March 20th, Tuesday

Today's sweet, wide-eyed, pink-nosed kitty is Zebulon.

"Zebulon was an inheritance, he went to my parents when my Uncle Carl died.  I think he's named after a Civil War general or a battle, but it's Zeb for short.  My parents were not cat people... but now they are!  Zeb doesn't really play, and is choosy who he will associate with.  His nose and footpads are the cutest pink ever.  He prefers his water out of a super size fast food restaurant cup and likes to torment any dogs who visit (just ask Gus!)..."

March 19th, Monday

LUNA!!!!

A lovely kitty from the state of CHEESE~ 
And here's what Rachel has to say about her~
"What can I possibly say about Luna?
She started out as a bit of a vagabond, a gypsy but has made her permanent residence with me.
She is often described as skittish and aloof by others but she's totally fooling them.  She's sweet, loves attention (from me!), purrs like a maniac, loves to snuggle or at least perch on me while I sleep.  She is vain and self conscious which may be why she runs away when others come to visit..."
She DOES look a bit maniacal....

Sunday March 18th

Cripes this life is flying by!  Good lord-  how do we hold on to all this amazing life we're living and remember it long enough to do anything with it!  Whew!

SO this is Calvin!  Another lovely calico, which makes me think that perhaps Calvin is a bit like Carlos, who is another female kitty with a male name.  It is nice that we can grow to fit our names, and sometimes we choose to change them, but sometimes they really do become us!

St Patrick's DAY!1!!

Yippee, all you Irish out there!  THis here is Gypsy, and I imagine he's a true Irish gypsy laddie-O alrighty!  Just look at that smirk there on that sweet and innocent little face!  Who'd believe he's the one who knocked your tea-cup off the kitchen table just to get the milk from the bottom?

Friday March 16!

I almost wrote MAY instead of MARCH....  though it felt more like July today...  I got to go sit on the deck at Psycho Suzie's this afternoon after work, and enjoy a couple strawberry daqueris and a mound of tater tots with some delightful colleagues of mine~  what a great way to start the weekend!

SO here is my friend Barb's son's cat, Tiger!  Another one that I really feel turned out well!  And here is Barb's story about today's feline~
"Tiger is our cat's name.  He is about 6 years old.  He is more like a dog than a cat.  When I am home he follows me around and sits or sleeps wherever he can see me (don't understand that because I am allergic to him and cannot really touch him).  But he really is our son's cat.  Jeff can come home and just call his name and he will come running, jump up on Jeff, put his paws on either side of his neck and just look at him.  He will also give Jeff a kiss (not lick) just a kiss.  We all laugh at that one!  When he was younger, he would run and hide when the 8 grandkids would be over but now he just
finds a safe spot to sit and watch, usually right in the middle of all the excitement!"
He kind of has that look, of a wise and watchful cat~ 
Thanks Barb!

Thursday, March 15th~ BABE!

This is Babe, a sweet, calico-colored cat, also known as tortoiseshell or marmalade in England...

I am amazed at how difficult her eyes were.  That really is the secret to getting the feel of an animal, or a person I imagine, is getting the right size, angle, shape and light in those fragile colored orbs of liquid~
This is a note my friend Linda sent along with the photos of Babe, which I find says a lot about Babe and her personality~
"Here, finally, are some photos of Mom's cat, Babe.  Please note that she has extra small, dainty little front paws.  Mom loves that about her.  (As do we all!)  :)"

I do hope her front paws came out as delicate, dainty, and extra small!

March 14, Wednesday

What is there to say about Squeaky more than she is the fuzzy feline love of my life?   Since we adopted her 3 years ago, she has brought so much cuddly, pudgy kitty love to our lives.  A day cannot begin without some quality kitty lap time.  When she hears the key in the lock, her ears perk and she dashes to the door to greet the newcomer.  And at night, she curls up in the crook of my legs, purring and snoring as she sleeps.

Thus says Squeaky's owner, Jen.

I think Squeaky appears rather nobler than such a diminutive appellation would suggest...
or could it simply be the application of pigment suspended in a medium?...

Tuesday, March 13

 This is Apollo, and I believe I used all the colors on my pallet for this one~  Again I couldn't limit myself to just his face.  Some cats' body language speaks volumes....

