This is a blissful-looking kitty! I found the expression irresistible and wanted to capture it in a painting. I loved how many different colors were in the cat’s fur—some green, blue, and orange flecks and reflections are found all over.
One thing I often see is how there is a cool color somewhere around the nose. In this painting, there’s a decidedly blue highlight to show the moistness of the nose. Other times, the kitty has a “cool pink” nose, meaning that the color of the nose is leaning more towards magenta or even lavender, rather than a peach or an orange-red (as I would typically expect the color of a cat’s nose to be). This is an interesting little detail, and something you start to observe after you’ve painted as many cat heads as I have! There’s always something new to learn!
I used a Blick Studio panel for this painting. It’s almost indistinguishable from the Ampersand “Value Series” panels. They both are about 3/8 of an inch thick and have a special slot in the back of the painting, which can facilitate hanging the painting on a nail without the need for a frame or special hanging hardware (like a hook or a wire). Or, the panel can still be framed like other painting boards and panels. The edges of this panel are painted to match the color of the painting.
I like the dove-tailed panels a lot, but I’m ambivalent about the texture. They’ve given the panels are faux “canvas” texture that isn’t really that much like canvas. It’s not bad—if it were, I would never have bought the panels and I wouldn’t be painting on them! But, if given a choice between oil-primed linen and this textured panel, I’d pick the linen every time!
