Wednesday, December 9, 2009

INTERESTING, I THINK

This is kind of interesting, I think.  A couple of months ago, I was experimenting in my painting on portraying trees.  Then I saw a beautiful picture of some bushes fully in bloom.  So I decided to try painting them using the same technique in a picture about 8 x 6".  But afterwards I didn't like what I had done so I put some birds in the picture picking at seed on the ground.  I still didn't like it so I put a cat in the picture.  See below.


I still didn't like it,  so I put in a border of flowers, blue lobelia and white alyssum. It still wasn't rightI trimmed out all the blossom trees, and made it into an ATC (3 1/2 x 2 1/2") because the cat was out of proportion to the bushes and the sparrows. 
In the end, it sat on my painting table as is, with all it's trimmings around it and I never posted it. It was never just right.

Then today, I happened to glance over the table with a view to getting rid of some of the clutter and my eye caught one of the fair-sized cuttings from the original above.  I thought -- my goodness!  I can see a cat in there!

I left it on the table for a couple of hours and went back to look at it a few times to see if I really could see a cat among the blooms and branches.  Sure enough there was one there!  So I took my pencil and just lightly outlined him using only the bushes and branches as my guide -- and there he was!  I touched him up just a little and gave him blue eyes, trimmed the cutting to an ATC size  and -- voila!



So I call it "My Cat in Camouflage

In fact if you line up the two ATC's one above the other you can see that they exactly fit together.


Just interesting, I think!
***** 
BAILEY is improving. He still has nasty fits of coughing, but he is eating everything I put in front of him, including the pills. Today he even chased The White Cat, who was trespassing, from the kitchen window to the den window.  We have to take him back to the vet on Saturday.

13 comments:

Gillian Mowbray said...

Chris, I think you need to take more water with it, LOL.
That's such a pretty ATC. In fact I like the former version too. As a photographer, I know how important selective cropping can be when making decisions about composition. People don't crop their images nearly enough.
So, I love your thought processes!

Morning's Minion said...

I'm intrigued with how the finished painting evolved. Not being an artist it may be that I appreciate the original, although you saw flaws in it. The "camouflage" cat suggests a double meaning for me--the way a cat can hide--or pretend to hide--being very superior to the humans he/she is surveying. There is a lot of quirky humor in the feline personality.
Glad to learn that Bailey is improving--nothing "sicker" than a sick cat.

Jose said...

To me it looks like an angel cat is looking over the playful cat that plays outside and chases the birds.

Cherdecor said...

Only an artist could find a cat hinding in the bushes! Hahaha! Great painting!

betty-NZ said...

Isn't it funny how you can find a treasure without really trying! Thanks for visiting!

claude said...

Good work, Chris, Nice paintings.
I am sure it is Bailey in camouflage.
Happy to read he is better.

Anonymous said...

It is amazing what that did for the overall view. Nice work.

ukkiwi said...

That is so cool. Good spotting.

Anne Vis said...

Magical!!! Wonderful work!

Anonymous said...

what fun

kaybee said...

That's the mark of a true artist, I think -- to be able to see something in 'nothing'! Well done, Chris! I love both finished products!

sandy said...

WELL HECK, that is so COOL>

Bob said...

I think that is very clever, I bet even Bob Ross couldn't manage that one! Bob.