Meet Shuggy
Meet Shuggy, also known as Sugar when she is being a good kitty. That good kitty version of her name only seems to come out of my mouth when I see her asleep mid-morning after her very early ”feed-me-now” meows, zooms across my sleeping body with her peg legs and other annoying cat behavior. Honestly, she is the funniest cat I have ever had. She greets visitors and likes to be around people instead of hiding. She always smells our dogs’ feet after his walk, likes to lay on freshly made beds and one of her favorite sleeping spots as at the top of my daughter’s head with her nose burrowed deep in her hair. She’s an all-around happy cat and not moody like most cats I’ve known and loved. She’s handled our move from a home with a yard to a third-floor apartment with only a small porch better than any of us. No longer can she roam and hunt in the great outdoors. She now must settle for attacking ferocious hair ties that are flicked at her. She certainly is none the worse for all the change in her year and a half life.
There are many days I sit on our little apartment porch and look at her. I wish I had her nature. I wonder if she remembers the days of being outside and running around. Does she long for a chance to be an outdoor cat again? Or is it enough to have a family, food and a cozy spot to snooze. I painted this picture for lots of reasons. Yes, visually it is pretty- seeing this black and white cat, my Shuggy, on top of one of my Kantha quilts. But I also love how this moment is one of contentment. I am reminded of this quote from Walt Whitman,
“Happiness, not in another place but this place...not for another hour, but this hour.”
The Art Process:
I have found over the years of painting that my subject matter has not been solely an aesthetic choice. Something inside is drawn to the subject beyond the physical beauty of the subject. Often it’s a feeling I get from the image. I mean, I do spend hours and in some cases days on a painting so often what draws me to work through it is the feeling I believe the picture should convey. Sometimes it translates, sometimes it does not, but then again, that is the challenge of painting for the artist.
Some Technical Tips:
I have become a big fan of Shadow Violet. It is a great shadow color and is fairly transparent which allows other colors to come through. I used if for painting shadows which includes the folds in the fabric. I paint some of the shadows as a second layer when the first has dried. But, I always add darker paint in the shadows while doing the initial layer as well. I don’t like painting in layers and I think it can take away the texture that is an important part of watercolors. The threads of the Kantha quilt were drawn in last using a white gel pen. I used that same gel pen to draw the whiskers and a few hairs of the cat, but very few. Most of the white of the cat’s fur that you see is the white of the paper. I think that always look best – leaving the paper white and not adding white pen or pain over watercolor.
Cat – any Humane Society
Kantha Quilts – Etsy. You don’t get to choose your colors or patterns, but that doesn’t bother me. I love the surprise and I use these quilts in a variety of way – table clothes, chair covers, picnic blankets, bench covers, cat beds….
Watercolor Supplies – I generally order from Dick Blick. This is my list of suggested supplies for beginning watercolor students “Keep It Simple Sweetie”. And here is list of supplies Top Notch Watercolor Art Supply List.