The Owl & The Pussycat

Hard to believe that it has been over a month since I last posted an entry here. I've been way too busy with the work I do as a visiting artist in the rural schools here in central Montana. I also had several things to do at the studio, including trying to re-create some work that was damaged beyond repair by the studio cat. I resisted "damaging" the cat and tossing her outside. What she did and the resulting mess is best described as the "cat attack" and any further explanation is another post, which will have to wait until sometime after I'm through being angry over it.
But on a happier note, the cat-created mess led me to rearrange, reorganize my studio space and that has proved to be a good thing. To keep this post on the upbeat, I'm including an oil sketch for a painting that will take form sometime after I recreate the ones destroyed by the cat attack. This is a fun take on the Edward Lear poem "The Owl and The Pussycat" blended with Grant Wood's famous painting "American Gothic."  I'd title my work "The Own and The Pussycat at Home on the Farm" or something to that effect. This oil sketch is about 8 x 11 inches

Cats Again! This time with monotype process

It's been a couple weeks at least since my last post. Using as much of my time as possible in the studio, I decided to make some monotypes. It was a good diversion from the aluminum foil etching process I'd been experimenting with (see my November 17th post.) The end result was a lot of small monotypes, all similar in subject (cat), but all different in various ways.

I started by painting a simple, stereotypical sitting cat image on a piece of plexiglass. I used a type of tempra paint that is non-toxic and under the brush it has the feel of fingerpaint -- sort of "slippery" even on paper, let alone a plexiglass surface. All of the monotypes in this series were executed with a sable brush. The paints are water-base so they dry fast. That meant decisive, quick work on my part. But I enjoy working that way so this was actually a very relaxing process and the immediate results captured my interest and enthusiasm. The session only ended when I had to hunt the studio for more paper to use!

Once I had my painted image, I placed the paper on top of it and hand-rubbed with a baren to pull the print. I tried different kinds of paper and also experimented with pulling prints from prints that had larger amounts of paint on them. Some of those prints are among my favorites. I also pulled some second prints from the plate image if there seemed to be sufficient paint remaining.

I did not remove the paint from the plexiglass between prints. Instead, I allowed it to build up and found that it provided a better "tooth" for subsequent layers of paint. Also, I did not enslave myself to the exact contour of the image from one print to the next. At some point it occurred to me to put more control on the direction and pressure of the baren and in that way I could indirectly manipulate the way some of the paint contacted the paper.

Here are the top 25 monotypes -- the ones I decided to mat and offer in my art shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/PoppengaArtStudio. Not all of these are currently listed at the etsy shop but eventually will be. All of these are for sale, so if you see one here that you'd like to purchase but that is not yet listed at my etsy shop let me know. I've put numbers next to each print shown below; use the number to refer to the print when you contact me. Each print is matted as shown. Some are printed on a kind of Japanese Rice Paper, and so in those particular ones you can see some "waving" that gives a textile feel to the print.

1.

  

  

2. SOLD

3.

 4.

5. 

6.

7. SOLD




8.

9.



10. SOLD

              11.SOLD

      12.

    13. 

   

14.

             15.SOLD

16.

      17.SOLD

 18. SOLD

19.

20.

21.

      22.SOLD

23. SOLD

         24.SOLD

       25.SOLD

Number 1 has an oriental feel, I think. Number 25 was among the first ones printed. See if you can pick out the ones in this group that are "second pulls" or "mirror pulls."  Most of the prints are sort of generic cats of the kind commonly referred to as domestic short-hair, which is what my cat is. However, there are a few that resemble the Maine Coon breed. My mother has a Maine Coon and so I suspect that's how that interpretation got from my visual memory to the paint to the paper. One does, after all, paint what one is familiar with. 

Two more cat paintings - Siamese please

It's been a productive week at the studio. Besides experimenting with the kitchen lithography process (see my November 17th post), I've also finished two small paintings of Siamese cats, titled "Siamese - AUM 1" and Siamese AUM 2." These paintings were not intended to be a "pair" but that is what they ended up being.

Both are very simple and in that simplicity they are also elegant. The canvas paper, on which the works are painted, has a linen-like texture that I like. So I applied the oil paint in thin layers, allowing not only the paper texture to show but also my initial brushstrokes and color layers.

