One of the interesting things about living in the tropics is the lack of seasons - the only thing that really marks the passage of the year here is the amount of foliage on some of our trees. The lovely flamboyant (or 'shack') tree in our yard is just now regaining some leaf after spending the last few months naked as a jaybird!
I was worried initially that I'd done something bad and our tree was dying (I seem to have that effect on plants, which makes my persistent attempts at gardening all the more puzzling), but after a bit of research I learned that these are deciduous trees and despite 80F/27C weather and sunny skies they know that it's technically winter and they are quick to get nekkid.
But now spring is here and the leaves are back and it's a time of renewal for everyone! I am about to start a part-time teaching job and so suddenly I really need to get organized with my art - both studio time as well as how I manage online social media. Much like the gardening, tending to Facebook, Flickr and this blog is something that I have enthusiasm for but seem to continually fail at nonetheless - perhaps an actual schedule would help with these things? We shall see!
I wanted to share with you a few little scratchboards that I've completed recently, some of which have been posted on my Facebook page. I discovered the fun of working on tiny 2x2" scratchboard when preparing an article for the ISSA and I previously shared with you the tiny portrait I did of my own kitty, Ginger. The result of the contest mentioned in that post is here:
(Note that this may show up on your screen larger than the actual size of 2x2"!)
This is Charlie! He's an adorable little mixed-breed dog who looks like he might have some Cavalier King Charles spaniel in him. He belongs to Amanda, who happens to be my sister (there was no nepotism in the selection process I assure you - I assigned numbers to all the entries based on the order in which they were received and my husband rolled a die to randomly choose the winner... and yes, we have a die for any kind of number since we've both played tabletop roleplaying games for years :D). Amanda has her own blog full of fun ideas and thought-provoking questions, check it out here: http://breakingbootsy.blogspot.ca!
I've done a few other of these wee works in recent weeks:
The first one was just playing around with masking and layering ink and I ended up making a yin-yang shape with some fun, etched patterns. I attempted to write my favorite line from the Heart Sutra and discovered just how tricky trying to write on clayboard can be!
I also did a small study for a larger piece and this one taught me that I might need a bit more magnification and a smaller tool to get the precision of detail that I was looking for.
That's when I borrowed my husband's surgical loupes and got a bit loupy!
The result though was that I was able to get more control over the fine details on the final work - this detail shot is about the same size as the 2x2" piece above. It's also a SNEAK PEEK, because I'll be posting the final full image here soon!
I loved the tactile feel of these teeny boards which led me to an idea. I have a relative who is going through some health issues and I came up with the urge to create a 2x2 that someone could keep in their pocket and pull out to look at when they needed cheering up - thus was born the Pocket Otter!
This first version suffered a bit of board trauma (related to that whole 'writing on scratchboard' issue I mentioned earlier) so it exists only in digital form. But Pocket Otter 2.0 here is going to be headed her way the end of this week!
Those are all the two-by-twos I have to show you today, but stay tuned for some new art in my next post!!
Having this little contest has made me very nostalgic about my own pets. When my husband and I got together we had a combined total of 8 pets (I won't own up to how many of them I brought to the table). I had previously had other pets in my life as well (cats, horses and even a teddy bear hamster). Since I'm asking others to share their stories I thought maybe I'd tell you about the pets that inspired the portraits I've made for myself!
Ginger
Ginger -- Scratchboard portrait of her 2009 (c) Pam Boutilier
Ginger is the only pet that we have who is still alive and lives with us! I got her when my first cat passed away. We were living in an old farmhouse and actually needed cats around to deal with rodents - I remember being a bit resentful, my heart was hurting over losing Blackie and I wasn't quite ready to open it up to another cat. I went to a friend's farm and selected two cats, Bagheera and Ginger. I chose her because she was the last one still at the communal feeding bowls so I figured that meant she was healthy. I must have been on to something because she is now 20 years old and the most regal old lady cat I've ever met!
