"Kitty" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

sold

"Kitty" is for Melissa.  Sebastian, usually called Kitty, is a six-year-old flame point Siamese.  He is a rescue cat and was found by a police officer on a street of Chicago.  Melissa and her husband purchased him the day after they got married, so he is their honeymoon baby.  At the age of three, his bladder became blocked; he was close to death several times before finally going through surgery at a veterinarian hospital.  It was a traumatic time, but completely worth it.

Kitty is a scaredy cat and is slow to warm up.  He is also the sweetest cat Melissa has ever owned.  He loves to snuggle and follows her and her husband from room to room.  He talks a lot, especially when he wants food!  He is a master at finding the most comfortable place to take a nap.

The client sent me 10 photos, of which I picked this one.  I cropped and Photoshopped it, and decided which elements to keep and which to edit out.  I transferred the image to the Belgian linen panel I prepared (I use Claessens #66) with raw umber paint.

The transparent underpainting.
  

I started with the easiest colors in the opaque painting stage.

I mixing colors, I always look for the subtle warm/cool variations as well as light/dark ones of a certain color family (hue).

"Blue Eyes" (oil on linen; 7" x 7") sold

sold

This gorgeous white cat with extraordinary blue eyes makes me understand why the Ancient Egyptians were nuts about cats.  The cat belongs on a pharaoh's lap!

"Francis" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

sold

"Francis" is for Mike DiCenzo.  Mike commissioned the painting for his friend, John, who just got a cat that he loves.  When I saw the picture of Francis, my heart melted, so I can believe why this cat is special to John.

Francis is a six-month-old kitten of an unknown, but beautiful, breed.  I asked Mike about Francis's fun facts.  In my mind, I could see him scratching his head.  How would he know much about his friend's cat?  He said that Francis likes to spoon with John!

I have a fun fact about Mike for you.  He is a writer on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  So is John, by the way.  I am feeling famous, painting for famous people and all.  Hahaha!

"Maxi" (oil on linen; 7" x 5") sold

sold

"Maxi" is for Elizabeth.  Poor Maxi died 3 years ago and she misses him very much.  He loved to be tickled in the belly.  He, however, didn't like to be photographed; seeing the camera, he would shut his eyes.  Elizabeth did a terrific job of taking his picture, don't you think?  I bet this is what most cats do when their parents are gone--look outside on the window sill, waiting for them to return.

If you send me your pictures to kimstenbergart@gmail.com, I may make paintings out of them.  How fun is that!  At the end of September, I will do a drawing and one lucky person wins a free painting.  You can buy the painting anytime, but there is no obligation.  Thanks!

It's Day Six of Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 Challenge.  Only 24 more to go!