These paintings are the first that I've ever applied goldleaf to. I've been wanting to incorporate goldleaf ever since I first saw Gustaf Klimt's gold-embellishmented paintings. In my Siamese cat paintings I added a Sanskrit word (it is pronounced A + U + M) in goldleaf. I've never used goldleaf for anything before, so it was quite an experience (don't breath in its direction or POOF! it drifts away like air!) The ornate frames, like the goldleaf, contrast with the simplicity of the paintings.

As for the word AUM. there are a hundred or more meanings to AUM, but I was especially drawn to the explanation that "the word AUM itself is total divinity manifested." Ah, I thought. And is that not a cat? Especially a Siamese cat?

Here are the two paintings (shown with frames.) The first painting shown is based on an adult cat named Louie who is waiting to be adopted at the Pet Paws See no-kill shelter. Both of these paintings are listed in my on-line Etsy Shop at: http://www.etsy.com/people/PoppengaArtStudio   As with most of the cat paintings I'm creating, a portion of the sales from these two works will be donated to the shelter:

Below are a couple details from the Siamese cat paintings. Eyes are a specialty I take a certain satisfaction in accomplishing. Whiskers scraffitied (scratched) into the soft oil paint before it dries--which means being very certain and decisive about where to place each mark, because once it's scratched in it's there to stay.

Kitten Trio - Suki, Kato, and Jetta

I'm cutting back just a bit on my hours in the studio as I am getting ready for another year of teaching art in several schools within about a 100-mile radius of my home town. Once that schedule starts in earnest, there will be less evening hours for the studio too because I need to be alert and driving miles to schools first thing in the mornings.

However, a couple days ago I did get another oil painting off to a start. The kittens featured in this work are Suki (white) and Kato and Jetta. All three are with the no-kill shelter PetPawSee in Great Falls, Montana (as are most of the other cats/kittens I've been painting and posting here.

This painting is on stretched canvas and measures 18 inches by 24 inches. What I'm thinking about for "background" is to portray a blanket or quilt design. But for now, I've blocked in the negative space with a lavender hue.

As with all my work, this is free-hand with brush and paint. Also, in this work two different references were used although the viewpoint was essentially the same. At this stage, this work is very simple. I'll post it again as it evolves.

Cats: Barn Kittens

This work is in-progress, so it was photographed under just the light used for painting. I find it interesting how the digital camera sees some colors precisely and yet  not record others. This painting is one of those that was hard to photo and get an accurate color read. The "barn kittens" are based on two kittens - Bolt and Helen - who are with foster homes via a local animal no-kill shelter and are looking for permanent homes. The tractor seat shown behind the kittens is one of a various few I have as props in the studio. This painting is oil on canvas and measures 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm.)

Cat Portrait of Mae Ling completed

I completed Mae Ling's portrait a couple days ago and cut a double mat for it. Now it's ready for a frame. At this point I have close to 20 cat portraits on canvas and in various stages of completion. That's about the right amount to be working simultaneously in a revolving manner. I start each session in the studio by starting a fresh painting as a way of "warming up" and then I pick one of the in-progress paintings to work on and may or may not bring it to completion but bring it closer to that stage. 

Cats: Portrait of Whiskers completed

Yesterday I posted that the portraits of Whiskers and of Mae Ling were completed. So today, I went into the studio and set each painting on the easel. And decided that I needed to adjust the painting of Whiskers. Specifically, I decided that it needed to show more of his left front leg behind the tulips. I also did some adjustments to his eyes to more closely approximate the bi-color mottle typically seen in older cats. I'll check with Whiskers' "Mom" to see if I've accurately portrayed the eye color or if they need to be more/less green.
Click on the images below to see larger views.

 

This painting had a layer of beeswax over which a mixture of colors were applied and formed an interesting base of interesting colors and textures for the eventual painting of Whiskers. I like the way this process worked out and it can be seen in the following detail photos of the painting:

Such a handsome cat!

Orange Cat, Linus

Well this was another good day in the studio. I finished Mae Ling's portrait and the painting of Whiskers, who was one of the first ones begun. I'll post both completed works sometime over the next day or two.