Even as recently as last year she was still no-nonsense when it came to dinner time:
Dufus
Dufus being a dork, and a Whiteboard sketch of him c.2013 (c) Pam Boutilier
Dufus was our heart-cat and the namesake cat of Cat-in-a-Box! We are pretty convinced that he reincarnated from my husband's childhood cat, Hoover. He was born months before I even met my husband (and I think it was a year before cat and husband-to-be met) and in spite of that Dufus was a total daddy's boy! He loved my husband and would greet him every day like this (and because of 'Michael's Rule' he had to pick him up every single time):
We lost him last summer and I think that was perhaps the hardest pet loss we've had. My husband wrote a lovely eulogy for him that I posted previously on this blog. We are forever grateful that he lived 2 1/2 happy years after being diagnosed with heart disease, which was very good considering the nature of his condition - we cherished every moment. He was both metaphorically and literally a cat with an enormous heart!
Nessie
(Left to Right) Nessie -- Whiteboard portrait 2009 -- The Nessie bjorn (c) Pam Boutilier
Although she was a dainty cat, being a siamese Nessie was never afraid to voice her opinion. When she got older she went completely deaf - and it so happened that I was working as a veterinary phone consultant at that time, if she had something important to say while I was on a call things could get... interesting (thank goodness for mute buttons!). We lost Nessie just over a year ago to cancer. Ever the lady, she was an elegant cat right to the end. It was for her that we created the 'Nessie bjorn' - basically a large scarf that I could tie around my torso to hold her against me. In her final months she wanted to be held constantly, and the Nessie-bjorn let me have my hands free for work and still hold her.
Michael
Michael and scratchboard portrait 2009 (c) Pam Boutilier
Michael was the most gorgeous and also one of the dumbest cats I've ever known. He has always been a great inspiration for my art because of his classic beauty - I've done more portraits of him than any other single subject, he the even adorns my blog header! However, it was what he taught us about life that had, by far, the greatest impact on me.
You see Michael died unexpectedly and of unknown causes a few years back (after lengthy discussion my husband and I chose not to have a post-mortem exam done on him). He was only around 10 years old and had been perfectly healthy all his life, we'd even had bloodwork and radiographs (x-rays) done on him recently for some routine dental work. I came home one day and he was on his side laying on a blanket, dead. The shock of it was one thing, but was hit me hard and deep was that the night before he'd asked me to pick him up and I was too busy.
You read about stories like that - what someone didn't do or say to a loved one before they were unexpectedly taken away. Our life was busy at that time, we had four cats and I worked from home so they were constantly around. It was not unreasonable that I'd shoo him away because I was working on something... of course I wouldn't have if I'd known he was going to die the next day, but that's the point, you never know. I can never go back to that evening and pick him up and give him the affection he wanted and deserved - but I can tell you that ever since that day I have never refused affection when a loved one asks for it. We consider it 'Michael's Rule' - I hug and kiss my husband every day, even if I'm annoyed at him over something. We both pick up or pat our pets every time they want it. We don't have kids but this would apply to them too.
Our loved ones could be taken from us at any time. Trust me, it's well worth the few seconds to pick up a kitty, pat a dog, or hug a person - seconds to acknowledge them before going back to your important
work, seconds to let them know that you care. This is what Michael taught me - and I value and remember this lesson every day of my life.
Emma
Emma, and Pastel portrait of her 2008 (c) Pam Boutilier
Emma was my husband's dog, and she was sunshine incarnate! A street dog from Detroit she learned young that you sometimes have to bend the rules to survive - and though she was a very good dog (my husband had done great obedience training with her at a young age) she still had the most endearing and playful mischevious streak. Emma was a bridesmaid at our wedding and a great companion to both my husband and myself for many years. We lost her back in 2010 after a long battle with heart and kidney disease. I remember carrying her up and down the stairs to our industrial loft (the metal grating was too uncomfortable on her feet and the stairs were too much for her heart at that point). We knew it was time to say goodbye when fun-loving Emma just wasn't having fun anymore - sadly her rapid downturn happened when we were both out of the country and we weren't with her at the end (it wasn't fair to make her suffer until we could get to where she was). The years have softened the loss though - and when I think of her I remember how engaged and excited she was about everything in the world around her, a lesson for us all!