Apollo's owner/landlord/caretaker has this to say about him...
"Apollo is an especially lovey dovey 16 year old who likes to take himself on walks, climbs over the fence and hangs out in the neighbor’s yard – and watches us –
He is really a house cat with yard privileges whose meow is rather a quack!"

Yup.  I do so love to paint~  thanks for humoring and supporting me!

March12, Monday, ALVIN!

Alvin's name of course brings to mind a certain rodent, well, maybe not to you...  could just be me, I guess...
This was another back-lit cat, but I do think I managed to bring him up a bit better than I did with Fergie, so yes I will be going back into Fergie again, and Luna too, until I am happy with them because until the owner has actual possession of the paintings, they are still MINE~   mwuah ha ha ha!  And believe me, right now there is a whole passel of cats, watching me from the studio shelves as I type this, and I continually gauge and measure them in my artist's eye as to whether I  still feel they are finished, or not....  though to relieve your minds I don't mess with them if I feel they are finished, and right now I don't have time to mess with them too much anyway!!!
...although now as I upload Alvin and look at him again, I believe I need to go in and take some of that raspberry out of his chin... and I wanted to check with Paula as to whether his eyes are indeed green, or more yellow, as that was difficult to make out from the photo~
Thanks for following me!

Sunday, March 11~

Woody!
Another amazing face, with amazing eyes...
Carla has this to say about Woody~

Been trying to come up with something fitting 

but it boils down to one thing: 

Woody was the absolute BEST cat anyone could ever ask for.

 We adopted him thru ARF when he was just 8 weeks old 

and he was the Prince of the House for 20 wonderful years. 

 I do think this image portrays a very princely feline....  and I know I think my Toby was the best cat anyone could ever

ask for, but I am sure we all feel that way!

March 10, Saturday...

...and my first double pic!  This here is the shiny Sweets with the buddha-like Smokey nestled in the background, my friend Soozin's cats~  and she has this to say about them...

"Smokey Jo was a dumpster kitty; when I found her she was living in a garbage can behind the Movies on 35^th.   She might be a Russian Grey and is very chatty and loving.  Sweets was originally gonna be called Khol due to her amazing black coat but, due to her snuggly personality she had to be called Sweets.  Sweets and Smokey have become best of buddies and are always by each other's side."

I've had to do extra work on Sweet's face, because she looks so darn grumpy and I don't think she's really like that!

March 9, Friday~

And this is Aliana's cat, a fluffy critter again...  and she says...

"Thanks for including my little guy!  His 'official' adpoted name my sister gave him was Ozzy, then I

took over and shortened his name to Oz. We call him Suay Chong Lao because when we were away for months in Thailand, this lady called her cat named Sip Song (which means '12') "Sip Song Suay Chong Lao" or "12, so beautiful already".   Cute. It made us miss ourcat and his nick name, among several, became Suay Chong Lao ever since." 

I did appreciate the multiple colors in that translucent fur, and this is another example of a rather not great photo... really pixalated...

oooooooo so much fun!

Didja catch that moon last night!?

march 8, Emma!

I know Jeremy has been waiting all day to see this!  Sorry she's so late, but life does get in the way of painting!  I do like how she turned out~
Her green eyes strongly suggested a green background~  and I thought I'd play with the idea of whiskers here...
Such an earnest gaze~
Stay tuned!

March 7, FERGIE!

Holy Moses this one was TOUGH!   Dang!  I really had a hard time with the shading and am still not sure I am completely pleased...  all my ego aside, here is what Fergie's owners have to say about her~

"She's gray with colorful spots.  We really like her white coloring on her neck.  Her fur is always soft and she loves to be petted.  She's eccentric and likes to nap.  She likes my oldest daughter best but tolerates the rest of us.  She really likes to smell feet.  She can be dumb because she will run into walls.  She likes to be by people, but rarely likes to cuddle, except when you are on the computer.  Then she wants to sit on your chest and you can't see what you are doing.  She has a set routine and will let you know if you aren't acting fast enough.  She's even been known to poke a person if they aren't acting fast enough."





 I've also been working on Luna some more, because I wasn't completely happy with her either...  I think the problem with both may be the lack of contrast and highlights.  And I am not sure what I can do about that...

