"Cat-in-a-Bag!"

Well it's been a while since my last post, lots of changes in my life, but still the one consistency of creating art keeps both my feet on the ground. It's true when the mysterious "they" say, the more things change the more they stay the same. The time has come for me to get serious about my paintings, decide on a medium and subject matter and stick to it. I love all mediums, water color for it softness, pastels for the brilliant color, oil for the creamy consistency and of course I am addicted to the smell! So I have made a decision. . .drum roll please. . . and the winner is oil! I may still dabble in the others on occasion but I will be working mainly in oils on stretched canvas. Now on to the subject matter, again I have never focused on any one type of painting, preferring to follow the whimsy of the moment. Granted I have a large body of work to show, but it has no direction. So, for now I am going to be concentrating on still life paintings. Hmmmm you say to yourself as you look at the painting above. . .what kind of still life it this?  This is Albert, aka BadAlbert, my studio assistant and budding model. No still life is complete until inspected and approved by Mr. Albert. In some  cases he feels the addition of his rather ample girth is needed to bring my still life up to his standards. So on occasion, to keep him purring, more portraits will be forthcoming.

Those of you who have had the privilege of being owned by a cat have seen that expression staring at you out of a discarded bag or box. It's a "let's play" expression, and a furry projectile is about to explode into a mad flight around the room. No matter how many very expensive toys are purchased, an empty paper bag is definitely more fun!!  This was a fun painting to do, I smiled all the time I was working on it. It is on a 6" x 6" wrapped canvas that is 1-1/2" thick. When I say it is a wrapped canvas that means the canvas is attached in the back leaving the sides unmarked with staples or tacks. The sides are painted with a continuation of the bag, it hangs flat against the wall or can sit on a table top and does not need a frame. I found that people who have limited wall space use the smaller paintings to tuck into book shelves, on top of desks or end tables to add interest and color. 

I feel eyes staring at the back of my head, ah yes, he is such a slave driver! Albert much prefers me sitting at my easel so he can relax in his cat tree and supervise. Back to work!!