Monday, March 22, 2021

Post 91: Furry Kitty 10x10 Acrylic Stretched Canvas

Painting Name: Furry Kitty

Remembering my family's past and a few present pets...

SKU: 03AY21AC
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 10x10 Stretched Canvas
Framed?: Yes, a simple white floating frame
Edition Year: 2021
Commissioned? No

What Brought About this Painting?
I come from a long line of pet lovers - in my family our pets have been mostly of the feline persuasion. We have had a LOT of cats over the years. I knew I wanted to paint kittens and grown cats: this is my first painting of a "cat friend" and I did have one similar to this "furry kitty" one time too. 


The Naming of Cats

An important decision in life is the naming of your cat friends. Serious consideration must be applied to this act. It must be something appropriate to the cat and/or the cat behavior and/or something that doesn't sound too stupid if you have to yell it across a room or call it from the door. I think we forgot that last one occasionally.

Some Past Cat Names in the Gillespie Families:

Whiskey - my family's first kitten, unfortunately a very short life. Taken out by a chicken bone...by mistake.
Flower, AKA "Gerby" - lived a very long life (21 years and she used ALL of her nine lives). Occasionally smelled of marigolds, so appropriate naming on my part. She was in a litter from "Momma Cat" under the porch at my Grandma's house at BRS.
Niko - always slept in my brother Donnie's elbow, she was a "back gate" found cat at BRS.
Tiffany, or "Tiff" - my brother Dave's cat, she was dug out of the shed at Goldmine church in Louisa, actually around 1973 when we were looking at the photos of our church trip to the Holy Land that I got to go on..
Duffy - found by my Mom, came from between the school buses at Z. C. Morton Elementary School in Louisa, Virginia.
Frazzle - only had this guy a few days from a pet store - he wrecked everything in the apartment and fell in the bathtub with me one time. Good times. Should have been named Spawn of Satan.
Lima Bean, AKA "Beanie" - a completely wild cat, I rescued and tamed her over time.
Precious - given to Mom by my cousin Jeff many moons ago, after my Dad passed.
Snickers - a furry cat belonging to my mom, missing a back paw but that didn't slow him down at all.
Darcy - she was a good cat, sister to Snickers but not extra furry like Snickers - she always had to have a paw on you. Belonged to my mom.
George - brother to Gracie cat, a white cat. One of my bro and sis-in-law's cats.
Gracie - sister to George cat, a white cat and had one blue and one green eye. One of my bro and sis-in-law's cats.
Scrotty - leave it to my brother on naming that one, of course, a male cat. One of my bro and sis-in-law's cats.
Mrs. Norris, or "Poutice" - the most unusual looking cat ever, Grumpy Cat has nothing on Ms Norris. One of my bro and sis-in-law's cats.
Dexter - I thought he should have been called "Lunch Meat". He was a little spot of nothing as a kitten. My bro and sis-in-law's cat. He's a big marshmallow now.
Princess Purrington Fancy Stripes (named by my brother) - found at the main beach at BRS and climbed up my nephews pants leg. So he brought her home. She would climb the Christmas tree when young and lay in it until girth got the best of her. One of my bro and sis-in-law's cats.
Gray Man - definitely has nine plus lives...he thinks Fairview Drive belongs to him at BRS. Adopted by my mom.
Zoey - my only male cat but he was very protective of me. Loved that cat.
Abby, AKA Lady Abigail - adopted, another sweetheart extra furry cat, not an ill tempered bone in her body.
Sophie, AKA Sophia Loren - a more furry version of Zoey, a sweetheart of a cat too. Somehow broke her own tail jumping in a window.
Tupy (offshoot of "Stupid") - a calico, adopted from a friend, my last cat I believe, at least for now. Heartbroken at her passing a couple years ago.

(List may need updating...)

Oh the joys of the soft spot that most of our furry friends put upon our hearts! I prefer to remember all the laughs and purrs...

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Like this painting? Need a handmade, original painting as a gift for a friend or family member? Or if you want to commission me to do a similar painting for you, please contact me through this blog or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt to shop my available Artwork.
Side Note, if you have purchased one of my paintings, please send me a picture of YOU with the painting and I will post it on the corresponding blog page.

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Post 90: A Painting In Progress: The Cutest of Furry Kittens

Painting Name: The Cutest of Furry Kittens

I knew I was going to paint cats at some point and I may paint my last cat, Tupy one day. For now, I did a cat similar to one I had a number of years ago.