Any opinions, oh my faithful readers?

March 6th, Tuesday

This is Gypsy, a ship's cat, with the wind in her fur and the ocean at her back~  here is what our crazy friend Captain Jim has to say about her~
"My cat is gypsy. She is a savannah. African serval and tabby mix. She is on board the Phoenix."

Http://schoonerphoenix.org is the link to see Captain Jim's boat he's been working on out in Puget Sound, I believe...
He'd probably be happy to show it to you too, if you happen to be out there!  And be sure and say hi to Gypsy as well!

Monday March 5th!

It is Duane's birthday today, and I was gonna paint his cat Madison, but I've already painted her and I've NEVER painted a gorgeous fluffy creature like THIS before!
This is Lulu, whose piercing blue eyes grabbed my attention immediately and I decided she did have to be painted full-body rather than just a head or those EYES would've just been TOO MUCH!  And I still would love to try a version of just her head too....
All you cat owners, would you please send me a little note about your cat too, so I can post it with their painting?  I am just so bad at breeds, I really don't know Lulu's origins!  Is she a Himalayan, or a fluffy Siamese?

Help!

Sunday March 4!

I LOVED painting this one!  Kris said this is Carlos, her sweetie's cat and that I had to be sure to try to include the "spilled milk" calico coloring down her sweet little chin~  I love the photo and lOVE how the painting turned out!  Yay!

Here's what else Kris says~  "Carlos is crazy. She bounces off the furniture and walls in her best Tony Hawk impression. Pirates have parrots, but we have Carlos- perching on shoulders for a better view. She sometimes snuggles, with her arms stretched out in front of her, waiting for a manicure. And she is usually purring happily, rumbling away under the cute spilled milk mark on her chin."

March 3, Saturday!

This green-eyed darling is Luna, sometimes referred to as "LooneyTunes" by her adoring owner who rescued her and has worked at creating a comforting life for Lunam who is a bit shy...
Those eyes are brilliant!  She is one of the rare cats that I attempted to photograph myself and it actually worked~  it is a lot more difficult to take photos of other people's cats than it is to take photos of other people's dogs...

Gotta admit, I am already having a gas with this project!  Thank you for supporting it and providing me with an audience!

Friday! March 2!

Ha HAAA!  Look at me go!  Whew!
So, here is Charlie, lying on the kitchen floor.  He's one of those manly cats who goes out galavanting around town and we almost thought we wouldn't be able to include him because he was gone so long, but lo and behold he came home and Lucy was able to get a good photo of him lounging about, recovering...

Those cats...
Stay tuned!

Thursday, March 1~ 30 Cats in 30 Days starts NOW!

Alrighty then, folks!

Here is the revised list for the 30 Cats in 30 Days Project!
 I do reserve the right to move and adjust cats to different days, so this isn't written in stone by any means, and if your cat is not a commission it may be adjusted to make room for a commissioned piece.  If this would really bother you, you can let me know and we'll make sure your cat does get painted.  And I am always willing to take payments per month or week until a piece is paid off~

1- Patrick Corrigan~  Mr Timmons

2- Lucy Bacon~  Charlie

3- Anya Zalyba~  Luna

4- Kris Musto~  Carlos

5- Judy Woodfill~  Lulu

6- Jim Kruse~  Stripey Kitty

7- Stephanie Shippy~  Fergie

8- Jeremy Hansen~  Emma

9- Alaina G~  Suai Chuong Lao

10- Soozin Hirschmugel~  Smokey & Sweets

11- Carla Kennedy~  Woody

12- MaryAnn Miller~  siamese

13- Mollie O’Connor~ Apollo

14- Beth Harrington~ Augie & Mimi

15- Linda Colburn~ Babe

16- Barb Sontag~ 

17- Anita White~  Gypsy

18- Sandee Elftmann~  Calvin

19- Rachel Seppi~  Luna and Zebulon

20- Colleen C~  Boo

21- Kelli Corrigan~  Fatouche

22- Sharon Parker~  Stray Barn Cat

23- Pat Olson~  Chin

24- Duane T~  Madison

25-  Cami Applequist~  Mishe

26- Brook L-T~ 

27- Amy Ballstead~

28- Leora EW~  Mister Brown

29- Janet Hammer

30- Kristin Heiberg~ Nora, Nick, and Nell
31-Jess Pearson~ Ting

AND
Here is the first cat of this March~  this is Mr Timmons, who resides in Kent, WA, near Seattle, with my oldest brother Patrick, who is a Shamanistic Cartoonist and has a blog of his own here  if you'd like to check it out~

Monday moring, but you're just getting up anyway...

