Cat and Dog Painting

 A memorial to my nemisis and favourite sparring partner, Clyde the Siamese cat (born in the mists of time, died 2012) is painted on the 1925 Grocery mural.. Sally's little fluff-ball of a dog has every right to look slightly perturbed.  Clyde was more than a match for any dog and reigned supreme in his day.

Drawing Horses; Blue, the Beautiful Old Bearded Lady

Blue the 24 year old Clydesdale out at Ruthies Animal Farm is dying, she's got tumours and is listless, in pain and losing weight.  She will be put down next week and buried in the front paddock near the farmhouse.

She is not looking good health-wise but is still so beautiful.

We took a bag of carrots and spent some time with Blue and took a bunch of photos of her.

She enjoyed the visit and we shared some moments which was nice. She likes me. I'm gonna miss her.

Angel

Out at Ruthies animal farm I set out with the sketch book to draw the horses but was sidetracked by Angel, the eleven year old cow, down in the ditch beside the old railway embankment eating hay.
She is huge, must be over a ton, looks like a bull and people make jokes about reporting her to the SPCA because of obesity.

Printmaking on Perspex. Nigel the Siamese Cat.

This week I got to make a print of Nigel the skeletal Siamese cat. I had done a nice drawing of him sitting in the sun and I thought how easy he would be to print with just burnt umber.
Dry point on a prepared piece of perspex and I managed to get three good prints off it using burnt umber and black before running out of steam.
I touched up the prints after with a little black pastel and sienna acrylic paint with clear medium which is cheating I know but you won't tell on me will you?

Horse Portraits

At a birthday party last weekend the horses were put at the far end of the property on a rise covered with pines away from the noise of the festivities.
They'd naught to eat in there and early the next morning a few early risers let the horses into the home paddock for their brekkie.
I wandered in there with the sketch book and followed this young dun mare all around to get this drawing.

The Weekly Portrait: our model's dog

Last night at life drawing class Georgia suggested I draw her dog.

In terms of keeping still the wee dog was a terrible model but a real little sweetheart that fitted right in the casual and friendly atmosphere of the class.