SKU: 03AY21AC
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 10x10 Stretched Canvas
Price: $Pending
Edition Year: 2021
Commissioned? No

Painting in Progress Images…

I've been wanting to paint cats and/or kittens (especially my own) from the past for awhile but have taken my time going about it. I look back into time and wow, in my family we have had a LOT of cats. So many great furry little friends with a variety of GREAT names and so many personalities. My gosh, I am not even sure I can remember all their names now! We have some great stories we can tell of each of them though.

This first painting of one reminds me of a Persian I had at one time that was such a sweetheart. She would curl up in a ball and sleep right under my chin. She was a gift from a dear friend that I have long since lost track of - and seems to be hard to find now. 

Most of our cats were lost and found wild cats. Very few had more dignified pedigrees, so to speak. Some came from pet stores, some were rescues, some chose us. In common, they were ALL loved and they are ALL missed in their own way, with one exception. (see the completed painting blog post)





How to Shop, Follow, Like, Comment and do all the social things for my painting Artworks: 

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Like this painting? Need a handmade, original painting as a gift for a friend or family member? Or if you want to commission me to do a similar painting for you, please contact me through this blog or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt to shop my available Artwork.
Side Note, if you have purchased one of my paintings, please send me a picture of YOU with the painting and I will post it on the corresponding blog page.

Friday, March 19, 2021

Post 89: Animal Fur Series - 10x10 Acrylic Stretched Canvas Animal Skin Patterns

Painting Name: Animal Fur Skin Pattern Series

Animal fur skin patterns were completed in early 2021 and were originally painted as a set of 5. I debated on grouping them or selling them individually. I will have to do the research on that.

Leopard Skin SKU: 03AT21AC
Giraffe Skin SKU: 03AV21AC (SOLD)
Zebra Skin SKU: 03AU21AC
Cheetah Skin SKU: 03AW21AC
Tiger Skin SKU: 03AX21AC

Medium: Acrylic
Size: 10x10 Stretched Canvas
Framed?: Yes
Edition Year: 2021
Check Availability and Prints on my Etsy Shop

What Brought About this Painting?
I painted a series of 5 different animal fur skins so far and I have an idea for a few others I may do or even variations of these. But for now, this is the furry series.





See the completed Painting:


See the completed Painting:
Giraffe Skin on Etsy - 4/27/21 update, Giraffe has been SOLD

Giraffe Skin on Blog


See the completed Painting:
Zebra Skin on Etsy
 
Zebra Skin on Blog


See the completed Painting:

Tiger Skin on Blog


See the completed Painting:
Leopard Skin on Etsy

Leopard Skin on Blog

*Local is considered Northern Virginia, Woodbridge, Virginia or within an hour or so.

How to Shop, Follow, Like, Comment and do all the social things for my painting Artworks: 

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Like this painting? Need a handmade, original painting as a gift for a friend or family member? Or if you want to commission me to do a similar painting for you, please contact me through this blog or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt to shop my available Artwork.
Side Note, if you have purchased one of my paintings, please send me a picture of YOU with the painting and I will post it on the corresponding blog page.

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Follow, Comment, and Review!

Post 88: Tiger Skin Pattern, 10x10 Acrylic Canvas: A Series of Animal Fur Patterns

Painting Name: Tiger Skin Pattern

Animal skin or fur patterns were fun to paint and I think this tiger one is my favorite.

SKU: 03AX21AC
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 10x10 Stretched Canvas
Framed?: Yes, in a simple Antique Gold front with Black floating frame
Edition Year: 2021
Check Availability and Prints on my Etsy Shop

What Brought About this Painting?
Tiger Skin Pattern had to be a part of my animal fur skin pattern series.





The Tiger


From Wikipedia

"There are three color variants – white, golden and stripeless snow white – that now rarely occur in the wild due to the reduction of wild tiger populations, but continue in captive populations. The white tiger has white fur and sepia brown stripes. The golden tiger has a pale golden pelage with a blond tone and reddish-brown stripes. The snow white tiger is a morph with extremely faint stripes and a pale reddish-brown ringed tail. Both snow white and golden tigers are homozygous for CORIN gene mutations. A black tiger is a color variant due to pseudo-melanism. They have thick stripes close together so that the background color is barely visible between stripes."

