Leopard Love

Roaring Leopard, Watercolor

Leopard, Watercolor on Gesso

Hi Everyone!

Hope you had a fun and creative week. I had a pretty great week in that I sold my colorful giraffe painting so that was good. It snowed on Tuesday but I do NOT want to talk about it! I want spring and I want to see all the little shoots coming up in my garden.

I am still fascinated by wild cats. First I did a colorful loose watercolor of a Roaring Leopard who is full of vim and vigor and color. Then I painted another roaring leopard on paper I first coated with gesso. It certainly makes for a very intriguing effect - very textural and more muted.

I am enjoying experimenting with watercolor. I have learnt to love the way it just does its own thing - ebbing and flowing and pooling and dribbling. And sometimes I just have to rein in the temptation to remove sections of paint I have just laid down that don't seem right and instead just let it drip and dry the way it wants to because you can't tell what it is going to look like until it dries. What an infuriating yet fascinating process!

What about you? Do you like working with watercolor or does it bother you that sometimes it has a mind of its own?

Linking up with #PoCoLo:

Murdock the Blind Cat

Hi Folks!

I am having a wonderful week. I did a portrait of a lovely blind cat called Murdock. Murdock is a real character and I found him on facebook where he has a page. He had a chronic infection in both eyes that had caused them to rupture. He was adopted by a Vetinary Technician who took him home who says "I didn't plan on keeping him while I was fostering him, but we went through so much and we were very attached to each other by the time he was finally fully recovered. He was really sick for a long time and almost didn't survive his first surgery. He had to have a blood transfusion and was hospitalized in an oxygen chamber.

Even while going through his trials, Magical Murdock has been a very loving and happy kitten. His positive attitude and sweet disposition steal the hearts of many. He continues to thrive and doesn't let his disability slow him down. He's a true inspiration, not to mention the most amazing, handsome cat I've ever known!"

He is a bit of a star and you can learn more about him here and vote for him over at Modern Cat Magazine. I hope Murdock is paw-sitively beaming about his paw-trait.

All right all right enough with the cat puns....

Owl in the Snow, watercolor, 12 x 18"

Brrr we are at 13 degrees and when I went outside my face froze so I am staying inside. I hope the animals are okay - the squirrels and owls and bunnies. I hope they're all snuggled together having a party in some hollow tree! Here's my latest pic 'Owl in the Snow' which can be bought as a print over at Redbubble.

And here's some tips to help the birds in your neighborhood survive the winter.

Stay warm! 

Linking up with Moo Mania: