A Professional Opinion

My first year in Korea, I was lucky enough to be visited by my good friend (and fellow cat-mom) Carolyn Phillips, currently the chair of the art department at Chowan University. I was thrilled when Carolyn presented me with this painting titled "Lying" as a hostess gift. We had a wonderful time touring Geoje Island and visiting Pusan. Also during our visit, we spent a good deal of time discussing art, and Carolyn encouraged me to continue drawing and developing my personal style. She continues to encourage me in my artistic endeavors and is a valued friend.

After her visit, I realized how important it is to be in contact with other artists who encourage, inspire, and provide constructive criticism. Since then, I have actively sought out other artists which has led to wonderful friendships that have greatly enriched my life.

The Real Life Bonnie Curl

My 13 year old calico from Vicksburg, MS. A diva if there ever was one, and the model for most of my drawings. Bonnie means beautiful in Scottish--and she knows it!

And then there was art...

...and it was good--or at least I really, really liked it! This is still my favorite cat drawing. I call it The Bonnie Curl.

Walking Away a Winner

A second cat in Burch's style (minus the distracting patterns) confirmed my love of vibrant colors and made me realize that while I appreciate her work, I do not want to create folk art/tribal style cats. They look too stodgy to represent the graceful, elegant creatures who share my home and enrich my life. Fortunately, like the students of yore who learned from copying the masters at the Louvre and then went on to do their own thing, after these first four pieces, I knew exactly where I wanted to start with my own work. I wanted something as simple as a Picasso line drawing, as colorful as a Burch, and with the movement of a Marc or Bonheur. No sweat (+:

Learning from the Masters

After the second drawing, I knew I needed to sort out my approach to color. I also knew that this was going to be an essential step in developing my personal style since I suffer from Deuteranomaly. No, that is not a book in the Bible. It is the inability for me to tell red, dark pink, and orange apart. I also have trouble with black and navy blue which occasionally leads to mismatched socks, gloves, and the occasional purchase of a sweater that doesn't match the shoes I thought it would go with. Once again, I turned to a favorite artist for inspiration. I have long been a fan of Laurel Burch's colorful cats, so I decided to paint a cat in her style, sticking with the blues, purples, and blue greens that I can easily distinguish. What I learned from this was that I loved the combination of vibrant colors, but the pattern was overwhelming to me. I knew I needed to simplify.

Exodus...sort of

After the first drawing, I knew that I wanted color for the second one, so I chose a vibrant blue for the background and drew Bonnie in her "I am an Egyptian goddess" pose. I knew I was on the right track with this as I liked the color and texture I was able to add to the background with the paint, but I still felt a little like I was lost in the desert without a guide.

Inspiration

Petey and Bonnie asleep in the sun on our balcony in Korea. Who wouldn't be inspired to create art?