A Cat Commission

I have just finished a commissioned painting of a cat called Yorkie. He thought he was the master and owned whatever he set his eyes on especially if it was pink and was where you wanted to sit. He was a big softy but definitely had what my client described as 'catitude'.

This was a tough assignment because the photographs that my client had of the cat were only small and much of the detail was lost. This was the photo that I used as my reference photo


Unfortunately Yorkie died last year so another photo was not possible. So to fill in the missing gaps I asked many questions and with the help of my client I was able to finish the painting. So here is my painting of Yorkie sat on his favorite pink chair... 'A Cat with Catitude '





Thank you Ann for being so patient with me and answering all my questions so carefully and thoughtfully. I hope you and your sister will enjoy the painting for many years to come.

Ona

Top Secret!!! 'Operation Lemonade'

I have just finished the next painting in the series in which I am imagining what would happen on a still life table if oranges could see and had feelings. I am having great fun making them, on first glance, to look like a classical still life. It is not until you start to look closer you see the story.

This is the third painting in the series so for those of you who have not read the story so far or those who just like a laugh and want to read it again here is a recap of the story so far…..

A group of oranges had been laid out on a rustic table ready to be used as a still life, when suddenly a lemon, the greatest of enemies appeared. Two of the oranges in horror hurriedly peeled their skins and rolled forwards to look at their enemy with a fixed gaze. Behind them a small Clementine was too nervous to have a really good look but was extremely curious as he had only ever heard stories of this bitter enemy before and hadn’t as yet ever seen one in the juice. Who was the intruder? Why was he there?

“At 2pm an orange was brutally sliced and stabbed with a sharp metal weapon. A nearby witness, a small Clementine was so overcome by the sight of the knife and the bloody juice trickling onto the table that he fell apart. Other witnesses the pear and the pineapple reeled at the sight. The only three remaining witnesses are too shocked to discuss the juicy details and are still staring transfixed at the scene unable to move. A small Clementine is believed to have rolled away from the scene of the crime at high speed. The F.B.EYE is keen to locate this potential witness. He is thought to be approximately 8 inches in circumference with a reddish orange peel. Please report any sightings to the F.B.EYE immediately.”

So to this next installment of the story…..

Top Secret!!!! ‘Operation lemonade’


Over the last couple of months the F B EYE has been investigating the gruesome murder of the blood orange. After in depth interviews with most of the witnesses present at the scene of brutality they believe the murderer to be a lemon that was seen on the table minutes before the victim was killed. Unfortunately the local pipulation was unable to give the F B EYE a clear description of the suspect (to an orange one lemon looks very much like another). They are therefore holding in custody every lemon that was in the vicinity at the time of the murder and are at present carrying out interrogations on the last few hoping to squeeze out the truth whilst extracting any juicy details of what they believe to be a sinister plot to take over the limelight on the still life table. Bitter and twisted, the lemons continue to plead their innocence.

From the safety of the wicker gallery the oranges and Clementines have gathered in fascination to watch this spectacle, the larger oranges guarding and protecting the smaller clementines while the F B EYE agent proceeds with the interrogation. Plagued by fleshbacks since the incident, the thought of more spilled juice has been too much for one small member of the audience and at the mere sight of the knife and juicer this small Clementine has fallen apart once more.

Will one of the final four lemons reveal himself as the killer? Or if this interrogation proves fruitless and ‘Operation lemonade’ turns sour for the F B EYE, what will their next step be?

As a back up plan they have called on the secret service to begin investigations and…. as we speak, an under cover See Eye A agent is already present. Does the clementine that he has spotted lurking suspiciously in the shadows have anything to do with the murder?

Who IS the killer? At the moment the See Eye A agent is keeping his thoughts firmly 'under wraps’. Please be assured though that a full examination of each segment will take place and no pip will be left unturned.

How to paint Textures in Watercolour

Well, it's the beginning of another year. January is already proving to be a busy month. I am running a class on Wet Canvas this month about creating textures in watercolour. If you are interested here is the link to the tutorial thread.

From this link you can follow step by step instructions on how to paint a pearlized glass and pebbled glass, fleece , fur, wood, an apple and also watch a 4 part video demo of how to paint a wooden table. If you are interested in painting, please come and join us.

Here are the videos, but you can see them in higher quality if you view them directly on YouTube and click the "watch in high quality" link. We got a bit carried away with the music - blame it on seasonal high spirits. I hope it gives you a laugh! (We certainly did).



Happy New Year!

Ona