Tag Archives: pet

Following the Sun

“Following the Sun” 5x7in. Acrylic on MDF.

“Following The Sun” A colored pencil drawing of my 14-year-old kitty, Paris, who spends her mornings and afternoons following the splash of sunlight around the living room. She’s my sole companion at home, and thinks of me as a “cat with a can opener.” Her outside friend, a stray named Snowberry, lives on the front porch and Paris tells me whenever Snowberry is hungry. I’m not sure how she knows. I’ve not worked with colored pencil for a couple of decades– I once used them to do advertising art “roughs” and “comps,” but not for fine art. Painting and drawing is difficult for me lately, so I’m looking to gain insight into new approaches to drawing and painting by working in colored pencil. This is my first effort to learn by working in colored pencil. I used a single Prismacolor pencil (cream “PC914”) on a scrap of the black cover of an old Bienfang drawing pad. Smooth surface. Difficult to erase if I mess up, so I tried not to mess up.

NFS

Paris Royal Comfort

paris royal comfort, kitty
“Paris Royal Comfort” 7x5in. Acrylic on MDF.

For more than two decades my two kitties have kept me company, and very pleasant company at that. One kitty is gone now, and this pretty girl, Paris, remains with me. Although she’s getting older, and has sustained a back injury that makes it difficult for her to get around, she’s nevertheless happy, curious, a bit of a fighter, and very affectionate. This is her favorite spot on the loveseat for watching Stark Trek and other shows with me in the evening. Either here, or in my lap.

NFS

Bucky

This painting is available as Note Cards.

bucky

“Bucky” Acrylic on MDF, 6″ x 6″ (See Note Card option below)

Growing up I was fortunate enough to have 3 dogs I loved (at different times), and several cats I adored. But each time my family would move to another state, my parents would give away my dog to strangers and drive off leaving my cat behind to fend for itself. To my parents, dogs and cats were animals with jobs to do around the farm: kill the mice, ward off intruders– my dogs were never permitted in the house. Dogs and cats were not something to be hauled around from state to state. Obviously, I grew up with a highly distorted attitude toward family pets.

By 10th grade, I’d become indifferent to pets—I’d loved and lost too many.

When I had kids of my own, my wife made it clear that pets are essential to the needs of children, and are full-fledged members of the family. Pets were to live indoors and sleep at the foot of the bed.

So, in 1979 we adopted this little guy, and named him Bucky (Starbuck). It took my wife and both kids to shatter the indifference I had acquired over the years. Them and Bucky. It would be 17 more years before I was again able to love cats as I had done as a child (also thanks to my remarkable kids). 2017 marks the 20th year I’ve had a pet that lives in my home, and has never had to earn its keep.

This painting is in memory of Bucky, beloved his entire life by his family.

NFS

bucky note card

“Bucky” Note Card

This painting is available as Note Cards (4-1/4 x 5-1/2″). Note Cards can be viewed and/or purchased here: “Bucky Note Cards” (Secure Zazzle page will open in new tab.)

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