Laurich
Laurich c. 2008 - being in the snow, which was his favorite spot
Laurich is one of the few pets that I don't have a completed work of art on... hmm.. I'll have to remedy that. He was a very handsome dog and best man at our wedding. He was my first dog - and spent his early life patrolling the farm on PEI. He was calm and steady where the other dogs were boundful (Emma) or explosive (Rosie), I don't know when his birthday was but I think I'd have to guess he was a libra :D. He wasn't a dog to play with toys much, but for some reason he always needed to have a plush toy in his mouth when he greeted you. He also was a chow-hound who couldn't be trusted alone with any food (I remember vividly the episode where he ate an entire BOX of tiny meal bars, leaving all the wrappers licked clean on the floor - then we had to drive with him in a car for five hours... that was... aromatic). He was a good boy and we are so grateful for the 13 years we had with him before he passed away the year before we lost Emma.
Rosie
Rosie and Ink portrait on hand-aged paper 2008 (c) Pam Boutilier
Ah Rosie! She was adorable and LOVED people, to the point that you'd begin to wonder if she thought she was human. Unfortunately she HATED other dogs, which didn't go over so well when Emma moved in and we all of us were living in an 800 square foot home! Laurich was the one dog she did like - maybe because he'd stand beside the bed so she could put her front feet on his back and bite his ears when they play-fought. Or maybe because if a strange dog approached the house she could stand with him towering behind her and tell the strange dog off - until she turned around and realized Laurich had gotten bored and wandered back in the house at which point, her 'muscle' gone, she would abruptly shut her yap. She was a character! Though I'm philosophically opposed to bulldogs, I was so glad to have our little adopted Rosie in spite of, or maybe because of, her foibles and flaws!
Charlie and Ben
(Left to Right) Ben and Charlie -- Pastel of Charlie 2009 -- Scratchboard of Ben 2010 (c) Pam Boutilier
My dear boys - a Shire and a Belgian. The reason we lived in a run-down farmhouse while in PEI was so that I could have horses. Initially 'horse' - Charlie, but I learned that there is little as sad as a solitary horse and so it wasn't long before we got Ben (we jokingly said that Ben was a Christmas gift for Charlie that year). They were the sweetest creatures - but different as night and day. Charlie was the ultimate 'earth' constitution - laid back, food motivated and with a high need for affection. Ben was a 'wood' constitution - high-spirited, motivated and not going to do things someone else's way just because they said so. Ben always loved animals more than humans - as a human you really had to gain his trust, but he was much quicker to befriend the cats, dogs and other horses he met. Sadly because of career developments we couldn't keep the boys - but they each went to carefully selected homes where they had more horses and other animals to be friends with, and jobs to do, which I think was actually a better situation than lounging around our place while I studied all the time.
Blackie
Blackie was the first cat I was truly friends with. He lived 13 years - passing away from heart failure when I was just starting vet school. There is something very special about the bond you have with a pet that is with you from childhood through into your 20's - they are with you through so many life changes that they become an integrated part of those changes and memories, I think they often help us grow up. Blackie was a grump to anyone who didn't know him - he'd hide under the bed and attack people's ankles - but to me he was simply my buddy. I was both introverted and shy, and Blackie was the friend who bridged the spaces between having human friends, the one who didn't demand anything, to whom I always knew what to say, and who grudgingly let me dress him up in Cabbage Patch doll clothes (when I was 10, not in vet school :D).
Cosette, Bagheera, Misty - and Ralph
(Left to Right) Cosette, Bagheera, Misty, Ralph
The three kitties who were in my life the shortest amount of time are still fondly remembered as was Ralph, my teddy-bear hamster. My husband's kitty Cosette, who sadly ran away. Bagheera who we lost to a coyote (sadly, one of the hazards of being a farm cat in PEI). And Misty - technically my first ever kitty - a dilute tortie who was a bit of a spaz that liked to climb the curtains but could never figure out how to get back down from the curtain rod - I was too young to understand that was stressful for my working single mom and so Misty rapidly found a new home and was followed by the more complacent Blackie. Ralph I had when I was very young - I seem to recall him driving my Barbie convertible... wonder where I got that idea?
