"Figaro" (oil on linen; 7" x 7") sold

sold

Figaro, who is all eyes and ears, is a short hair domestic.  He is a black (except tiny white spots on his belly), spunky, lovable, and talkative cat.  He started off as the runt of the litter, a bottle baby brought to the shelter without a mother, but he is now larger than his litter mates.  He is raised with two small dogs and he thinks he is Number One.

I don't usually paint a footwear in a pet portrait, but made an exception in "Figaro."  He was sitting on Christina's foot, not wanting her to move.  Initially I was going to edit out the blue jeans and sneaker.  As I was composing the painting, I realized that without the vertical plane of the leg, the dark shadow with a pointy ear on the left wouldn't make sense.  The blue of the jeans also matches the otherworldly, beautiful blues of Figaro's eyes.  Besides, the cat on the foot has such a narrative power that it makes me giggle.  I remember carrying my daughter hanging onto my leg when she was little.  You can tell Figaro is very much loved!