The colony

They come in an assortment of colors and sizes. Some are ear tipped, the universal identification method used by Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs. The males are notched on the left ear, while the females are notched on the right ear.

I thought this would be a fun painting to create. But, I had so many choices for great cats to paint. I've even inserted a couple of my rescues into the mix!

Who's your favorite?

Buck

What can I say about a cat who's named Buck? One whose pictures showed him with his ears flattened to his head?

Yet, his mama says he's the sweetest thing, and I imagine he is. Plus, with that hair, I imagine he's soft and fun to pet, once he trusts you.

Tina, the woman who took the pictures that this painting is based on, has never experienced that trust. That's why his look is the way it is.

Mr. R. calls it grumpy (and ,Fern, if you want me to make him sweeter looking, I can try), but I call it questioning. Are you coming closer to pill me? Do you really want to come closer? Perhaps I need a preemptive strike?

Why did I paint Buck? Because his mama helped me bake when I was raising money for Feral Care to help three little kitties who needed to be relocated. When a home with humans wasn't available, and the cats were needing to leave their current location, Feral Care stepped in. I offered to help raise money. And, Fern, out of the goodness of her heart, and perhaps her love of baking, offered to help me make things for a bake sale.

Thank you, Fern.

Here's Lucy!

Early in December, before I received my last minute commissions, I was asked to be the guest artist as a fundraiser for Feral Care.

Feral Care is close to my heart because my dear Willow came from there. I of course said yes, but then I realized it would be better to be working on something that was close to being finished, rather than starting from a blank canvas, or even a sketch.

Yet, all I had in the wings was two dog paintings. So, I put on my Facebook page that I would offer a 50% discount for any cat portraits in 48 hours. My friends Erin and Theresa responded. Lucy their cat was getting older and they wanted a little painting....

So, here's Lucy.

Right around the time I started painting her, (Erin provided me with three rather out of focus pictures), I had the opportunity to meet her. She sat on my lap and pressed her little paws into my upper chest. Adorable. So, while I thought the pictures did not do her justice, I knew she was very sweet and wanted to capture that sweetness.

I was happy with this, until I showed it to Mr. Rick. This painting did not pass the Mr. R test. When he saw it, he frowned and said it looked like a caricature. I worked on it for a little longer before I remembered that all my paintings are whimsical caricatures. What I aim for is personality.

How'd I do?