There you go! A heart-felt stroll through my pets (mostly in-memoriam). Every pet touches us in some way, and some touch us in ways that truly change us. This is at the heart of why I do pet portraits, and why when I look at a cat or dog (or horse or mouse) I wonder who they are, what's their personality, what friendships have they shared?
And also why I'm running my little contest (for which you've got until Noon EST on Friday, April 11th to enter if you're going to!!).
I'm having a little contest right now to give away a 2x2" mini-scratchboard portrait of someone's pet. I've been playing with 2x2" miniboards recently and having so much fun with them that I thought I'd offer one in a little contest. I started it on Facebook, so if you're active there please check out my page!
The reason that I do pet portraits is the same reason I got into veterinary medicine - one of the most important things to me is the human-animal bond, in all of it's manifestations. Pet ownership is just one of those but to me it is the most important because represents such a deep and special relationship, and is one that so many of us have known. I love hearing about people's pets - with every commissioned portrait I do I get to learn a little bit about the special animal that I'm drawing, and what they mean to their human companions who are requesting the portrait. I always hope that my finished artwork will be something that people can look at for years to come and instantly relive some small part of the love and companionship they shared - just as I do when I look at the portraits I have of my own pets (of which there have been many), especially those who have passed on.
And it's also the reason for this contest - I don't have any active commissions right now and this is a sneaky way for me to get a dose of heart-filling stories (always an alterior motive :D).
2x2" miniboard of my cat Ginger (c) Pam Boutilier
I also know that not everyone is on Facebook, so I'm posting the information here as well:
All you need to do is post a picture of your pet and a short paragraph describing why they are so awesome. All species are welcome, as are memorial stories if your pet has passed away. You are welcome to enter more than one pet - but please do an individual post for each one. You can post on Facebook or right here in the comments section below.
I'm going to randomly draw a name on April 11th and then post the winner both here and on Facebook. as soon as the artwork is completed. The winner will receive their mini-portrait by mail (that means you'll have to give me a physical mailing address if you win).
Feel free to share this with anyone else that you think may wish to enter!
(And for you cynics out there - this isn't an April fool's thing, I didn't even realize the date until I previewed this post just now! :P)
I am happy to announce the latest Desktopper contest winner!
I realize that the Desktopper schedule has been.... inconsistent (to put it mildly) since the summer, but rest assured - everyone who has entered has their name in a hat (actually a small wooden box) and my husband faithfully pulls one out monthly. I hope to get back on a consistent posting schedule with these at some point, in the meantime keep watching as the paintings will be posted when completed!
The fourth winner of my contest is 'Weed', belonging to Patty;
This is what Patty had to say about her beautiful kitty:
"Weed was a very little kitty when I found her on the side of the road 11 years ago. Weighing less than a pound and being so tiny I thought for sure she was a kitten, the vet said that she had just given birth as her mammaries were still swollen. Weed's size and condition told us that there was no way any babies could have survived, so for the rest of her life she has treated every animal she meets large and small as though they were her long lost babies and licks them til they are wet (or so annoyed they walk away). Weed has been a special addition to our family, showing us how unconditional love really works."
I don't even know if I've ever watched a full episode of 'I love Lucy' but yet I can hear Desi saying 'You have some essplaining to dooooo!'.
If you follow this blog you know that I've sort of dropped off the face of the earth. I seem to do this in a bit of a cyclic fashion but this time there is a string of legitimate excuses. June has been a rough month for Cat-in-a-Box (not the actual cat.. he doesn't care, the whole world could collapse and he'd be happy as long as his food supply wasn't interrupted and he had a couple of humans around to apply his dorkiness to).
This is referred to as effective packing of kitties :)
In early June I attended a veterinary conference - which was great. It was actually a really good meeting and there was some great stuff presented. But traveling eats up time and despite having good intentions of posting to the blog and such, the conference really was pretty well all-consuming of my time for 1.5 week of the month.
Then upon return I contracted the obligatory travel-virus and felt crappy. A week of such illness is typical for me when I travel, but this was different - instead of sleep/tea/echinacea/gargling salt-water fixing it, a week later I felt as bad or worse. Another week and a course of antibiotics (I haven't been on antibiotics since about 2003!) and I felt better, but not quite 100%. And last night the throat started feeling suspiciously irritated again. So possibly another trip to the human doctor for me...*grumble*.
