I've always loved cats. For much of my life, I've always shared my home with a cat. One of my earliest and fondest memories is of repeatedly bumping heads with a grizzled old stray that we called, Blackie. They've always been there for me in the defining moments of my life. When my brother went missing, there was Persia. When we moved from my childhood home, there was Willow. And when I had cancer, there were Paulo and Babette. I've always had an angel cat companion just when I needed one the most. They were there in my most loneliest of times and I confided all my secrets to them. They listened without judgement or disapproval. (Okay, well maybe a little disapproval.) We had adventures and made up elaborate stories and over the years they've brought me so much joy.
Recently our baby boy, Paulo, had to undergo a surgery for a blockage in his bladder. It was really startling and we weren't really prepared. Luckily with the help of friends, family, and supporters, we paid for the expensive operation and he recovered from that. While he was at the vet's office, they did discover that some of his teeth were bad and that he needed dental surgery. While he was recovering from the first surgery, we tried to save up money for the work on his teeth. Unfortunately, life can be unpredictable and he needed to go in earlier than we would have liked. I knew that we needed to make up the extra funds somehow and set to work making this series of cat-themed miniature paintings. They are ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals) sized and are made on Artist Trading Card-sized watercolor paper. The backgrounds are made by layering washes of paint with salt and then when everything is dried, they are sanded and painted on top of. Each one is different. They are all a little whimsical and some are certainly more fantastical than others. Once I finished painting them and adding metallic pigments and iridescent paints, they are sealed and signed. The sales of these paintings will help offset the costs of the recent surgeries and help us take the other cats to the vet for check-ups as well.
The Kitty Companion Mini Paintings are available in the Allegory Gallery online store, which you can find by CLICKING HERE.
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