...so really I COULD'VE posted this last night and you never would've known the difference!  We had a busy day yesterday- I had some talented students who won awards at MCAD so I attended the award ceremony, and then we had an amazing, tearful, joyous memorial service for Rich Wilson to attend~  and then I was too tired to go to the Academy awards party at my dear friends' house and even went to bed before Steve Martin could play his banjo on Austin City Limits last night.  But I DID get a painting done-

this is an 8x10~  you can buy it here!  And the 30 Cats in 30 Days starts this THURSDAY!  I have a few spaces left!

Wednesday Feb 22, 2012

I am really enjoying teaching adults!  I mean, I do enjoy my younger students too but it is just more of a dialogue with adults.  We learn together. 
This is an apple from an earlier class-  I did a cat tonight that you might see next week for sale...

The antlers did sell, so let's see who is interested in an apple!  You can bid here-

Okay, yes Monday...

...but it's a HOLIDAY so it FEELS like SUNDAY... besides, we had a lovely rowdy loud brunch yesterday and I'm still tired...
So here is another commission...  this is the lovely Stella~

Wednesday Feb 15, 2012

Wow~  busy darn day today!  Showed student animations at school this afternoon for the large community meeting and the response was great!  I'll have to see about uploading a couple for your entertainment...
Here are some antlers that I painted while trying to think of ways of demonstrating painting on a complimentary colored ground...  which is purple...

And if you want them, you can bid on them HERE!  I'm only going to continue doing these auctions for another couple months, because I haven't been getting as great a response as I'd hoped.  I guess I have to give something away soon to get more subscribers!  Stay tuned...
kat!

Monday~ darn it!

I DID get paintings done this weekend, really!  It's just that I get caught up doing the "business" side of the art and then I'm too tired to post anything...

so here's a couple dogs I've redone for a client because I didn't want to give them to her until I liked them!  That's a tricky thing too-  quality control-  I've gotten a lot more fussy about when the work is finished.  I want it to be fresh and feel that it has been painted quickly and with freedom, but sometimes this requires stepping back and letting it sit before adding the finishing strokes, and sometimes it even needs gessoing over, in parts or all!  I need to extend my 6 week deadlines to 3 months....

Wed Feb 8th

Had another great class tonight and forgot to take a photo of my sample!  So here is a lovely commissioned piece of a firepit up at the cabin...

And send me your cats!
xokat

Sunday!!!! Feb 5~

Yay!  FINALLY actually got some painting done this weekend!  Though I also got a little obsessed with Franken-stuff too-  I'll be dropping some things over at Articulture next saturday, if you're interested-  mostly sweater skirts...   It IS so satisfying to go through those bins and pull some sweaters out and get cracking on them!  Thank you Pam Robinson for sending me that box!!!!
SO this is somewhat of a value study of the illustrious Bingo, in order to better be able to explain it to my patient class on Wednesday...

And you can BID on him at my Daily Paint works site!  Just click HERE!!! Starting at $25 bucks, baby!  What a DEAL!!!
Oh, and I hadn't really meant his man-parts to be so obvious...

Wed! okay, yes it is Thursday...

Last night was the first night of my Painting Lessons!  For adults!  And wow!  It was REALLY REALLY fun!!!!  If I do say so myself....  I think I talked as quickly as I could and still be understood, but there is SO much I want to cover!  Hmmm....  thank goodness there's 4 more classes!  And I only left about 40 minutes for the students to paint!  They need MUCH more time than that...  but they were great listeners, and had excellent questions, and even though my demo was not a masterpiece (see below) they still believed I could paint~
I can't wait til next week!

Here's a couple of apple demos....

Sunday Jan 29- 30.....

