Cats and Candles No. 1

At the time I painted this, I was working on a series called "Cats and Candles" at the behest of my day-job boss at a candle and pottery factory where she also rescued cats as a sideline. Our company had a seasonal store in an upscale mall, and she got the idea of having some thematic paintings displayed in the store. This one was my favorite of the set. Now and then I enjoy the challenge of painting a scene in my mind that's entirely lit by candles and try to realistically depict the effect of such localized light sources on the elements about the scene.

Thank you, Chrisann! Cats are one of the most expressive animals in Nature, that's why they're so much fun to paint. Why some folks describe them as "mysterious" is beyond me. "Strange", yes, but "mysterious?" Nahhhh. Heh-heh!

They're BURNED into my mind forever! Heh-heh! Sometimes I make quick sketches when I catch them doing something interesting, or sleeping in an interesting way. the rest is just caricatured observation after many decades of having cats. The old "I paint what I see" justification. ;-)

Thanks, again, Karon! Traditionally, with these cat paintings, I normally would build the cat's fur with a thick impasto of paint for a 3-D effect, but recently I've been playing with a more impressionistic approach to the cats, and playing fast and loose with the brush strokes. Have you checked out "Get Yer Licks In" yet? I went totally Renoir with that one!

Why, Thank you, Alanna! Stay tuned, because more are being prepped for upload.