Cats (and a dog) portraits

 A neighbor of mine loves cats, so I jumped on the opportunity to paint them. She has 3 Maine Coons (which are very cool cats), a Sphinx (!), and a black cat. 

Turns out I really enjoy the company of cats, and painting them as well.

A long time friend of mine lost her Cane Corso recently. His name was Enzo, and he was a behemoth of a dog. He was just seven years old, which seems young for a dog to move to the rainbow bridge. To send my condolences, I sketched Enzo on blue paper in pastels. This was my first time really using pastels, and being that Enzo had a blue-gray coat, I thought this was perfect. RIP Enzo.

My exotic King quilt

 After upgrading from a Queen to a King size bed, I didn't want to part with my Queen duvet I had made. I made an entry for this almost seven years ago in Finally back to sewing. I questioned if taking it apart, adding borders, hand quilting it, and then sewing the binding would be worth it. So, with a week off from work as a creative 'Staycation', I got to work. 

This was a huge task, and my fingers are pretty much devoid of fingerprints from hand quilting around the squares. I used a dark gray bed sheet for the backing because a) fabric is expensive, and b) I like to use what I have on hand. Once I quilted it together, I had to cut binding at a 90' angle from another bedsheet, pin it, and ensure the corners didn't show any gaps. 

All throughout the finishing of this quilt, my cat Cece lended her paw-well, not really. But she definitely enjoys this quilt and thinks it's hers now.

Virgo

 Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone with creativity helps determine where focus should be placed upon. While I am pleased with this piece for the most part, it has taught me that my preference for watercolors and gouache runs deep. 

Virgo is a zodiac sign that I have encountered on a deep and personal level. We can just leave it at that. The actual symbolism of the sign is a maiden, who reigns over wheat, who are portrayed as innocent, and apply logic, practicality and order into everything they do. They are the perfectionists, the critics, but always kind. This painting shows the maiden peering out over the windy atmosphere, hair flowing to the wheat she stands among, and her collected daisies disperse with the flow of turbulent airflow. Her eyes hold concern for a coming storm, but she remains grounded.

I used M. Graham acrylics, which are high quality paints on a 16" X 20" canvas. This piece taught me that acrylics aren't a medium I enjoy. It took a few months to complete this, mostly because I couldn't find the enthusiasm and joy I feel when working with watercolors and gouache. Acrylics don't flow well, even when mediums are added. And you have to use A LOT to get the vibrancy I am after. Once it dries on the palette, you can't rehydrate it like watercolors and gouache. I have a huge set of nice acrylics, so I will save them for other projects, like rock painting.

PNW Mitts

New design for crocheted fingerless mitts using Scheepies Softfun yarn. These are easy to work up and can be adjusted for larger hands. The link can be found here. (apologies for the PDF not accessible originally, but should be viewable now).

 

The Green Man

 Green is a color I struggle with when it comes to painting. It easily can get murky and not stand out. So of course that means I have to paint an entire 6x8 canvas board in gouache with as many greens as I can get my hands on. This one will be a birthday gift to someone who loves plants. 

More pet portraits

 More pet portraits, including my two dogs and cat.

Pet portraits

 My love for animals of course includes those we choose to care for in our homes. Recently I announced to my circle of friends on social media that I needed pets to paint as an experiment-complimentary of course. That experiment was to see my own progress in painting pet portraits and this post is dedicated to the first set of requests I received. I definitely see myself doing a lot more of these. These are 4x6 watercolor on paper with fineliner outlines and details.