Featured Daily Sketch: Early Evening, 2014

August 14, 2025 Bernadette

pastel painting of cat on bed — “Early Evening”, pastel, 8.5″ x 6.5″, 8/3/2014 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

I caught Mewsette having a meditative moment as the sun came around to the bedroom window, just catching her whiskers and filling the room with a warm glow. The light changes quickly and I knew I’d have about 10 minutes, and even then the light would be constantly moving. I finished from a photo, but I was in such a hurry to get the details down I didn’t even notice I got the quilt all out of whack. I had wanted to show more of the quilt to the left of Mewsette, just for a nice composition, but it drew too much attention to itself.

Well, that’s okay, Mewsette looks good, and it’s a nice memory. A nap by herself on the bed at this time of the day is kind of a habit, as in the sketch “Autumn Afternoon Bed” and the photo “Pensive”. She always does her best to ignore me.

Daily Sketches 2011 to 2015

I think I accomplished what I'd set out to do three years ago today, a challenge to me and entertainment and enjoyment for you: to create a quick sketch of my cats each day as a way to practice and experiment, and present the sketch on that day with no editing, no waiting, no excuses, just to do the sketch and share it.

Read more about the reason for the daily sketches in Daily Sketches: the Idea, Most Popular, Awards.

Click here to see other daily sketches.

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“Autumn Afternoon Bed”, pastel on sanded paper, 5.5″ x 7.5″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

The maple outside the window that casts green tones on my bed all summer now casts shades of yellow as the leaves begin to turn on a sunny autumn afternoon; the bedspread is actually solid white. Some other cats had their way with the covers, leaving a rumpled mess that added character to the simple scene.

I think this little sketch is one of the undiscovered gems of my collection of Daily Sketches and generally my cat art. Mewsette’s contemplative shape, such a common feline posture for a quiet rest, the slightly tousled covers and the play of light and shadow make it almost abstract, and yet we are right there with the subject, watching our cat have a nap on the bed on a cool-ish autumn afternoon when the leaves are green and yellow and the sun is bright.

Find it on Portraits of Animals.

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.