Crabtree Originals

Title: Big Ears

Another one of my precious kitties is pictured here.  This painting was based on a photo of Big Ears when he first wandered into our lives.  He was about 6 months old at that time and hadn't grown into his ears yet (hence, the name!) Unfortunately Big Ears passed away from Feline Lukemia. I was so glad I did this painting of him and I have a similar painting of him in pastel.

Status: Personal collection

Title: Innocence

The “won’t you please take me home and love me” expression on this sweet face is what I hoped to capture in this piece. The glossy, wet look of the eyes was created by layering different colors of green and yellow.

For each painting, there are always decisions to make along the way, and one of the greatest for this one was how to render fur and the growth patterns of the fur. Ordinarily, I work in one medium per piece, but I did some experimenting when I created “Innocence” with pen and pencil over acrylic to achieve the tiny lines needed in the detail.

Medium: Acrylic

Support & size: 7” x 9” Watercolor Paper

Status: SOLD

Title: Sweet Dreams

Few things are as sweet as a kitty sleeping. The much-loved Siamese cat rendered here is the epitome of contentment, as all cats deserve to be. Created for a friend, this painting honors her beloved Siamese who is not long for this world.

Medium: Acrylic

Support & size: 7” x 9” Watercolor Paper 

Status: Sold

Title: Winter Wolf

This wintry scene was painted as a gift for a friend who collects everything"wolf." My intention was to paint a different kind of wolf scene rather than the typical strong, hearty animal baying at the moon;this guy seemed rather vulnerable, and perhaps a bit lovable.  He made an excellent subject!  The trees in the background were an experiment with Frisket, a technique usually used with watercolors where the artist coats an area with the Frisket, paints the area, then removes the material leaving blank paper(or another color) underneath.  The painting was well received by my friend.

Title: Long, Cool Drink at Last Light

This landscape sat idle in the corner of my studio for months, created from my imagination, I kept thinking it needed something more. After pondering it for a time, I finally decided to add a horse and paint the sky to depict a sunset just before it fades out of site. 

Title: Catnap

Pictured here is a painting of one of my beloved cats, Patches, snuggled into her favorite place to nap.  She looks very innocent here, but the truth is, she is very temperamental... one of those kitties that "only a mother could love."  (And I do!)  Patches lived a long life, passing away of old age several years ago.

Title: Home at Last

This windswept snow scene was created mostly from my imagination.  I started with the group of trees to the right, then I decided on a row in the back, then turned them into pines, then added the patch of leaf-bare bushes and sticks to the left.  It seemed to need something more so I added the dog and then, he seemed to be heading nowhere, so I added a house.  As with all my paintings, it's difficult sometimes to know when to stop.  Although I could have added more, I decided to save the ideas for future paintings and call this one complete!