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Featured Artwork: Blending, Daily Sketch, 2013

watercolor of cat looking out window
“Blending”, watercolor, 6″ x 9″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Now and then I like to feature a few of my favorite daily sketches as my Featured Artwork post, both because I’m really proud of something in the painting itself, and I may be planning something new involving the image. “Blending” was a real accomplishment for me as a watercolor, working wet on wet, letting colors blend as they would, creating shape and dimension with brushstrokes and natural marks from the water flow, and the colors. The inspiration was with me that morning, that’s for sure! Even though I painted this at the end of December, it’s an example of the winter light that I love, my favorite season for brilliant light full of color, and lots of light—winter light, cool and calm. The trees are bare, the sun’s angle is low, and the light streams into the windows, perhaps searching for a kitty who’s in need of a warm winter nap.

Here is what I said about it when I first published it.

Jelly Bean watches out the upstairs window, streaming with winter morning sun. The white light glares and introduces all sorts of colors where they don’t normally appear, blending in Jelly Bean’s black fur, on the pine tabletop, in the lace curtain.

And hey, who said black cats had to be black? Here, Jelly Bean is literally blending into the light. I so wanted to capture that sense of glare in the warm morning sun when the tips of their ears soften and fade, their silhouette loses some edges and shadows have so much color. I also wanted to capture the nature of that old lace curtain, its translucence deepening into shadows in the folds, somehow capture the pattern of the lace without painting each little tendril in the pattern. I used the pattern of the paper, the pattern of the brush, layers, directional strokes, and when I stood back and looked at it I was quite pleased that it worked pretty much as I had hoped.

Where to find this artwork

watercolor of cat
“Blending”, watercolor.

The shape of this painting doesn’t accommodate many of the typical gift items I make, most of which are oriented horizontally or square, like keepsake boxes and tote bags and accessory bags. But I’ve been working out some designs for vertical purses and bags, and I’m also looking into viable ways to print my own garden flags that will last at least a season in the garden.

I do have this artwork available in many different print forms—on paper and canvas and as a highest-quality giclee both smaller and larger than the original, and I also offer a framed print as I had framed the original, seen at left, and as a greeting and note card. I think it would make a nice “thoughtful” card for sympathy, support, or thinking of you. All of my cards aside from specific holidays are blank inside for you to add your message.

Click this link to find all the various prints of this artwork I have in stock in my gallery on Portraits of Animals, and simply search the title, “Blending” to find anything else I might have on hand at the moment.

And another exciting new thing!

Greenhouse Gerberas, oil pastel, 11 x 15 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

I began this year with a pledge to myself and my art: To be certain I won’t let ideas pass me by I’m setting myself up for a personal painting challenge in February, similar to the painting challenges I’ve participated in in past years. I aspire (but don’t expect) to create a painting or sketch every day in the month, to be posted on my blog each day.

I didn’t get around to starting, and to be honest starting was difficult. I’ve been away from my art, the elective paintings and sketches I do every day. By February 3 I decided to paint something, anything, and decided to start with flowers, seen above.

I have several cat paintings planned for this month. You’ve probably seen me note that “this photo would make a nice painting”, or something to that effect. Each Christmas I realize I never did that holiday art I’d intended, and when I post complementary art at the bottom of a post, I realize I don’t have good paintings of torties where you can see their faces. Those are on the list! And you’ll be sure to see them here, either as featured artwork or marketplace posts.

Read more about “Greenhouse Gerberas” and getting me started in this personal challenge.


Take a look at other featured artwork.

Each Wednesday I feature a piece of feline artwork from the archives to the present day, discuss its history and process, and often set it up as a free downloadable desktop calendar for just about every electronic device available.


"Feline Style Sampler" book of sketches and portraits.A collection of 34 images of feline artwork

The award-winning* Feline Style Sampler

Now in its third printing, and its sixth anniversary!

Daily sketches, illustrations, commissioned portraits all in a small coil-bound gift book.

Click here or on the image to read more or find this book on Portraits of Animals.

*Certificate of Excellence, Cat Writers’ Association 2014 Communications Contest


Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals

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Copyright

All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.


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© 2022 | www.TheCreativeCat.net | Published by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Weekly schedule of features:

Sunday: Essays, Pet Loss, Poetry, The Artist’s Life

Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters

Tuesday: Rescue Stories

Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork

Thursday: New Merchandise

Friday: Book Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy

Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats

And sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and have fun!

 
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Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

4 thoughts on “Featured Artwork: Blending, Daily Sketch, 2013

  • More great art, Bernadette! Keep up the good work!! I participate in Thursday Art Date with Rain if you’re interested. She offers weekly prompts to get one’s creativity stirring. This helps to keep me on track.

    Reply
    • Cathy, thanks! I’m trying to manage my participation–I want to participate in everything, but I only get around to it every two weeks or so. I’ll look this one up and sign up.

      Reply

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