Here Kitty Kitty

People always ask me, "So are you a cat person or a dog person?" I never really believed I was one or the other. But then when D (my beloved kitty for 16 years) passed over the rainbow bridge I was faced with a decision: dog or cat? And then I realized I am a cat person (who really likes dogs!). But yes, a cat person. I love having them on my chest as I sleep. The consistant purring and their playfulness makes up for all the litter box messes I've ever had to clean up.

Conner

watercolor & colored pencil

5x7 inches

So some of you know that I belong to the Canine Art Guild. The purpose of the CAG is to bring dog artists together to share ideas, experiences and view each others art. We have shows open to members that are posted on line about once every three months. We have had a few shows open to other species as well as one that exhibited cats only. But for the most part, it's all about the dogs. Some of the members are also a part of the Equestrian Art Guild, celebrating horses in art. So then I was thinking.... is there a Feline Art Guild? and if so, How do I become a member?

3 Kittens, 4 Bowls

watercolor & colored pencil

5x10 inches

Well, there is and it's the Society of Feline Artists http://www.felineartists.org/index.shtml and I'm sure it's a great group of artists. But as I looked further into it I found that it's based out of Great Britain. No big deal! I thought since CAG has members from all over the globe. BUT! then I looked a little more into the site and see that they have very few shows. Nothing on line, but classic brick and mortar galleries. Nothing wrong with that either except you HAVE to drop your work of in person! What? Now, mind you, it would cost a small fortune to ship a painting overseas just to have it hanging in a gallery. And I don't know anyone in GB that I could even ship it to. THEN I find you have to be an "Associate Member" for at least a year. While the cost is less that a regular member, as an Associate Member you can enter the London art show, but no guarentee that it would be hung. hmmmmm. Well, let's say I did do it, and for a year. Now I'm a full member. And now (actual quote from the site) "Full Members are expected to support the Society by taking part of the Annual London Exhibition " ???

Sally's Silly Kitties

(from L to R) Barack O'Kitty, Misty & Popeye

Now, I'm not trying to make this a bashing post about SOFA. I'm sure there a great group of people that make wonderful art and love their cats as much as I love mine. But, Ladies, really? I think your guides are a little strict and if you have a reason to be that way I would like to know why. So I'm thinking, should I start my own Feline Art Guild? Would this bring more exposure to cats? to me? to my art? I don't know.

Orange Kitten III

watercolor & colored pencil

5x7 inches

So then a couple of weeks ago, I was reading one of Elin Pendleton's post on CAG (btw, she is one of the few CAGers that I would love to meet and have critique my work. Check out her site here: http://www.elinart.com/pages/dogcat.html ) Anyway, she was saying about how most of her animal art sells because there's a connection between the owner and the dog. "And the dog owner isn't just going to simply buy a painting of a golden retriever because she likes golden's but because what golden's mean to her. Whether it be the duck hunter's helper, the child's keeper or the house guard, it's you as the artist need to find that connection and build the art around that. So paint the golden, but paint him hunting, or laying down by the cradle or on the front stoop." (I am paraphrasing but you get the idea). So that being said.... what about cats?


Below are some famous artist's pieces featuring the beloved kitty...

Picasso

Gauguin

Renoir

Beardsley



DaVinci

gig

According to her website, Gig was a big influence on A.V Vibes Kitty in her Kitty & Robot webcomic http://www.evilkid.com/comics/KR/pages/rogers.html. She used to have this great illustration of a cat's butt with "Kitty doesn't like you" on it, but, alas, she doesn't have it anymore :(

Sleepy Toon

Luna Loves You!

"KC"

Commissioned piece

Watercolor & Colored Pencil

16 x 20 inches

Bowl of Kittens


So do you appreciate your cat? Would you buy cat art if it WASN'T your cat? What do you think of cats in art anyway?

I would love to hear from you!

>^..^<

I heart my new iPhone 4!!!!!

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Crunch Time!

