A good way to begin the new year would be with some fun. That should include some cool stickers! Check out my website for stickers of owls and raccoons, magnets and posters of all kinds of animals, and of course some pretty lovely big paintings.
My website is colorcatstudios101.etsy.com
Cute huh? All kinds of fun stuff on my website.
Although this looks like my original painting ‘Reconstructing Alice,’ it’s not. Someone commissioned me to paint one in a different size for a surprise Christmas gift for her daughter. Looks luscious in the sunshine. I can post it now that Christmas is over! Now it’s time to wish you all a happy new year, and if you love this painting, my original 40x40 is for sale.
I love the closeups of this:
Once it was dry I laid down the red art crayon for a compliment. LOVE IT!
My website is
colorcatstudios101.etsy.comJust something I’m working on... slowly taking shape. This is just a hint of a vision of a dream of a beginning of a magnum opus, hopefully a great work. Merry Christmas, everyone.
There are all kinds of things wrong with this, but it was done on a long wait in a doctor’s office. In the new year I’m going to give my students a half a face from a magazine and have them complete it. They’ll probably do better than I did. When I’m quick sketching I go in first with pen, no erasing, hence little problems. If I’m serious I make sure everything’s correct before I finalize. What serious means is when people hire me. Generally I’m not picky about fast sketching; I’d just rather enjoy the process and get ‘er done.
Bob Ross and I think that your friends and family would like gifts from Color Cat Studios like these cool coasters. Just don’t ask for Bob; he likes hanging around me. Get it? Get it? (Sorry)
Back to work for me meant I got to make art and be with kids all day. And share my lovely new Winnie the Pooh book. At this point in the semester we’re getting heavy into mixed media. LOVE my students. :)
Amazing things can happen on Thanksgiving break; a clean desk! Wow! Forgot what it looked like. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. We have a lot to be thankful for.
Wouldn’t you like a wolf under your tree this Christmas? Well, maybe a wolf PAINTING. Here’s a section of my wolf which I named ‘The Better to See you With, My Dear.’ You can find full pictures on my website colorcatstudios101.etsy.com. This painting is done in layers with much of the painting close to abstract and dripping with golds and blacks. Striking, the glowing eyes follow you. This beautiful acrylic painting is 24”x30” and FILLS the room!
I painted him on a heavy gallery-wrapped canvas and he’s ready to hang. Check him out at colorcatstudios101.etsy.com or email me at colorcatstudios@gmail.com.
Just a little piece of crazy from one of my sketchpads. I grew up on trains and they hold a neverending charm for me. If you ever wonder where my ideas come from, they come from, well, everywhere! BUT, many of my finished paintings come from goofy on-the-fly quick draws like this.
My color choices make me think circus, which in turn makes me think I’d like to do a little series of paintings with the circus theme. So much to do, so little time!
I guess I always go for the mutts. This was an in-class demo using five different mediums, i.e., mixed media. Pardon me, but he’s a little ‘ruff’ around the edges as I didn’t spent a lot of time on him. Cutie pie. Just let me know if you want a quick sketch of your pet!
Just a little piece of gorgeousness to brighten your day. Peonies are my absolute favorite flower. When we lived in points North, the first thing I would do is plant a hedge of these beautiful babies. Now that we live in the South, we can’t grow because it doesn’t freeze so I buy stems whenever I get the chance. That chance is rare and usually expensive... but OH so worth it! Anyway, good morning!! Take a whiff and imagine a fragrance that rivals roses. Love!!
And... have a fantastic day!!!!
I had to clothe David so I could show him to my students. Don’t say you’ve never seen great work out of me; nice shorts! I chose this photo of him getting a cleaning so my students would realize how big he really is. His head is slightly bigger than normal to compensate for his height and the fact that people would be far below looking up at him, and his hands are bigger than normal symbolising strength from God. Michelangelo, called El Divino, the divine one, because of his extraordinary skill.
I know what you’re thinking, “I need a whole bunch of little tiny gifts!” Yep. Well, I just so happen to have a whole bunch of little tiny gifts, like these adorable 2” square magnets! Find them at colorcatstudios101.etsy.com.
Yours truly, con magnet...
A really good look...
Oh my goodness, aren’t they cute? The painting is sold, but magnets are pretty much perfect.
I found this fine fellow whilst shopping this weekend, selling for an exorbitant price. Instead of spending the money I decided to make him mine in another way and began drawing him in my sketch pad at orchestra practice during the rests. Just watch an orchestra sometime and notice what musicians do during rests! Scroll to see his development, and notice the blue light was at orchestra. Anyway, here he is. I decided to name him Mr. Fuzzy Blump. I had no idea stuffed animals were so fun to draw; a new series of paintings is calling to me!
I like him a lot! My decision to paint him was difficult because I liked him a lot just black and white as well. Anyway, it was a good decision. :)
Let me know if you have any stuffed animals you need to have painted. Then you won’t have to worry about them losing their stuffing! :)
Here’s my finished dog painting that’s going to go for a nice flight this week. I love doing animal portraits and it was a delight turning this fine fellow, whose name is Weldon, into a shiesty looking character who would most certainly beat us all at poker. 12x12” on gallery-wrapped canvas. A very loving person hired me for this and is surprising her cousin on her birthday. Nice gift!
