Best in Show at "The Cat Show" art exhibit

"The Cat Show" exhibit at Pinnell Gallery in Fallbrook, California opened today, June 6, 2015.

During the artists' reception, my painting, "Shades of Blue", was awarded Best in Show. So exciting!

Thank you to the Pinnell Gallery and the judges for this honor.   After the reception, we came home and hugged my little model, kitty Cash.

Originally, there were three paintings ready for the show.   One of the three paintings, "Come Fly with Me", sold before the show.   Three paintings had been committed to the show so I had to scramble and create a new painting to take the place of the one that sold.  

I had a number of reference photos of my bluepoint Siamese cat, Cash, from a few years ago.   No painting is ever rushed, so I took my time with this third painting - which is titled, "Shades of Blue."  This painting was one that really drew me in while it was being painted and I had to make myself stop when it was completed.  Sometimes I keep fiddling when that is no longer

necessary.  It is almost like a great book, one hates to get to the end because then the story is over.   That is what happened with this painting.   I could have kept painting!

Some things are just meant to be.

Thank you again to the gallery and judges.

Cash is ready for Thanksgiving!

I told Cash this evening that he had to stay out of the whipping cream for the pies that are being made for tomorrow.   He gave me stink face.

Then, I told Cash he didn't get any turkey tomorrow.   He has been begging too much and grabbing our forks with his paw.    He is not pleased......

Oil Painting Finished.

This is a painting that I just finished and is drying. The above photos show the process that my paintings go through.

I always start with a sketch. If it is an oil painting, I secure the sketch with black oil paint. Then I glaze a neutral color over the entire canvas. With this painting the base coat is in burnt sienna.

Then colors are layered gradually allowing for drying time between each layer. During the painting process the painting may be rotated upside down or sideways to allow ease of painting the fur etc.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Wille the Orange Tabby Cat

This is Wille. He has a heart warming story.

His human parents live in Southern California. While volunteering at a local shelter, they met Wille. Wille had been released by his former family. It seemed that he had a very sensitive stomach and was prone to urinary tract issues that could be life threatening.

Treating Wille's medical issues proved too much for his former family so this eight year old cat was given up. There is no explanation for the loss of his eye. Wille was at the shelter, an older cat, with medical issues and one eye. Definitely not an easy adoption candidate.

Well, Wille's new family fell in love with his personality and had to adopt him. Volunteering at the shelter gave them an opportunity to get to know Wille and they just couldn't stand him not having a family. He has the most adorable personality. It has taken some time to find the right food to balance his urinary tract issues, but this has been accomplished and Wille is flourishing. It was a pleasure to paint Wille's portrait and his human family are the most wonderful people. A story of true unconditional love.

Tuxedo Kittens in Oil

This larger than life painting of two tuxedo kittens was done in oil. It is another piece for the corporate commission that I am working on.

The painting is three feet wide by two feet tall. A number of photos of the two kittens were supplied by the collector. One kitten has a narrower face as in a Siamese and the other kitten has a round face. The markings are very close so I relied on the face shape to assist me in keeping track of which kitten was in each photo. Ultimately, I chose two poses that were from two different photos.

My initial sketch was in pencil. If you notice the eyes on the sketch and look at the final painting - there was some adjustment done to the eye shape during the painting process. I sometimes flip my paintings upside down during the process to double check details. It was during one of these "upside down" times that I noticed the eye shape was not what I wanted it to be. One nice thing about painting in oil is the ability to change just about anything during the course of the painting. Pastels are not quite so user friendly!

Thanks for taking a peek at the kittens!

It was a lot of fun to paint.

Tabby Cat Commission

This is a painting of Oliver. Oliver was a very special kitty and loved by a wonderful family. Life throws us some tough situations and sadly, Oliver was lost to cancer at a very young age.

His family had a very tough loss shortly before Oliver passed. Sometimes, when we hear of the tough roads of others we realize our problems are so minor.

Sending Oliver's human mom a big hug and keeping her in our prayers.

Thank you for the honor of commissioning me to paint Oliver.

Abyssinian Cat Portrait

The portrait of Cinder is complete! He is 12 years old and was a joy to meet. He tried to be really brave with the camera when I was taking photos of him.

It is always so heart warming to paint some one's special pet for them. I hope this painting gives many years of enjoyment to Cinder's family.

Who's Been Sleeping in my Bed?

I left my studio for just a minute. All I needed was a Dr. Pepper on ice. Upon my return I found evidence of "Someone Sleeping in my Bed" so to speak......

The naughty kitty has been caught. Naturally Lacey had to be put under the sink to turn her blue/pink/green/purple paws back to her Siamese colors. Somehow she ended up with a peach belly too.

Maine Coon Cat

This is a painting of a Maine Coon cat that was recently finished. The cat had passed away a few months before the commission came in.

I was given a CD full of photos from him as a kitten all the way to the adult age. His body was shaved in his older photos and the request was to have him painted at an age when he was a full bodied cat. There were five photos used to create the painting. One reference photo was of his face, another for color, a third for body shape, a fourth for his coat length and texture when he was not shaved, and finally a photo that showed how much coat was on his tail. Photos are like Lays potato chips - sometimes just one is not enough!

It was a pleasure to paint him. If only our pets lived as long as we do!

Lacey and Monet

Lacey (Lynx Point Siamese) is now ten weeks old and fitting into our home quite nicely. Monet (Irish Setter), who is two years old, is quite intrigued with her and is trying to clean both ends of this little kitten.

Monet loves cats and her new little girl is a constant source of amusement for all of us.

Monet and Lacey are very much a like - fearless and friendly. It will be interesting to see what kind of bond develops between them as the years pass.

Siamese Kitten - Lacey Secord

This is our new kitten, Lacey. She is eight weeks old and is called a "Lynx Point" Siamese. This is actually a breed in Great Britain, but in America it is simply a color variation of the Siamese cat. The Lynx Point color was established by breeding a Siamese with a Tabby. With Lacey, she has the classic tabby markings which are circular rather than striped.

Lacey was adopted through "Cats in Need" a local cat rescue organization. She was pulled out of a local animal shelter, along with her brother, by this rescue organization. One of my friends ended up adopting her orange tabby brother when she went to visit Lacey at the foster home with me!!

I'm looking forward to using Lacey as a model in my future paintings! To see some of my current cat paintings please go to my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/ and click on the cat art gallery.

Have a great day!

Don't Forget Cash!!

Yesterday one of my girlfriends was over and we were working on the website for her horse ranch, Cottonwood Ranch. I was showing her the St. Patrick's day photos I had taken of my pets. All the while, my Siamese cat, Cash, is sitting on the desk facing her demanding attention. Then I remembered I had photographed Cash. The photos range from tolerant cat to a rather cranky cat.

So Judy, here is the picture of Cash you insisted I blog!