C is for Cat

My pet commissions are mainly of dogs, or should I say have been mainly of dogs up until 2021 (the first and most recent cat shown in photo). I’m nearly on equal bookings of cats and dogs for the first time ever! It’s funny really as I do find cats far more challenging than dogs. I’m not sure if it’s because their faces are flatter and so creating depth is a little trickier or if it’s simply that they tend to have so many more colours and patterns within their coats. I feel like I’m running a little competition to see whether cat or dog commissions will ‘win’ by the end of 2021. I produced 19 pet commissions in 2020 so this is my overall personal target to beat! Just for fun of course.

Art and animals feel very much ingrained in my DNA so when I’m painting I always get lost in the process. I try to send picture updates of my work to my clients as the painting progresses but when it’s time to capture the finer tones and details I do lose time as I become completely focused on what I’m doing. I always listen to music whilst I work, mainly rock (I love the 80s) but sometimes ‘calmer’ songs too. Art and music go hand in hand in my opinion. It used to drive me nuts when I was teaching in a secondary school that the kids weren’t allowed to listen to music in their 10 hour controlled assessment (exam). Petty regulations but there you go!

Anyway, it’s sunny and I’ve got another cat to paint. Enjoy your day!