French Lilacs in Silver

Another painting featuring my neighbor's glorious french lilacs. More magenta than lilac in color, the individual flowerets are saturated with deep red/purple hues. Each blossom is so profuse with flowers that they bring to mind a lush velvet, both texturally and visually. I've created set-ups with white lilacs and have worked with the lighter-hued violet lilacs, but there is nothing, in my humble opinion, quite as gorgeous as the depth of color you get with french lilacs!

I chose to showcase the blossoms and the color of the lilacs in this painting by using an offset of neutral background of white on white.

Baby Bobcat Updated

The Wildlife in Crisis sanctuary in Weston, CT rescues injured animals and those who have been abandoned as infants. This little bobcat was one of the many rescued animals that end up at the sanctuary. The work this group does with the wildlife they rehabilitate is amazing - this bobcat is now back in the wild and living it's life as it was meant to.

I was drawn to this bobcat because of his sweet, but cautious eyes. It's still a work in progress, but most of the fine tuning will involve bringing out the whiskers from a technique that scratches a fine line in the paint, revealing the white of the paper. Since I don't utilize masking fluid, I rely on scratching sometimes for the tiniest element of the painting, such as highlights and whiskers.

Update: Babycat is done and ready to roll. He will be featured in an upcoming show featuring Wildlife in Crisis photos and watercolor portraits. Please stay tuned for details and new paintings!

Fiona

Sweet Fiona is a timid girl, but easily one of the most beautiful cats I've seen in a while! She is a soft, plush pillow of long, solid gray fur, with pure white accents that enhance the beauty of her face. In my opinion, her snow white bowtie of a mustache, and the golden/green eyes set her apart from the others. It's hard not to be struck by her gorgeous physical appearance.

Fiona is always very curious about me whenever I come by to visit, but likes to observe my presence from a vantage point above. She's one of those cats who seem to actually listen when you speak to them, and her expressive eyes will convince you that she understands! At any given moment I can look up to where she's perched and see her fixed, calm gaze following my every move. And listening. I do seem to fascinate her, but she's still a little shy about physical contact. However, lately I think she is becoming more comfortable with me, and comes down from her perch to enjoy a fast-paced romp around the room chasing a laser beam "mouse" with the other cats. Frankly, Fiona is the best beam hunter in the group - she lets it come to her, and then a lightning quick paw smacks it down [or at least, it would if the beam were a real mouse!]