Man, I DO apologize-  it has been a wicked winter with coughs and colds and stitches... but here is another commission for your viewing pleasure, Koda, and he is being mailed home today!
And do get me your cat images if you are interested!  I am for SURE donating a portion of all sales to the Caring For Cats Rescue group, located here in the twin cities who do good work for our feline souls~  I have to admit, I was a lover of cats before I loved dogs, I think because I was a shy and awkward kid (at some points in my social growth) and the elusive love of a cat meant more to me than the all-pervasive sloppy dog love I now value so much....

...not that all dogs are sloppy, or all-pervasive, and acknowledging that we own a cat who is more like a dog than some dogs I know....

SUNDAY Jan 22, 2012

Soooo.... I seem to be starting this year off being a bit to busy to post... I have honestly been painting my butt off this weekend, but had a few other distractions such as Max throwing his accordion across the living room, no target in mind really, but it connected with Duane's face and caused a ruptured something or other in his lower lip so he had to go get four stitches to close the gaping hole...  you know that little bridge of skin holding your lip to your jaw, when you put your tongue down into the very front of your mouth, in front of your front teeth?  Yeah, that little thing- oops~  Yes.  And then, I took Max to see the New Muppet Movie at the Riverview with friends this evening and just got back, and made the mistake of sharing a HUGE Sprite with him....  yeah, not a good bedtime drink for a 2year old...

SO these are commissions, because I am not finished with the large (16x20) cityscape I am working on...
Stay tuned for more!
And my FIRST Adult Painting Class starts NEXT WEEK!!!!! I am REALLY excited!  I am not sure whether the "Adult' part refers to me or the students...  time will tell...

MLK eve!

Missed Sunday again~  sorry 'bout that!  We had a full house yesterday with lovely artcar folks up from Texas to see the Art Shanties and hopefully have an art car parade on the ICE-  something that rarely happens in Texas, but unfortunately we couldn't drive on the ice either, so our guests satisfied themselves with firecracker-hats instead...  but DO get out to the Shanties while you can!  Only THREE more weekends!!!!!  Here's a link! Art Shanty Projects!   We'll be out there for sure on Feb 4 for the Art Cars On Ice parade and to have a Groundhog Cakewalk for our Anniversary!

ANYWAY, here is a little painting of Max and the penguins at the MN Zoo, of which we are members, which allows me to take many photos of my favorite animals...  I think there may be a "30 Otters in 30 Days" project coming up~  oh and get me your CAT PICS for March's "30 Cats in 30 Days"!!!!
And you can bid on "Who's Looking at Who?" HERE~ starting at $30!

Wednesday's Post, a Day LATE~

Hi all!  This is Castor, just to get you in the mood for the "30 Cats in 30 Days" project that will be commencing in MARCH!  Thought I'd start getting the word out, but perhaps I am pushing it TOO early....

anyway, enjoy a little kitty love...

Sunday Jan 8

Feeling a bit better after over a week of not feeling well, but I am still heading to bed early tonight~
Here is a little piece from a photo on my way to work last week, right at the greyhound bus station on 9th and First Ave~
It's up for auction at my DailyPaintWorks site-  check it out!

Wed Jan 4

I tried sending this last night and it didn't work-  I'm home sick with a crappy cold-  does that affect the whole year, do you think?  Starting off with a cold, introspective, under the covers... hmmm...
I do want to mention that I will be teaching a painting class at my studio this February, Wed eves from 6:30 to 8:30-  There are 5 wednesdays this February!  We'll be looking at painting as a daily habit and how to get yourself there, so expect some homework!  I wanted to let you all know first-  It'll be $100 for the month, and you can pay via credit card~  I'm limiting it to the first seven people and you are the first people to hear!  Spread the word!
Here's a couple commissions for your canine-viewing pleasure~

Petey

Bella

Sunday, Jan 1! Happy New Year!

SO I am back!  Wow, it is crazy how a couple week's vacation can totally screw up your schedule...
I DID paint a lot, some are still waiting to be collected by their new owners so I don't want to post them just yet.  But I DO have this lovely Cairn Terrier I just painted tonight, in an attempt to get back on track. 
It is that shape of a dog that I am most attracted to-  that stocky, solid, trotting brick, reminding me of a bear cub, or a soap sculpture, or a stuffed toy.  Just so compact and smooth.  I want to carve a cairn terrier....