And on top of all of that we are in the process of moving (just locally - to a place where my studio will have way more natural light, yay!!). It may be the most painless move I've ever experienced but with the way I'm feeling this month it's just one more thing.
So those are my excuses - I've got a beautiful commission that is completed and will post as soon as it's delivered to the recipient (waiting on some framing materials). There *is* a winner for the June Desktopper contest who has been informed but is being graciously patient as I'm terribly behind on getting it finished. I have other works on the go and planned, things to blog about, a newsletter to put out, and so much else that is sitting on the ever-growing pile.
Desktopper for June - detail of the preliminary sketch
The best I can do at the moment is pick at the pile and try to keep (get?) healthy. So thanks for bearing with me - once the craziness has passed I will get more consistent with posting again!
In this post I'd like to share with you my second full whiteboard. The Rosie board went so well that I think I'm addicted now! But they are a time-consuming art form - so in the process of doing Nessie I also worked on a couple of black and white scratchboards.
Nessie is one of our cats - a little tiny lilac point siamese with a very big mouth. She is all demure and dainty until she gets her panties in a knot at 2am and decides to announce her opinions to the household. Sleeping is her favorite pastime (though that could be said of most cats, I guess), and I am convinced that this feline would be very happy if her little paws never tread upon anything that wasn't a human body (seriously, you can't sit more than 5 minutes in one place without this cat clambering onto your person).
I chose this reference photo because of the peaceful expression (she really is rather lovely when she's not talking) and the dramatic light. I have a thing for the effect of a backlit cat ear - you get to see just how thin that skin is, and the delicate outline of light reflecting off the tiny, fine hairs of the ear margin.
This image is a bit washed out -I purposely decreased the contrast and increased the light so I could see the direction of hairs and small details in the darker areas (my reference shots always undergo some photoshopping before they are appropriate to use for scratchboard).
This piece will be done on a 6x6" Whiteboard with Ampersand inks. The preliminary sketch is transferred onto the whiteboard with graphite (basically I use a graphite stick to cover the entire backside of the sketch in my sketchbook, then retrace the lines with the page laying over the whiteboard). The first inking I do is the background - you can see my graphite guidelines from the preliminary sketch. It takes several layers of ink to get a nice, deep background color - this one is using alternating layers of black and sepia ink:
And continuing with the base painting (The scanner made this image warmer than it truly appears, but it gives you an idea). I've exaggerated the light in her left ear, it will get toned down as this continues and I want to preserve that look of translucency and backlighting:
And now the scratching! The repeated layers of scratching and re-inking is what gives us more depth. In the next series of images you can see how I start by scratching in the darkest areas, re-inking them (though hard to see on a small scan this leaves beautiful, subtle texture in the shadowed parts), and then scratching the medium-value areas, and so on.
It's been a couple of weeks since I blogged and I'm not finished with the current piece I want to Blog about (a new technique for me that I'm very excited about!). Things have been busy lately around here but I wanted to post something for you, so...
...here are two sketches! These are actually studies for the new technique I alluded to above. These are both my own dogs - Rosie, the bulldog, passed away several years ago. I have always loved this shot of her. Emma, the.. well, we don't know exactly what she is.. is our 13 year old ray of sunshine who thinks she's about two. In this picture she was looking into the wind in our back yard.
Meet Morgan - This is a commission I did this month of Morgan, a beautiful golden retreiver who passed away very recently. Morgan was left at a clinic when he was 6 and was lucky enough to be found by a new family where he has lived with his dog-sisters for the past 4 years or so. Morgan was diagnosed with splenic cancer two years ago and with treatment he continued to enjoy going for walks and swimming in the pond. Sadly he developed more cancer which spread rapidly and took his life this year - but he is a beautiful reminder that illness does not need to consume us.
As people we have such a hard time overcoming the mental weight of our problems - illness, stress, money concerns. The problems are very real - but they only beat us when they keep us from enjoying every precious day of our lives. Dogs are so much smarter!