Quotes

No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it. Franklin D. Roosevelt

Read more: https://www.wisesayings.com/tiger-quotes/#ixzz6pekYL8B0

The tiger will see you a hundred times before you see him once. John Vaillant

Read more: https://www.wisesayings.com/tiger-quotes/#ixzz6pelfsTZR

Do you love Tigers? See my Tiger Face painting. See all my animal print pattern paintings too.

Leopard Skin Pattern
Zebra Skin Pattern
Cheetah Skin Pattern
Giraffe Skin Pattern

How to Shop, Follow, Like, Comment and do all the social things for my painting Artworks: 

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Like this painting? Need a handmade, original painting as a gift for a friend or family member? Or if you want to commission me to do a similar painting for you, please contact me through this blog or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt to shop my available Artwork.
Side Note, if you have purchased one of my paintings, please send me a picture of YOU with the painting and I will post it on the corresponding blog page.

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Follow, Comment, and Review!

Post 87: Cheetah Skin Pattern, 10x10 Acrylic Canvas: A Series of Animal Fur Skin Patterns

Painting Name: Cheetah Skin Pattern

Animal fur patterns is a series I did in early 2021. The original set had 5 different skins, but the giraffe sold individually.

SKU: 03AW21AC
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 10x10 Stretched Canvas
Framed?: Yes, in a simple Antique Gold front with Black floating frame
Edition Year: 2021
Check Availability and Prints on my Etsy Shop

What Brought About this Painting?
I have a series of animal skin pattern paintings going on... a bit different than the leopard skin.



The Cheetah


From Wikipedia

"The coat is typically tawny to creamy white or pale buff (darker in the mid-back portion). The chin, throat and underparts of the legs and the belly are white and devoid of markings. The rest of the body is covered with around 2,000 evenly spaced, oval or round solid black spots, each measuring roughly 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in). Each cheetah has a distinct pattern of spots which can be used to identify unique individuals. Besides the clearly visible spots, there are other faint, irregular black marks on the coat. Newly born cubs are covered in fur with an unclear pattern of spots that gives them a dark appearance—pale white above and nearly black on the underside. The hair is mostly short and often coarse, but the chest and the belly are covered in soft fur; the fur of king cheetahs has been reported to be silky. There is a short, rough mane, covering at least 8 cm (3.1 in) along the neck and the shoulders; this feature is more prominent in males. The mane starts out as a cape of long, loose blue to grey hair in juveniles."

Quotes

“To me, fast food is when a cheetah eats an antelope.” — George Carlin

"Never play poker with the world's fastest animal, because he's a cheetah." - coolfunnyquotes.com 

How to Shop, Follow, Like, Comment and do all the social things for my painting Artworks: 

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Like this painting? Need a handmade, original painting as a gift for a friend or family member? Or if you want to commission me to do a similar painting for you, please contact me through this blog or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt to shop my available Artwork.
Side Note, if you have purchased one of my paintings, please send me a picture of YOU with the painting and I will post it on the corresponding blog page.

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Follow, Comment, and Review!

Post 86: Giraffe Skin Pattern, 10x10 Acrylic Painting: A Series of Fur Skin Patterns

Painting Name: Giraffe Skin Pattern

I sold one of the five in the animal fur series. I may paint this one again or add different ones for the series later.

SKU: 03AV21AC
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 10x10 Stretched Canvas
Price: No Longer Available
Edition Year: 2021
Check Availability and Prints on my Etsy Shop

What Brought About this Painting?
How do you get a life-sized close-up picture of a giraffe in a 10 x 10 inch canvas? See below.


The Giraffe


From Wikipedia

"The coat has dark blotches or patches (which can be orange, chestnut, brown, or nearly black in color) separated by light hair (usually white or cream in color.) Male giraffes become darker as they age. The coat pattern has been claimed to serve as camouflage in the light and shade patterns of savannah woodlands. When standing among trees and bushes, they are hard to see at even a few meters distance. However, adult giraffes move about to gain the best view of an approaching predator, relying on their size and ability to defend themselves rather than on camouflage, which may be more important for calves. Each individual giraffe has a unique coat pattern. Giraffe calves inherit some coat pattern traits from their mothers, and variation in some spot traits are correlated with neonatal survival. The skin underneath the blotches may serve as windows for thermoregulation, being sites for complex blood vessel systems and large sweat glands."

