August 10, 2016

Spit

Oil on panel
6" x 8"
2016

  This little guy is the late, great Spit.   I have owned a tabby or two in my lifetime and have always been fascinated by the myriad of color variations of their coat.  Sometimes cool, sometimes warm, depending on the light, it can be a challenge to capture in paint.  I really pushed the paint on this piece, often using a dry brush technique to grind into the gessobord (yes that's how Ampersand spells it) panel.  He has a rather ghostly appearance, coming out of the shadow chiaroscuro style, which is apropos since he has recently ascended to the heaviside layer.

"Mike"

 
Oil on museum quality Ampersand Gessobord panel
6" x 6"
2014

  I experimented with scale with this piece.  The painting is of Mike, the dearly departed tabby that belonged to my friend Ellen.  It is amazing how much presence this panel has for it's diminutive size.  His countenance can be felt from across the studio.

  I'm not sure why this painting of Mike popped up here as I painted him in 2014.  I was going through my blog making corrections and I guess I moved him on up.  I suppose he just wanted to be seen again.  Ironically, I have just finished a painting of a tabby.