And again, you can own this wonderful spunk of a pup by clicking HERE to join the auction!
xoxokat!

wed dec 21 SOLSTICE

so in celebration of solstice, and of the beauty of a straight-face and a sense of humor, here is a cat.  Do be aware that the Cats of March are approaching, and if you know anyone who would want to be included in the "30 Cats in 30 Days-2012" project, do direct them to this blog and my e-mail...

this is a present for someone whom I hope is NOT following my blog... but I rather like this one~  without and with the frame...

ack-THURSDAY!

Man, I swear I will be better next year!  Wow-  you know, I DO paint almost every single day, and those I miss, I really feel the absence~  I think the issue is actually getting the darn things photographed and posted!!!
Here are a couple commissions for your viewing pleasure!
Xoxokat!

Sun/Mon... I give up~ either way, it's ART, right?

...and yes, i've been just a tad busy this weekend, so this is actually a painting I did in Door County this summer at the Peninsula School in Carol Marine's workshop...  seeing as I didn't bring many still life items, I ended up using these lovely vintage black boots I'd just gotten on-line.  I still want to paint a series of boots, maybe even all the boots I own.  Hmm.  Do I have enough for a month?  I just might...

And this one is also up for auction at Daily PaintWorks!  You can click HERE to bid!
Can you let me know what you think of this site?  It has been an experiment for the last couple months to post a painting there for the auctions, and I am happy that almost all have sold, but I'm not sure whether I should keep it up or not, as they aren't quite bringing in what I would have sold them for...  but it IS fun~
thanks for following!

Wednesday Dec 7, 2011

Whoa!  I mistyped at first and put "2012"...  sure makes you think about how fast time DOES go by.  I still remember learning from Sr. Agnes I think in 4th grade how to put the proper heading on your paper, including date with your name, and writing "1975" and then in January, "1976" and how difficult that was to get used to, but that "1976" seemed to last a WHOLE heckuva lot longer that "2007" did, for me personally, I don't know about you~

so here are a couple more commissions.  And I just want to remind you to check out my Daily Paintworks auctions, because noone has bid on my last two and I can't figure out why and it is affecting my attitude.  They are both starting SUPER low priced, at $25 or $30, and would make great presents, and if you live near me I'll deliver them to you so you won't have to pay postage....

Sorry, just been a little under the weather and sleepy lately.  Things will look up in a week or two~
xokat!
OH and DO come to something this weekend!  Mom and I will be at the Women's Art Festival all day saturday, 10-5, and I'll be at Diamond's with the Holiday Art Show for the Pancake Breakfast on Sunday from 11-1 and at HOBT for the "Dreams of Winter" Artist Reception from 4:30-6 after the 3pm show of "Winter Dreams" which is MY favorite HOBT production, as it features the wonderful groundhogs that were present at our wedding in 2008 at the Artshanty Projects on Medicine Lake on Groundhog's Day!

SUNDAY or monday....

I swear, I WILL be back on a regular schedule as soon as life returns to normal...  whatever that looks like lately...

It's just been a LITTLE nutty, as I am sure you're life is too, with the holidays and all.  This weekend is my last big weekend-  We have the Women's Art Festival on Sat from 10-5 and the Diamond's and HOBT Artist Receptions on sunday, and tomorrow I am going to the Bloomington Art Center to set up for the Gifts in the Gallery Sale, and I end up sitting up and worrying and planning on how I'm going to set my stuff up to its advantage, and whether my prices are on, and who is gonna buy anything anyway...
ack~
so HERE is a pup from the Red Hot Art Festival this summer, silly silly dog!  You can bid on him and give him to someone for Christmas!  Go HERE! This one is starting at $25...

xokat!

Yes, THURSDAY- missed Wed again...

Sorry folks!  I know you all depend on my timing, but sheesh and jimminy it is BUSY around here!  It is the holiday crush, I think... so I have a couple commissions to share, some in process~

I am never going to get over the incredible connection between human and beast-  and how much fun it is to be a part of that delicious electricity...
So these are Annabelle and Pete, respectively... I am not sure what either client thinks of these yet, but I like them, especially Pete-  the contrast of dark and light in the photo really drew me in and those lovely fleshy wrinkles on his hind leg, I can feel them....
Come see me tomorrow and Sat at the Shasta Building!  I may be painting!