Yes, it's crunch time! It's this time of year when I wish I could just take the time off from now til Christmas to get all my art and art related things in order. Alas, I can't do it, so sometimes things have to suffer:

For example (Heaving a big sigh here). The deadline to drop off my 2 artworks for the Honan Allston library show was the same as Halloween weekend. With Allston Open Studios (I had volunteered my time for media work), orders coming in, calendars going out... Not to mention my costume, which was awesome by the way..... Well, honestly I could sit here all day spewing a gazillion excuses but the fact is that I missed it. And when I went to email the contact that I would drop off my pieces the following week, well I never gave it a second thought why he didn't email me back. So I went to the library last Saturday to drop off my pieces... *buzz* no can do. You missed the deadline. I said, "But But , I emailed Michael on Wednesday that I would be here today!!" "oh" they said, "Michael's last day was yesterday" So to make a long story short, I will not be exhibiting my work there. I was so mad at myself and I think that's the worst feeling.

BUT Allston Open Studios is still going on and YES I will be there both Saturday and Sunday.



I will be located in Suite 417 at 119 Braintree Street in Allston. Plenty of parking!! Come visit me!

KC

16"x20" watercolor

Finished KC last weekend and it went into the mail today! My client says that her and her husband are already arguing as to where to hang it! I never wanted to cause any trouble :) On to the next project:

Quinn dogs

8"x10"

first layer still in the works

The photos that she supplied are great and she wanted both dogs in the same frame. I think collies, shelties and horses are challenging because of those long noses. But I will keep you updated and let you know how it goes! Back to work!!

Happy Halloweeeeeeeeen!

Yes, the big weekend is here! And I have orders to paint! Of course I'm going to get crackin' but but it's Halloween and I have a faboo costume and MUST go out. Here in Boston the music scene does "Ghosting". What this means is that local bands (not cover bands, mind you) will pick an artist and sing all their songs for their performance. Last year we went to a Kiss ghosting although I must admit I was kind of disappointed that they didn't wear the Kiss makeup. This year, my plan was to go down to Great Scotts http://www.greatscottboston.com/ and check out Vostok 4 ghosting as Talking Heads and then hang for the Pill dance party (which is something I've been wanting to check out for some time). My friend, and Halloween pal, T, is a huge TH fan so I thought this would be perfect. BUT THEN... I just found out Church http://www.churchofboston.com/ is doing a whole night of Guys doing the Girls with Lights Out doing MADONNA!! Did you know I'm a huge Madge fan???? Now you do! But I can't do both!! Both financially and I need to stay in one night and work on commissions (I'm working on one now that's a challenge and have 2 in waiting).... oh dear!! What am I to do??? :)

KC beginning

16"x20" watercolor

Here Kitty Kitty! A 16"x20" is always exciting and challenging for me, since I'm always working small. I am kinda having a tough time with this one. Some of the green has already bled into the white of the cat, and the cat is white. I've never used masking before so I wouldn't know where to begin with that stuff. And thank dog there was a big green cedar tree behind KC and not a blue sky because I suck at doing washes!! (A wash is the solid color without any dark spots, puddles or streaks.) So last night I spent more time on those green cedars and I have to remember to mix my palette not so close to the painting because some paint did fleck out of the well and nearly got on the kitty! Yikes!!

This past Tuesday we had a creative get together and carved pumpkins. I used a stencil (that I had made!) and it was of Elvis. Can you tell that it looks like the King? Kind of? Yeah, I agree. J said not really at all and gave me one of those "Nice Try" looks. The mouth reminds me of Mummenschanz http://www.mummenschanz.com/index.asp which I always wanted to see when I was a kid.

So without giving it away....


This is my crown for my costume for Halloween. Ha Ha!! It's going to be great!!!! Have a happy and safe one!!

New Artwork! Getting ready for Fall!