Also today, another cat painting was begun. This one is of Linus, a large orange tabby. His name suggested he might be King of the Back Yard and so I included in the background some clematis flowers and a small lion-head fountain. I'm contemplating place a small bird (maybe a wren) perched on the basin part of the fountain. So far, I like the complementary red/green and orange/blue arrangement and can envision this with the colors stepped up in brightness as the painting progresses. Plenty of adjustments yet to be made in this work. Like the painting of the cat named Miss Smith, this one has a naivete (stylistically speaking) that gives it a Colonial era.

 

After I photographed this work I hung it on the studio wall while I completed the Mae Ling and Whiskers paintings. Then I took some time to simply sit and look at this painting. The result was to make a small change: cross the cat's right leg/paw over the extended left leg. I didn't photograph again after making that change, but it was a good move that improved the attitude/posture of the cat. It will show up the next time I photo the progress of this painting.

Esmeralda and Mae Ling

Two more cat paintings today! The first one, painted in oils on canvas paper, is Mae Ling, a mostly white intensely green-eyed beauty. As with the black cat named Asia (see previous day's blog post), Mae Ling's name suggested the other elements in the painting -- in this case, mystery and travel by moonlit sea. A Chinese coin hangs from the red ribbon about Mae Ling's neck

Although this oil painting may have a bit to go yet before I'll feel it is finished, I also feel that it is very close and the eyes are, in fact, finished. It's possible that I may look this painting fresh in the studio tomorrow and decide that all it needs is my signature. The canvas paper yielded an interesting texture when I layered and wiped the paint, then layered again. This painting measures about 12 x 8 inches (I will post the actual size tomorrow - if I remember to measure it!)

 

My favorite part of each of the cat portrait paintings I've done so far are the eyes and this is especially true of the Mae Ling portrait:

The second painting today is oil on stretched canvas and measures 18 x 24 inches (45.72 x 60.96 cm.) This work is in-progress and seems to be stylistically very different from the Mae Ling work. It's an intentional shift, as I was inspired by the wildly mottled coloration of the cat named Esmeralda. I'm especially drawn to the color divide down the cat's nose; it brought to my mind Henri Matisse's painting, "The Green Stripe," which was of his wife. This painting has quite a bit to go yet. I plan to push the paint and colors around a bit and generally experiment to see where it leads.

At this stage in Esmeralda's portrait, my initial brush drawing is visible throughout the cat and is especially noticed in the extended front legs where I've adjusted the initial drawing a couple times over. To a lesser extent it is also visible in the cat's head.

A Cat named Asia

Another feline portrait today at the studio. I think this makes over a dozen cat paintings on canvas and a total of over 40 counting all the rest painted on canvas paper or birch panels. This cat's name is Asia. An older cat, Asia has been looking for a permanent home for at least two years that I know of.

This oil painting started out small and on canvas paper but it wasn't looking or feeling right and so it eventually led to painting on a 18 x 24 inch stretched canvas. All I had was a head/shoulders reference for Asia. Anything else I've added or will add as the painting progresses. I like Asia's round head and intense mint-green eyes. Asia's name is what suggested the evolving background and rich warm colors to go with this nearly all black cat (just a patch of white on her throat.)

 

My thoughts at this stage is to incorporate some sort of geometric design into the red surface the cat and vase are resting on. Several of Gustav Klimt's works come to mind as inspiration. Maybe this is the painting I will decide to try affixing some gold leafing to some of the decorative elements.

The detail image below shows some of the facial structure that is visible to the viewer's eye but not picked up very well by the camera and the the lighting conditions when the photo was taken. This will be a difficult painting to photograph once it is completed.

Cat painting finished - Thomas BigEater with iris

I decided to "take a chance" with this painting. instead of leaving the irises blue or painting them white, I opted for a reddish hue for the flowers. This gave a nice contrast/complementary hue to play off the green leaves. I'm pleased with the results. The finished painting, which is on stretched canvas, measures 18 x 24 inches (45.72 x 60.96 cm.)

Next photos below are some details from this painting. First is this cat's face--but especially his eyes, which are a luminous minty green.

Next photo shows portion of cat's front leg and some markings.

Last two photos here show a couple of the irises and the layering of first blue, then lavender. And then the reddish tone over top of those other colors.