I was hired to paint this doggo to be given as a surprise gift. He’s so shifty he reminds me of one of those cigar smoking, poker playing dogs. Their photo had him stuffed into a spandex suit, haha! The background, although it doesn’t photograph well, is gold. I’m going to miss seeing this bad boy in our little corner of the world when he gets shipped off. Yes, I do commissions. You can contact me here or at colorcatstudios@gmail.com.
There are many ways to do a self-portrait. The important part is that you reveal something of yourself. This photo, shot by my friend Stephanie, is a telling portrait of me.
How would you do a portrait of yourself?
My red panda painting is sold but I have some adorable magnets for sale on my website along with magnets of my lions, tiger, bear, owl, wolf... They brighten your mood and are so handy for much-loved teeny tiny gifts.
Are you ever creatively blocked? You can be blocked in business, writing, art... whatever. Get into your workplace and do some mundane cleanup! I find the very act of hand sharpening pencils inspiring. Sometimes simple studio cleanup or paint testing will do the trick as well. The point is... do something! I’m not often blocked, but I’d say I’m more creatively-time-challenged. I haven’t had a chance in my art studio for TWO WEEKS so a little pencil sharpening is a relaxing way to ease me into the ‘zone.’ What do you do to get over your creative block?
Abraham Lincoln quote on one of my embossed metal pieces. It’s so true. It doesn’t even matter what you choose to do (as long as it’s legal and you WANT it)! Just go for it!
Yes, I photoshopped this piece to make it look cool, but honestly, I think it looks better the way it was!
Oh, man, I love block printing with linoleum blocks! My advanced art class doesn’t know it yet but we’re about to go into full production for Christmas. Drawing it in and cutting the blocks is rewarding and peaceful and printing with them is about has hard to stop as picking berries.
I don’t know about YOU, but when I start picking berries, it’s well nigh impossible for me to stop! Same with prints. Currently all surfaces are covered can with prints over here. :)
I know that National Cat Day is coming up (October 29, of course) but can’t a dog get a break? I’m posting this little cutaway of my ‘Excitable Pup’ acrylic painting just to be fair. For sale on my website, no drool included.
You can find a lot of pictures of him on my website, colorcatstudios101.etsy.com. I painted him with big, bold brushstrokes to capture the just out of control feeling that having a wild puppy gives. :). So cute.
‘What did you do today,’ you ask? I’m glad you asked! Color theory with my students. Complimentary colors mixing for neutrals, to be specific. Days with my students are always fun days.
It’s so nice to have hired help to do the dusting. And what is it about outdoor photography, anyway, that invites so many feline helpers? Whatever it is, I’m glad for it. They just want in the picture too. This piece, named ‘Funny One,’ is a mixed media piece into which I incorporated the good old funny papers - the comics. All my favorites, of course. :). Always makes me smile. Available at
colorcatstudios101.etsy.comThis sweet girl is always with me. It’s no wonder she’s in the pic, she is a Maine Coone and follows me around like a dog. That’s one of their character traits and what makes them so precious. The faithfulness and companionship of a dog, the easy care and loving of a cat.
Oh my goodness I am loving the effects you can achieve with carved linoleum prints! The leaves I carved and showed in a previous post look positively ethereal on this background. Loving this medium.
This painting was created in joy and makes everyone that sees him smile. I love the way the colors glow through one another. He’s looking for a new home and you can find HIM on my website.
I have a friend that actually bought a costume of one of these blowup guys. This is my painting of these funny dudes. We decided that each of these wind blown poses reflects moods during different times of the day. My favorite one is the poor bent over fellow which you always see when they’re not getting enough air. I embossed the metal, seated it on a painted canvas, and then painted everything to unite it. :)
The following is a closeup of just the embossed metal.
In my advanced art class I’m teaching my students linoleum printing. Oh, what FUN! As a woodcarver I have found that this is soo much easier, ever so relaxing and beautiful as well. And once you get those printing blocks carved, you can go into printing production until the house burns down around you and you realize you haven’t eaten for three days.
Below are some of the linoleum blocks carved, and some of the printed works below them. You see varying darknesses of ink; the second printing in a go is called the ‘ghost’ and I often prefer it to the first printing.
This one is a little print I made and laid out in the classic fashion.
These show my concert experience last night. James Galway. Master flutist who over his extraordinary career has played for kings, queens, presidents... every great hall and orchestra there is, and with innumerable star performers. He’s sold over 30 million ‘albums;’ I guess these days music comes in so many forms that you now call it a unit. What a special privilege to enjoy him last night.
Without any miking, his flute rang through the hall with that unmatchable, glittery tone, and he kept up a running narration showing his good humor. At one point the music was so funny he cracked up, then the pianist did, and we were all laughing. Just like any musician’s practice, they had to stop and laugh. They began again in jolly camaraderie.
Before the concert I sketched the piano whilst waiting, and this is what I had him sign. He liked my piano. :).
He looks pretty good for age 79! Knowing his legend, I scoped things out at intermission and found out where his signing table would be. At the end of the concert I walked to the back of the auditorium (second row seat in the handicapped section for some reason, with no chair in front!) Anyway, he played the second encore I was outta there and standing at the table. Sure enough, I was the first of at least 300 people in line for an autograph and a short little chat. :). SWEET!
Did you know that my website not only features my paintings but has stickers, magnets, postcards and posters of many of my paintings? Here are just a few. Wow! What a treasure trove! They make perfect little thoughtful gifts. Check ‘em out!
colorcatstudios101.etsy.com