Reference photo:
Morgan's portrait was done in pastel using a modification of the Colorist technique that I have learned some from Charlie (a wonderful pastel painter who teaches on WetCanvas - check out her blog!). I wanted a realistic final portrait - but by using a colorist foundation (strong, bright colors mapping out the light and shadow areas of the painting) the final result will have greater depth and body than if I use layer upon layer of the same color families.
As all my paintings do - it stars with a sketch after careful selection of the crop and composition I wish to use. I am working on Wallis paper for this one (remember - the stuff that is like sandpaper). I grind the initial colors of pastel into the paper to give it a base color to work on and draw the undersketch in vine charcoal:
Next go the base colors - yellows, blues, oranges and purples predominate. I sent a copy at this point to the client who ordered this painting (it's a close friend of mine and, yes, I was having a bit of a joke). She wisely heeded my warning to 'wait until it develops, it will look better' - but I'm sure I scared the pants off her.
I start layering more 'normal' colors over the base - eventually all of the base will be covered up and you will only see it in micro-tiny bits that peek through the top layers of color. This is how it adds to the depth of the painting without actually being part of what you see in the end.
I always work the background first - it's generally my least favorite part but at the same time extremely important to get right. In this case I am doing a detailed background - it's always my preference to have the subject in a setting, but a detailed background comes close to doubling the painting time so it isn't always an option. In this case I had enough lead time and the reference photo was so perfect I had to take advantage of it!
As the painting progresses I hone in on the face. Although, truth be told, I flit back and forth throughout the painting process - mapping out the values, adjusting, layering, and tweaking the parts I'm not directly working on when I take breaks from the parts I am focusing on.
Many animal artists start with the eyes, I tend to leave them until the end. Most of us will agree that the eyes make or break a portrait. That is where you capture the life and emotion of your subject, and I guess that's the reason people will start with the eyes. For me - I put so much into the eyes (time-wise I probably spend more than twice as long per square inch on eyes than any other part of the painting). So if I start with the eyes, get them perfect, and then have anything be off on the rest of the painting it is a dismal proposition to go change those eyes. By leaving them until last I am sure that I'm happy with the rest of the proportions, values, and composition before I do that last little burst. Plus the painting doesn't really 'come to life' until the eyes are done - so near the end when I paint them it's like a grand unveiling - even for me who's been a foot away from the painting for hours to days at that point.
So here is the final version - Morgan in the back garden. I hope you like it. I hope Morgan approves!
And if you didn't see my previous blog entry on pets and loss please have a look here.
A progress report on Napping (gosh this is a big piece). I'm actually having more fun with this painting than I anticipated - it occurred to me that all three kitties are fairly monochromatic - white, white and gray, and gray. But as I paint them, trying to stay somewhat true to the reference photo, it occurred to me that the play of warm and cool tones within that limited spectrum is one of the things that made me fall in love with this picture - albeit, admittedly on a subconscious level.
Michael, the white kitty, is the most neutral - he has subtle yellows and blues in his coat but the color 'temperature' balances out nicely. Dufus, the middle kitty, is decidedly cool (in color, believe me in real life he's the biggest dork on earth). The dark parts of his coat are underpainted with deep blues and the pencils used were predominately in the cool gray series. Nessie, the latest addition, on the other hand is very warm (which is amusing, because in life this kitty is an ectotherm who likes to crawl into bed with us at night and plant her tiny ice-cube feet on any exposed human flesh she can find (like your face)). When I roughed her in you can see the use of pinks and tans under the warm series of grays...
Another value check...
And here is where we are currently.
I have taken a little artistic license and deepened the hues of their eyes, as well as brightening the highlights, compared to the reference photo. I feel justified in doing so - I live with these guys, and their beautiful eyes are like jewels in reality which just wasn't caught well in the photo.
(Detail - this is close to the actual size of the painting)
The next step will be the foreground blanket (oh why aren't they on a solid-color blanket?). I was actually really excited about the blanket when I started this picture, now I am so close to finishing it that I just want to be done! That'll teach me.. interesting objects are for still-lifes, not portraits!
