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

sold

"Hobbes" is for Robin. Hobbes, an American shorthair, had globe-like eyes with such an interesting mix of color. And he had age freckles in his nose. Robin has had many cats in her life. It's been four years since he passed, but none of them will ever be as cherished as Hobbes.

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

sold

"Binx" was commissioned by David. Binx is a 8-year-old Siamese and she loves outside (David and his wife have 7 cats and she is the only one that goes outdoors). She is a typical loving, cuddly Siamese. She loves to sleep under the covers when they go to bed and stays there the entire night.

In the reference photo, Binx was lolling under the Christmas tree with a scarlet tree skirt amidst gifts, as if she was inspecting them. I love the luxurious feel of the portrait!

"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!

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

sold

"Zoe" is for Mary Anne.  Mary Anne inherited the six-year-old Siamese cat from her old aunt who had her for two years before passing.  Zoe is very sweet at home, but turns into the cat from hell at the vet!

One curious fact about Zoe is that she likes to get in the sink.  In one picture she was indeed poking her head out of the sink.  I loved the expression on her face, so I pasted the head to the body of another picture, in which she was looking down from a sofa.  As I told Mary Anne, I combined the sofa cat's body with the sink cat's head!

By the way, I was very happy to accept this commission, because, for whatever reason, I haven't been able to paint too many cats.  Sure, you cannot play Frisbee with a cat or take a cat for a walk, but cats have such elegant forms!

August Newsletter

Hello, everybody!

Can you believe summer is almost over?  I hope you are all enjoying a great summer. We Virginians have been blessed with some lovely weather this year!  

I started a new, fun, ongoing series--"Pet Portraits".   If you love to see your beloved pet painted by me and shared on my blog and Facebook page, please email me at kimstenbergart@gmail.com.  Send me a picture or two, preferably taken in natural light without flash.  I will do a drawing at the end of September and give one painting away!  Since I first made the call for pet pictures last Friday, I already painted four pet portraits! I am totally out of photos at the moment and waiting for more.  Please check out my blog for the stories behind these beautiful cats and dogs.  

"Collage of Pet Portraits I"

When you are sending me pictures of your pets, don't forget to add their names, ages, breeds, and some fun facts.  And please send me more than one picture. My paintings will be as good as the reference photos, as I give every painting 110%.  I will work in oil for these pet portraits in various sizes, such as 6" x 8", 8" x 8", and 8" x 10". If you like the painting of your pet, you can buy it later.  By the way, it doesn't have to be cats and dogs; I can paint any animals.  Are you a birder?  I can paint from your favorite pictures!  The only condition is that you took the pictures yourself (because of copyright issues).

"Collage of Birds for Birders"

It was a summer without a vacation for me.  Instead, I've had a different kind of fun, creating watercolor paintings.  You wouldn't believe how exciting it is to switch back and forth between mediums. Watercolors do something oils cannot do; there are things one can do only with oils.  As I told a friend of mine, by renewing my watercolor ways, which were my first love, I doubled the fun!  I am sharing the collage of the paintings I did during my explorations on Yupo painting last month.  How do you like the collage of my July paintings? 

The paintings are available on my website or on my Etsy shop.  The prices are the same on both sites, but they offer you different ways of viewing and buying my art. Please check them out.

"Collage of My July 2013 Watercolor Paintings

My original plan for July was to do some more boat paintings, but I got distracted as you can see above!  A boat painting from June ("After Independence Day"), however, was juried into the prestigious annual landscape show at the Art League Gallery in Alexandria, VA this month!

"After Independence Day" (oil, 12"x 16"; $500)
For purchase information, email gallery@theartleague.org, or call 703-683-1780.

Exciting things happen in Kim Stenberg Fine Art Studio!  Thank you for your continuing interest in my art.  Enjoy the rest of the summer!

"Sheba and Shaman" (oil on linen; 6" x 8") sold

sold

"Sheba and Shaman" is for Patricia and happens to be my first cat painting! Both are Maine Coon cats.  The black one is Sheba, who is seven years old.  Patricia and her husband bought the white one for her as her "boy toy".  When their 26-year-old cat, her constant companion, passed, she grieved so deeply that they had to find poor Sheba someone else to love.

His name is Shaman, two years younger than her.  He was supposed to be a show kitty, but was sold as a pet, because he didn't "meow." Patricia often finds them "holding paws."  Both of them play fetch, and Sheba will even take a small ball in the glass shower and play Jai Alai.

If you would love to see your beloved pet painted by me and shared on my blog and Facebook page, please email me at kimstenbergart@gmail.com.  Send me a picture or two, preferably taken in natural light without flash.  I will do a drawing at the end of September and give one painting away!