Oil on museum quality, archival ampersand gessobord™ panel - 8” x 8”
Maybe it's the little guys frolicking just outside the studio that made me want to paint this piece. I have been spending way too much time watching the "rat pack" as we call them. Sammy, Dino and Shirley are destined to make the move into the studio before the snow flies. I made a make-shift house by cutting a 8" x 8" hole in front of an old igloo cooler and put a heated dog bed in it, which they have taken to, so I am slightly less worried about them being cold. Piper is still a hissy little bitch but the kids are starting to think the big pink monster is O.K.
These little kittens looked at first like they were stuck in the wall of my friends barn, but I was assured that they could come and go with no problem and that they felt safe in their nest. Having a farm can be a challenge. People seem to think they can dump kittens off with impunity. After all, everybody knows you can't have too many barn cats. At last count my friend has 50 some outside cats and 16 inside. She is more of a bleeding heart than I am, God bless her.
12 comments:
Fabulous, furry fellows... you've captured their sleep pose but the guy in the upper left looks awake and ready to bounce.
by-the-way... you and your lovely wife are the world's largest (not bleeding) hearts when it comes to the feline strays!
Thanks, Diane. Need a kitten?
The girls would love a kitten in their lives right now, especially when you paint them so enticingly this way. They are growing eager to see and hold their little brother next.
Really fantastic job with these lil cuties,- Dad the warmth in your heart is felt for miles.
*Thanks again for the late night call- John was actually pulling up your kittens as I answered the phone- excited to see what may have kept you up painting. The gift of inspiration has come in many forms this year.
Cheers~
Precious!!! Seems people just keep dumping cats here, too, in suburbia -- well, if one can call Grand Rapids, Michigan suburbia when one comes from NYC such as we do. Nevertheless, we are doing the same as you, offerring heated beds and cat houses for those stranded outdoors. Mark, your painting truly captures the inquisitive attitudes of these kittens with wide eyes and pretty, upturned faces. Always such truly beautiful work!!! Jeanne
Lpve it! I'm doing the new Bond movie. Do you and Sue want to join me?
Thanks, Holly. I hope you had a nice birthday.
Jeanne, We are about to find out the answer to the age old question "Can you have too many cats?" Sammy, Dino and Shirley are about to move into the studio to join JJ and Anna when we return from New Orleans.
Thanks for the compliments.
Thanks, Deb. Call me about 007
Welcome back! What an unusual perspective- I actually tilted by head and turn my laptop sideways for a different view. Terrific abstract feel to this piece. I may have missed something in your post, did you adopt Piper?
Thanks, Alice. I am going to New Orleans this weekend. When I return we are going to round up Piper's kittens, which are now 10 or 11 weeks old, and take them to the Vet to make sure they don't have any diseases that they could spread to my guys and get them vaccinated. I don't know if we'll keep them all but we will find homes for Shirley or Dino if we must. Sammy has already stolen my heart. Piper, I fear, may be too feral to make the adjustment to indoor living. I will try and catch her and have her spayed. She seems content to live in the wild. We will continue to care for her outside, if she decides to hang around. Did you get the paintings? What did you think of Kismet?
My goodness, Mark, you are gifted at painting - and especially furry creatures! I love the perspective in this painting... they look like a lively bunch of mischievous kittens. I especially enjoy those ears and eyes. We live on an acreage in the countryside just outside of a major city, and many kittens and other animals are regularly dumped along the highway. There is actually a team of people who go out and rescue these animals each week, taking them to a shelter. Unfortunately many of them are euthanized rather than adopted. Good for you for trying to capture the feral one and having her spayed! You have my admiration! :-)
Thanks, Joanne. I'm back from New Orleans and tomorrow is the day we bring the little guys inside. I hope JJ and Anna can cope. I'm going to segregate them in the Studio and introduce them slowly.
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