongs to Charlotte and Cora, and I'll see if I can get a story...
Seriously, those EYES.....
Aw, this one feels like he would have had a great Irish wake~ once you read what Ashley says, you'll get what I mean~
Oh my Tom Tom. Tommy the cat. Baby boy. Tommy toes (Toe más). Our lil space cadet. My soul cat.
This sweet kitten lives up in the far north, and is the newest love of someone whose cat I painted in 2023, the beautiful Aslan-
I love the names people give their pets. Morgana seems an Arthurian reference if I remember my British legends correctly, which reminds me of the series of children's books, The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper, that I found last holiday season and which has deep Arthurian connections if that's something that interests you! I liked them a lot, feeling a bit like the Narnian series. Heroic books feel necessary right now...
I think I've mentioned how much I love painting black animals and this is no exception!
And this is Coya!
Chrissy sent me this image, and then their fiance wanted to send other images of Coya that they liked better, but I still think this is the best one. That straightforward gaze, those green eyes and pink nose!
What more could you ask for in a sweet cat?
My friends Carolyn and Brad are great patrons and cat lovers, and find several beautiful cats for me to paint each year for their family. Mia is one of those! Here is what I am told about Mia~
Mia lives with Molly and Trudy
Stellaluna is the new rescue kitty belonging to my friend and studio-mate Kat! here's what Kat says about her-
"She has been with us about a month now and we are totally in Love! We think she's about a year old. She loves to be wherever we are and it a perfect mix of cuddle sweetness and crazy playfulness. Her favorite game is fetch!"
This is Loki, and I loved the photo this was painted from because Loki is sprawled over what I believe is a red ottoman, his arms wide and his face flopped forward with an undeniably impish look on his face!
Just amazing- and I would imagine he's as much an imp as he looks...
This is Jilly, and I love her story, as written by her new owner Kelly! I love the description "round and sassy"!
This has been a rough year, as we lost our dear cats Tori and Oreo over the summer. But a few weeks ago, we brought in Jill! A friend of our’s mother passed away, and they needed to find a home for her cat, eight-year-old Jilly. We decided to bring her on board. She’s very round and sassy. She does not like our resident cat, Bugsy, but they’ll just have to coexist. She’s still finding her way, and I know she misses her mom. But we love her and hope everything will work out.
THIS was a fun one for sure- so much color in there! Russian Blues have a LOT of shades in their coats-
Tho now that I'm seeing the painting on my screen, I'm realizing I need to pop the color of the purple background a little, since it too closely matches Mica's amazing coat~
And this is what Jen says about Mica~
This is a memorial commission for a rescue Russian Blue kitty who had a penchant for stealing seats and going for walks on a leash in the garden. She was a champion lap sitter and the best at-home working buddy a person could ask for. We named her Mica because her generally gray fur and warm eyes shifted tone and hue in the light, like flakes of the mineral mica.
This is Frank, a green-eyed beauty whose owner says this about him...
He is an 8 year old equal parts angel and devil. There is never a dull moment when Frank is around!
I LOVE that kind of understanding of your cat!
This is Tango! He lives with my sis-in-law and her family, and we are so happy for them! My niece has been wanting a pet for a LOOOOOONG time, and finally wore her parents down. Dad is allergic, but has been willing to give it a try as long as he has a cat-free zone to escape to. So Tango came home and mostly lived in my niece's room and he is now all over the place and everyone in the household is completely in love~
How could you resist this creature?
This was another fun one to paint, and I was able to get up early enough to finish him on time today! Yay!
And it's sunny, and the snow is melting but its still cold, which feels more right than no snow in March in Minnesota-
Here is Dan's story!
Dan da lion was a cream colored Siberian with a gorgeous mane
Ah, this one is Jasper, who belonged to Mary, who will be sending me his story for the book soon-
I have to admit I am pleased with myself for being able to get these done and posted each day, so far... because I have been so distracted and distressed with the world and the next big problem and what I can do about it. Having these paintings to work on is really comforting for me.
And another comfort is PBS kids-
Just saying! I don't intend these posts to be political, but these days it feels like just living is a political act, and so last night after celebrating Duane's birthday at Vivir in Northeast (excellent tacos people!) we came home and I had a little work to do so we put on PBS kids, free public tv, and some of our families favorite background noise, if you know what I mean, and I blundered across "Brambletown"- Directed and animated by Eric Power (whose work I love, from Cloud Cult and Jeremy Messersmith videos!) and with original music by the Okee Dokee Brothers it made me cry and made my night and made me love Minnesota even more- people, we NEED these videos, these stations, these emotions! We need to be children and be simple and just love and want to be with others too~
Okay, enough of my soap box! Just support your local public radio and television and all that! Think of the people who can't afford cable or internet and this is who you are helping to connect to the world.
You are doing a great job!
Oh this is such a beautiful cat! I worked a long time on this one, which is why it is a little late, plus we had 7 inches of snow fall and I still had to get to work...
So here's what Jen wrote about this beautiful creature, who has had something of a tragic life already...
I didn't tell you the whole story about Smokey. His first owner was a farmer and he was left behind when he died. My brother then took him and he was the light of his life. Unfortunately, my brother passed nearly 3 years ago. Thats' when Sam, my nephew took him. Sam passes two years ago, and now he belongs to my nephew's girlfriend.