Hopefully my next post on this one will be the finished piece! 'Cuppa' is almost finished as well (I was able to salvage it). And then I'll have easel space for the next run of projects, including 'Sarah and Harley' which I haven't forgotten about!
You are beautiful, but you are empty. One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you--the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered, because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.
- Antione de Saint-Exupery.
I first read Le Petit Prince in french class in high school. I'm really glad my first reading was in it's native language because even though now I can barely follow the french version (and that mostly from memory) there is a depth there that can't quite be caught in English. That being said, even translated the book is beautiful. That man was a genius.
I particularly love the above quote - that whole chapter in fact. It's all about 'taming' - what it really is about is 'bonding'.
To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys.And I have no need of you.And you on your part, have no need of me.To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes.But if you tame me, then we shall need each other.To me, you will be unique in all the world.To you, I shall be unique in all the world…
Wheat is of no use to me.The wheat fields have nothing to say to me.And that is sad.But you have hair that is the color of gold.Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me!The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you.And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat…
Why do I love pet portraits? How can we reconcile the difference we face in veterinary medicine between a stray cat who is euthanized and one who's brought in by new adoptive owners that will have a long, happy life?
It is because a cat or dog (or person for that matter) is just like a hundred thousand others on this earth - and for the most part meaningless to us as we go about our everyday lives. That changes the moment we care - when we give the stray cat some fresh water, pat a loose dog and toss a stick for him, engage our neighbor in conversation - we start to forge a bond. The more we interact, the more we give, the stronger the bond. Is it any wonder we are so bonded to our children and pets? And it's beautiful to observe, isn't it? I don't have to know the old lady in the park with her little terrier on a leash, but seeing them interact can bring me, a complete stranger, joy.
But you can't have joy without sorrow to balance it.
So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near
"Ah," said the fox, "I shall cry."
"It is your own fault," said the little prince. "I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you..."
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"But now you are going to cry!" said the little prince.
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"Then it has done you no good at all!"
"It has done me good," said the fox, "because of the color of the wheat fields."
I have experienced the loss of a loved one. I have been present during many, many, many other partings. When someone loses a pet through euthanasia or natural death it can be devastating. When someone loses a pet or person they've been caring for, maybe nursing them through a bad illness, the loss is compounded by the sudden removal of that 'need'. There is no-one to water anymore, no-one to put a globe over, or a windscreen around. What do you do?
Well - you move on. And like the fox you cry. And you see things in the world a little differently for having known and loved. And whether you have a picture to look at, or you see it more clearly in the color of the wheat fields, if you take the time to look with your heart open you will see that they are always here with you.
One thing about pastels is that they're not very portable.. at least not 'Napping' which is 14 x 22". So since I was out of the house much of yesterday I'm using that as my excuse for not working on the painting and instead doing this:
Detail:
It's 5 x 7" ink on regular drawing paper, regular except that it's been 'manipulated'.
Some time back I treated this particular page of my sketchbook by soaking it in wet coffee grounds then flattening it under heavy books. At the time I was striving to make 'coffee paper' - and I like the aged, wrinkled effect (and what a better surface to render Rosie, wrinkled little thing that she was!).
However my hopes of using this as an art surface were dashed when I read that coffee is acidic - presumably counteracting any acid-free/archival properties of the sketchbook paper. But necessity is the mother of invention (or the Internet is the big steaming pile in which you can find ANYTHING) and so after a brief search I found this which the manufacturers claim is acid-fast paper!
So watch for Eco-Art on tree-free paper.. coming soon to a blog near you!
But back to the current piece... this is Rosie. She was an English Bulldog (adopted) who shared my life for 10 years before she succumbed to lymphoma. I'd like to say she was an angel, but it seemed that when other dogs were around she tended to misplace her halo (to put it lightly). She was a dear though - and despite her allergies, cancer, and the curse of being born a bulldog she was always full of life! I can still see her scaring herself with her own farts!
Hope you like my little pen & ink. It was fun to do!
I am an animal artist and also a veterinarian. My greatest inspiration in both major facets of my life are animals and our bonds and relationships with them. I hope you enjoy my work, please leave a comment!
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