Thursday, January 29, 2009

On The Fence

It's a cat painting.... and I enjoyed painting it.... and I like the result!  I'm so excited.  At least for today, I have overcome my cat painting jinx.  I like cats, well, maybe it's more accurate to say that I admire them.  I am also quite allergic to them so I keep my distance.  Of course that means they always come right up and want to sit on my lap.  Cats like people who admire them from a distance.  For some reason, I have had significant difficulty painting them so I'm quite happy with today's efforts, not perfect, but it feels like a real cat to me, so I'm purring.  Cat eyes are just so wonderful to paint! 

3 comments:

Carol Horzempa said...

Oh, I love your cat painting! What is you secret in getting cat and dog eyes to look so translucent. I have two cats and would love to try painting them. One is black with beautiful golden greenish eyes.

Edward Burton said...

Wow, an absolutely beautiful painting, Robin! GREAT job with the fur.

robin peterson said...

Thanks Carol and Edward, cat eyes are especially fun to paint because of the way they reflect the light. The retina at the back of the eye has an area called the tapetum, which increases light gathering, allowing animals to see better at night. It's also what causes the glowing orbs effect when you shine a flashlight on them at night. In painting it may be only one little stroke of just the right color & value.... you'll know it when you get it! (can you tell i'm still a veterinarian at heart?!)