Hey All! Just wanted to remind you all that the Charlestown Arts http://www.artistsgroupofcharlestown.com/docs/Art_Park%20web%202010.pdf in the Park is coming up... September 11th in the City Square Park (rain date 9/12). This will be my first show of the year, so I will have new artwork, more prints and plenty of your favorite images in a magnet for dare I say it..... Christmas gifts!! I've already started shopping myself and Jiminy Crickets it'll be here before you know it!

glass study in watercolor

So last Wednesday T, R and I did a Creative Wednesday and again, I wanted to touch on the subject of texture.... Especially glass. So we did a still life of all glass things. I put the plant in there so we have some color through the clear stuff. Of course I think the plant and the pot it's in are the best out of this piece, but I believe the blue glass is the most convincing. Incidentally, the yellow glass chicken I recently found in the barn attic at my parent's house. I believe it belonged to Gramma, but neither of my parents could confirm this. Could have been the previous owner to the house...( My folks moved in to the Boxford house in 1968). But whoever she belonged to, she's my glass chicken now and I love it.


And yes, Finally I was able to get some new work up. Although going back through my portfolio it's only 5 pieces! Wow, I've apparently been busy! Back in 2003 (granted, I was unemployed) I would crank out a piece like every 2 days and at the end of a season have about 20+ pieces! But, alas, this is not the case now. This piece below is I think my best of 2010. I really experimented with the medium. What I started was going to be a strict black and white....

but then my paint tray got a little crowded and the black poured in with a light blue color ( I don't know the name, don't have the tube in front of me). So I just went with it and did the background. Then I took some Prismacolor pencils and went over it making the orange and brown marks in the fur of the kitty. The purple on the blanket is all pencil and then went into the back ground again with a light blue pencil.

This will be on display along with other works at the Charlestown Art Fair. Come and visit me!! :)

Hot July Tuesday

Krypto

5"x7" watercolor

So last night I met with Layla, a woman who wants to learn how do to watercolors and wants me to teach her. WOW! I've never ever done this before. So I went online and did a little research and read a blog about a woman who teaches a workshop, just so I could get an idea of what to teach first. I want to be the best teacher and help this woman to learn the steps of watercolor from A to Z. And if you are an artist, you know that the first thing that makes a great painting is all the prep that you put into it. Such as, good supplies, color knowledge and composition. Well, when I walked in and started talking to Miss Layla, she said, "What shall we draw first?" and "I want to paint JUST LIKE YOU". While that may be flattering, I don't want to be copied and told her so!

So I had her sit down with me and we worked on doing wet in wet gradations. Making that color to the white space a soft transition vs. a hard line. I did give her a little lesson in paper. Quality watercolor paper is SO important. I prefer Arches 100% cotton 140lb coldpress. This is the best on the market. She had some tablets and pads and I brought an Arches tablet just to let her feel the difference between the Arches and the others. Just a side note: she did have a pad by Strathmore that was so smooth it was a crime to call in watercolor paper. That sh*t will buckle the second you put any water on it. But I told her to save it for other projects. Can't waste it, can we?

I want to post pictures, but like a dummy didn't take any. I will next time. Thing is, Layla says she's embarrassed by wanting to learn watercolors (WTF?????) She says that she's too "old" to be learning and that she doesn't want to tell people. This just struck me as very odd. I said things like "Too old? Never!" and "Lots of people pick up new things to do when they retire! There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Because Lord knows, I'm going to be telling everyone haha!

In the mean time, I've been working on my gift certificate winners and trying to work on more stuff for my own portfolio. I haven't sent a newsletter out since *yikes* last Christmas!? that's bad! But then I don't have a whole lot to share, not even new artwork. I just feel that I'm rehashing my old pieces and I can't be doing a whole lot of marketing when I have nothing new to market. At least that's my feeling.

However, you should go over to the Canine Art Guild website http://www.canineartguild.com/gallery/ and vote for your favorite piece in the Here Kitty Kitty art show. I have 3 pieces presented but you should definitely vote for your favorite.

Speaking of kitties.............

Here's a picture of Sweet Misty, my sister's cat who had her 5 babies on Sunday night. SO CUTE! I can't wait to go and look at them! Of course J is very nervous about me going over there and made me promise that I wouldn't bring another cat home. We already have a kitty but sometimes I think she needs a buddy. Our condo is pretty small and I do fear 2 cats might make it a bit stinky.... but they're sooo cute!