I have some patrons who are particularly faithful to this project, and Carolyn and Brad are the best. This is a cat they commissioned for their friend Beth, and this is what Carolyn wrote~
Okay, so they don't know I'm painting this for them, but my sister Beaner asked me to, and so I did- Melissa and Jen are her great friends in Duluth and I met them a couple years ago when I was stuck at Beaner's house in Duluth on my way up to Grand Marais for a Solo Art Residency at the Art Colony and there was a winter storm and everything was super icy and I was afraid to leave until the next morning.
And this is just the most adorable cat, ever! I think Timmy is a female, and I always love that sense of humor in naming critters like that~
And thanks for following!
This is Emmett, who lived with Julie, who i believe walks dogs for people and knows animals pretty well. I'm hoping for some sweet words from her soon for this lovely creature, because he sure deserves some kind of a story with a face like this and a name like that!
I do need to check in with Julie too, because I'm not 100 percent sure his eyes were green... they may be more gold so I might need to step back in there...
And I'm sorry to be so late posting today! My intention is to post right away in the morning but I had to spend some time today getting organized and it took longer than I intended, and then I had to go on a lovely long walk with a beloved best friend, and that took some time too, so here we are!
Oh and the Official List has more adjustments! I'll include it below again-
THank you!
30 Cats in 30 Days March 2025
1- Pipin for Duane 6x6
2- Emmett for Julie O, 6x6 Comm
3- Timmy for Melissa and Jen 6x6
4- Kasia for Beth 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)
5- Smokey for Julie O 6x6
6- Jasper for Mary H 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)
7- Dan, Fast Eddie’s Twin for Beth 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)
8- Tango for the Malamens! 8x10
9- Loki for Julie Olson 6x6
10- Mica for Jen and Joel 8x8 COMM
11- Jilly for Kelly E 6x6 COMM
12-Odin for Julie O 6x6
13- Ragnarok for Julie O 6x6
14- Mia for Molly 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)
15-Coya for Chrissy 8x8
16- Rag Doll Kitten for Laura 8x8
17- Tommy Toes for Ashley 8x8 COMM
18- Rocket for Charlotte and Cora- For Trish
19- Josie for Marcia 20x16 COMM
20-Lily for Jennifer L
21- Miss Gracie for Kara L
22- Camilles friends cat
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Wahoo!
It's a beautiful sunny brisk 13 degrees today, and Pippin is the first cat of this year because she is our new kitten and we are all absolutely enamored with her! She is spunky, brave, silly and sweet and fits right in with the crazy pups and large active 16 year old~
And I do still have some space left in the month if you're suddenly realizing you have a cat that needs to be painted...
I love these month-long projects because they force me to up my game, to make sure I'm getting in the habit of painting every day. It's just a great way to kick myself in the butt and get working, and I also jive with the community aspect of knowing YOU all are keeping an eye on my progress too!
SO help me out and let me know how I'm doing!
The OFFICIAL LIST is at the end here, and I'll update it as I go! It's already been updated twice since I posted it yesterday!
30 Cats in 30 Days March 2025
1- Pipin for Duane 6x6
2- Emmett for Julie Olson, 6x6 Comm
3- Timmy for Melissa and Jen 6x6
4- Kasia for Beth 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)
5- Lily for Jennifer LeClaire
6- Jasper for Mary H 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)
7- Dan, Fast Eddie’s Twin for Beth 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)
8- Tango for the Malamens!
9- Miss Gracie for Kara L
10- Mica for Jen Christiansen 8x8 COMM
11- Jilly for Kelly Everding 6x6 COMM
12- Fritz for Colin
13- Fattoush for Us
14- Mia for Molly 8x8 COMM (Carolyn and Brad)
15-Coya for Chrissy
16- Rag Doll Kitten for Laura
17- Tommy Toes for Ashley 8x8 COMM
18- Rocket for Charlotte and Cora- For Trish
19- Josie for Marcia 20x16 COMM
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I thought I'd post a few commissions here, as I'm starting to get ready for another "30 Cats in 30 Days" Project in March and I need you to send me your kitty photos!
This is Henry, a sweet little Christmas commission!
This is from our little family Solstice Vacation in December, and I didn't adventure out quite that far... Duane and Max went out on the rocks and took photos for me, and told me once they were safely back. That's what I get for having a family of boys... they know I'll freak out and get all worried, so they don't tell me until AFTER they've done the scary thing...
But I get to make cool paintings, so I guess it all works~
This is a little otter painting on a sweet oval panel, just 8 inches by 6 inches, from a photo Duane took at the Minnesota Zoo a few years back. He takes the best photos for some reason! I'm not sure if its because he's more patient that I am or what...
But I'm pretty happy with this one!
This isn't the first painting of the year... I haven't kept track. And I've done one post for a 21 day posting challenge and let that one go too. Yup. It's a busy life here. I mean, it's good for sure! Just kinda full- and this is a sweet painting that I did a bit ago... when DID I paint this? It's been a bit of a blur, all told~ and I think I need to take a better photo too...
Hope you are well!