Quotes

"God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style, He just goes on trying other things." Pablo Picasso

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/giraffe-quotes

I totally disagree with Picasso. God created perfection and man in His own image. Just as every man and woman is beautifully different, giraffes, elephants and cats (and every other animal) is magnificently majestic, creatively made and distinctly interesting. Creation shows the limitless imagination of our Creator.

Sin by choice ruins perfection until God restores it one day soon by His Son Jesus Christ. 

How to Shop, Follow, Like, Comment and do all the social things for my painting Artworks: 

Facebook: DL Art on Facebook
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Behind the Canvas Blog: Donna’s Cave Paintings Blog

Like this painting? Need a handmade, original painting as a gift for a friend or family member? Or if you want to commission me to do a similar painting for you, please contact me through this blog or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt to shop my available Artwork.
Side Note, if you have purchased one of my paintings, please send me a picture of YOU with the painting and I will post it on the corresponding blog page.

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Follow, Comment, and Review!

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Post 85: Zebra Skin Pattern, 10x10 Acrylic Stretched Canvas: A Series of Animal Fur Skin Patterns

Painting Name: Zebra Skin Pattern

A series of 5 different animal fur pattern paintings I recently started. I have in mind to do a few more when time allows.

SKU: 03AU21AC
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 10x10 Stretched Canvas
Framed?: Yes, in a simple Antique Gold front with Black floating frame
Edition Year: 2021
Check Availability and Prints on my Etsy Shop

What Brought About this Painting?
I would imagine that most artists like to explore different subjects and ways to show the textures and nuances of those subjects - persons, places and things, and things in our own imaginations at times. There really aren't any rules that I know of, please correct me if you have a different feeling on that. 

As an artist that wants to sell her work, I would also imagine that most artists share that desire, perhaps to various degrees. So exploring subjects are sometimes looking for an angle on how to find something different that a future admirer may be interested in. Tougher option to configure, but who knows when something might click with your viewer.

Animal skin patterns have long been admired by most people; we certainly wear it enough. We have it on our shirts, pants, dresses, handbags, shoes, jewelry, gee, everything including our face masks these days.

My thought was why not in our artwork - up on a wall. Whether a favorite animal pattern or a series of them. Thus, I started painting...

Zebra is the second in the series, Leopard was the first.





The Zebra


From Wikipedia

"Zebras are easily recognized by their bold black-and-white striping patterns. The belly and legs are white when unstriped, but the muzzle is dark and the skin underneath the coat is uniformly black. The general pattern is a dorsal line that extends from the forehead to the tail. From there, the stripes stretch downward except on the rump, where they develop species-specific patterns, and near the nose where they curve toward the nostrils. Stripes split above the front legs, creating shoulder stripes. The stripes on the legs, ears and tail are separate and horizontal. Zebras also have complex patterns around the eyes and the lower jaw.

Striping patterns are unique to an individual and heritable. During embryonic development, the stripes appear at eight months, but the patterns may be determined at three to five weeks. For each species there is a point in embryonic development where the stripes are perpendicular to the dorsal and spaced 0.4 mm (0.016 in) apart. However, this happens at three weeks of development for the plains zebra, four weeks for the mountain zebra, and five for Grévy's zebra. The difference in timing is thought to be responsible for the differences in the striping patterns of the different species.

Young or foals are born with brown and white coats, and the brown darkens with age. Various mutations of the fur have been documented, from mostly white to mostly black. There have even been morphs with white spots on dark backgrounds. Albino zebras have been recorded in the forests of Mount Kenya, with the dark stripes being blonde. The quagga had brown and white stripes on the head and neck, brown upper parts and a white belly, tail and legs."

Quotes

I secretly want to be a zebra. That is why I always wear stripes.
-- Louis Tomlinson

God must've had a blast. painting the stripes on the zebra, hanging the stars in the sky, putting the gold in the sunset. What creativity! Stretching the neck of the giraffe, putting the flutter in the mockingbird's wings, planting the giggle in the hyena. And then, as a finale to a brilliant performance, He made a human who had the unique honour to bear the stamp, In His Image.


How to Shop, Follow, Like, Comment and do all the social things for my painting Artworks: 

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Behind the Canvas Blog: Donna’s Cave Paintings Blog

Like this painting? Need a handmade, original painting as a gift for a friend or family member? Or if you want to commission me to do a similar painting for you, please contact me through this blog or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt to shop my available Artwork.
Side Note, if you have purchased one of my paintings, please send me a picture of YOU with the painting and I will post it on the corresponding blog page.

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Follow, Comment, and Review!